Nebraskan Robert Thornby was born before the director of "Simon Birch".
Mark Steven Johnson (born October 30, 1964) is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer. 
Robert Thornby (March 27, 1888  March 6, 1953) was an American director and actor of the silent era. 
Simon Birch is a 1998 American comedy-drama film loosely based on "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving and was directed and written for the screen by Mark Steven Johnson. 
