Book Jerry Zucker

Jerry Zucker is an American filmmaker and one third of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker, the comedy team that reinvented the movie spoof. He and his brother David started out with Jim Abrahams in Madison, Wisconsin, performing sketches as Kentucky Fried Theater, material that became The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977). The trio then wrote and co-directed Airplane! (1980), a landmark of rapid-fire comedy, followed by Top Secret! (1984) and Ruthless People (1986). They also co-created the TV series Police Squad!, which lasted six episodes but was reborn on the big screen as The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) and the Naked Gun film series. In 1990 Zucker turned to drama and romance as director of Ghost, a Best Picture nominee at the Academy Awards that won Whoopi Goldberg her Oscar and became the first box-office champion of the 1990s. He directed the ensemble comedy Rat Race (2001), and his behind-the-camera credits also include My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) and Friends with Benefits (2011). His honors include a Writers Guild of America Award and a Mainichi Film Award. Zucker brings decades of comedy craft and great stories from Hollywood's funniest sets.