The Resume

(March 11, 1950- )
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
With David Zucker and Jim Abrahams, directed the films ‘Airplane!’ (1980), ‘Top Secret!’ (1984), and ‘Ruthless People’ (1988) and created the TV series Police Squad!
Directed the films ‘Ghost’ (1990), ‘First Knight’ (1995), and ‘Rat Race’ (2001)
Produced the films ‘A Walk in the Clouds’ (1993), ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ (1997), ‘Unconditional Love’ (2002), and ‘Friends with Benefits’ (2011)

Why he might be annoying:

He said, ‘I think some of the best jokes we’ve put on film are in ‘Top Secret!’ but we forgot to include a story. It’s a big lesson, and it was a hard one to learn.’
’Ghost’ screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin was initially appalled at Zucker being brought in to direct, having wanted a big-name dramatic director like Milos Forman or Stanley Kubrick.
One of the reviews of his flop Arthurian film ‘First Knight’ observed, ‘He’s often funnier when he’s trying to be serious.’

Why he might not be annoying:

He graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in education and taught high school for a year before going into show biz.
’Airplane!’ was named the best film comedy by ‘Entertainment Weekly’ and ranked in the AFI’s top ten.
He is the only member of the ZAZ team to have directed an Oscar nominee for Best Picture (‘Ghost’).

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Airplane! [1980]
• Artsy/Fartsy Directors
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 91]
• Celebrities Born on the Same Date [March] (Ranked: 3111950)
• Entertainment Weekly's 101 Most Influential People [1991] (Ranked: 90)
• I Attended University of Wisconsin-Madison
• I Became a Dad in 1988
• I Became a Dad in 1992
• I Married in 1987
• Look at Me, I'm a Man in Shades
• Profiles 56751-57000 (Ranked: 56918)
• Teachers

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying