A casting director and associate producer by the early 1970s, Badham began directing for television, most notably the murder mystery Isn't It Shocking?. He helmed his first theatrical feature in 1976: The Bingo Long Travelling All-Stars And Motor Kings, a comedy of the Negro National League in 1939. The following year he scored a major success with Saturday Night Fever. Badham has gone on to specialize in actioners, including Blue Thunder, Stakeout, The Hard Way, Point Of No Return, and Another Stakeout; he is also highly regarded for his version of Dracula with Frank Langella, the right-to-die drama Whose Life Is It Anyway?, and the doomsday thriller WarGames.