| Birth Date: | 17 September 1962 |
| Birth Place: | Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S. |
| Years Active: | 1986–present |
Paul Feig (;[1] born September 17, 1962) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing films such as Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), Spy (2015), Ghostbusters (2016), A Simple Favor (2018), and Last Christmas (2019). He often collaborates with actress Melissa McCarthy.
Feig created the comedy series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000) and Other Space (2015). He has also directed several episodes of Arrested Development, Nurse Jackie, Mad Men, The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and Weeds. He received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards for writing on Freaks and Geeks, and two for producing and directing on The Office. His most notable acting roles were as Bobby Wynn in the sitcom The Jackie Thomas Show (1992–1993), Tim the Camp Counselor in the comedy film Heavyweights (1995), and Mr. Eugene Pool on the sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996–1997).
Feig was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, on September 17, 1962,[2] the son of telephone operator Elaine Elizabeth (née Artingstall) and Gratiot Avenue store owner Sanford William Feig.[3] [4] [5] He grew up in a Christian Scientist home in Mount Clemens, Michigan.[6] [7] Sanford was born into a Jewish family, but converted to Christian Science to marry Elaine, whom he had met at a church social.[3] [8] [9]
After a year at Wayne State University, Feig moved to Los Angeles and transferred to the University of Southern California. He also worked as a tour guide at Universal Studios Hollywood, embarked on a stand-up comedy act, and landed minor roles on various television shows.[10] Feig also appeared in a number of films, such as Ski Patrol,[11] and in a role alongside Ben Stiller in the 1995 film Heavyweights, in which he played camp counselor Tim. On the first season of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Feig portrayed Mr. Eugene Pool, Sabrina's science teacher.
With Heavyweights co-scripter Judd Apatow, Feig created the short-lived comedy series Freaks and Geeks, inspired by his experiences at Chippewa Valley High School in Clinton Township, Michigan. The show aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. Eighteen episodes were completed, but the series was canceled after only twelve had aired. Despite the short run, Freaks and Geeks has since maintained a devoted cult following. The show was named in Time magazine's 100 Greatest Shows of All Time,[12] and in summer 2008, Entertainment Weekly ranked Freaks and Geeks as the 13th best show of the past 25 years.[13] Feig was nominated for two Emmys for writing the show's pilot and the season finale.
Feig made his directorial debut with the drama film I Am David, which premiered at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. He later directed the Christmas comedy film Unaccompanied Minors (2006).
In 2011, Feig was consulted to direct the Apatow-produced comedy film Bridesmaids. Written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, the plot centers on Annie (Wiig), who suffers a series of misfortunes after being asked to serve as maid of honor for her best friend, Lillian, played by Maya Rudolph.[14] Budgeted at $32.5 million, Bridesmaids was both critically and commercially successful, eventually grossing over $288 million worldwide, and served as a touchstone for discussion about women in comedy.[15] [16] The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and received multiple other accolades, including Academy Award nominations in the Best Supporting Actress for Melissa McCarthy and Best Original Screenplay for Wiig and Mumolo.[17]
In 2013, Feig reunited with McCarthy on buddy cop action comedy film The Heat, also starring Sandra Bullock. Directed by Feig and written by Katie Dippold, it centers on a mismatched police pairing who must overcome their differences in order to take down a mobster. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the chemistry, and performances of Bullock and McCarthy,[18] and was a success at the box office, grossing $229 million worldwide against a $43 million budget.[19]
In 2015, Feig wrote, directed, and produced the spy comedy movie Spy for 20th Century Fox, again starring Melissa McCarthy.[20] It follows the life of a secret agent, Susan Cooper, trying to expose the black-market. The film received acclaim from critics and became another box office success at an international gross of $235.7 million.[21] It was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for McCarthy.[22] Also in 2015, Feig produced the animated feature The Peanuts Movie for Blue Sky Studios, based on the Peanuts comic strip and characters created by Charles M. Schulz.[21] That same year, it was announced that Feig will direct a film adaptation of Play-Dohs for Hasbro Studios, 20th Century Fox, and Chernin Entertainment.[23]
During 2015, Feig also created the science fiction comedy series Other Space for Yahoo!'s video on demand service Yahoo! Screen and wrote the show's first episode. The series stars Trace Beaulieu, Neil Casey, Eugene Cordero, Joel Hodgson, Conor Leslie, Bess Rous, Karan Soni, and Milana Vayntrub as the dysfunctional crew of an exploratory spaceship who become trapped in an unknown universe. Other Space received positive reviews,[24] [25] but was not renewed for a second season due to Yahoo! Screen being shut down in 2016. Feig later created a Tumblr to provide direct links to each episode after he reobtained the rights to the series.[26] In 2020, the series was picked up by streaming service DUST.[27]
In 2016, Feig directed and co-wrote the female driven reboot of the Ghostbusters franchise, starring McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones as four women who begin a ghost-catching business in New York City.[28] The announcement of the female-led cast in 2015 drew a polarized response from the public and internet backlash,[29] leading to the film's IMDb page and associated YouTube videos receiving low ratings prior to the film's release.[30] [31] The film grossed $229 million worldwide against a production budget of $144 million, becoming the highest-grossing live-action comedy domestically of 2016.[32] However, due to its high production and marketing budget, it is considered a box-office bomb.[33]
In 2017, Feig produced Jonathan Levine's comedy film Snatched, starring Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn as a mother-daughter couple who are abducted while on vacation in South America.[34] The same year, he began production on the comedy thriller A Simple Favor. Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Darcey Bell, it stars Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and Henry Golding, and follows a small town blogger who tries to solve the disappearance of her mysterious and rich best friend. Released in September 2018, the film received generally favorable reviews from critics, with praise for the plot twists and performances of Kendrick and Lively.[35]
In 2018, Feig directed an advertisement for Diet Coke starring Hayley Magnus, which was shown during the Super Bowl.[36] In 2019, he directed the romantic comedy Last Christmas, reteaming with Henry Golding, who starred in the film alongside Emilia Clarke. The film received mixed reviews and was a box office success, earning over $120 million.[37]
In March 2019, following 20th Century Fox's acquisition by The Walt Disney Company, Feig announced he would be moving his Feigco production studio to Universal Pictures.[38] [39]
| Year | Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | |||
| 2003 | I Am David | ||||
| 2006 | Unaccompanied Minors | ||||
| 2011 | Bridesmaids | ||||
| 2013 | The Heat | ||||
| 2015 | Spy | ||||
| 2016 | Ghostbusters | ||||
| 2018 | A Simple Favor | ||||
| 2019 | Last Christmas | ||||
| 2022 | The School for Good and Evil | ||||
| 2024 | Jackpot! | ||||
| TBA | Untitled A Simple Favor sequel |
| Year | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Peanuts Movie | ||
| 2017 | Snatched | ||
| 2019 | Someone Great | ||
| 2020 | Holler | Executive producer |
| Year | Title | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Note | |||
| 1987 | Zombie High | Emmerson | ||
| Three O'Clock High | Hall Monitor | |||
| 1990 | Ski Patrol | Stanley | ||
| Zoo Radio | Chester Drawer | credited as Skylar Billings | ||
| 1994 | Naked Gun : The Final Insult | Oscar Audience Member | ||
| 1995 | The TV Wheel | Various | ||
| Heavyweights | Tim The Camp Counselor | |||
| 1996 | That Thing You Do! | KMPC D.J. | ||
| My Fellow Americans | Reporter #2 | |||
| 1997 | Life Sold Separately | Clark | ||
| Statical Planets | Renfester | |||
| 2000 | Bad Dog | Messenger | Short film | |
| 2002 | Stealing Harvard | Electrician | ||
| 2003 | I Am David | American Man | ||
| 2007 | Knocked Up | Fantasy Baseball Guy | ||
| Different DJ | Uncredited | |||
| 2011 | Bad Teacher | Dad at the Car Wash | ||
| Bridesmaids | Guy at Wedding | Uncredited | ||
| 2013 | The Heat | Doctor | ||
| 2015 | Spy | Drunken Guest at Paris Hotel | ||
| 2017 | Ferdinand | Picador (voice)[40] [41] | ||
| 2018 | Song of Back and Neck | Dr. Street |
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | Freaks and Geeks | Also creator and producer; 18 episodes Episode directed: "Discos and Dragons" Episodes written:
| |||
| 2001 | Undeclared | Episode: "Oh, So You Have a Boyfriend?" | |||
| 2004–2005 | Arrested Development | Episodes: | |||
| 2005–2007 | Weeds | Episodes:
| |||
| 2005–2011 | The Office | Episodes directed:
| |||
| 2007 | 30 Rock | Episode: "Cleveland" | |||
| Mad Men | Episode: "Shoot" | ||||
| 2009 | Parks and Recreation | Episode: "Pawnee Zoo" | |||
| Bored to Death | Episodes:
| ||||
| 2009–2010 | Nurse Jackie | Episodes:
| |||
| 2012 | Ronna and Beverly | 6 episodes | |||
| 2015 | Other Space | Creator; 8 episodes Episode written: "Into the Great Beyond...Beyond" | |||
| 2018 | The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale | 19 episodes | |||
| 2020–2021 | Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist | 12 episodes | |||
| Love Life | 10 episodes | ||||
| 2022 | Welcome to Flatch | Episodes directed:
| |||
| 2022 | Minx | 10 episodes | |||
| TBA | East of La Brea | 6 episodes | |||
| Year | Title | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Note | |||
| 1986 | The Facts of Life | Ron | Episode: "The Ratings Game" | |
| 1988–1989 | Dirty Dancing | Norman Bryant | 11 episodes | |
| 1990 | thirtysomething | Focus Group Member | Episode: "Pulling Away" | |
| It's Garry Shandling's Show | Chester Bass | Episodes: "The Proposal", "The Honeymoon Show" and "Chester Gets a Show" | ||
| 1991 | Good Sports | Leash | Episodes: "Pros and Ex-Cons", "Electricity", "The Return of Nick" and "A Class Act" | |
| Get a Life | Mark | Episode: "Chris Becomes a Male Escort" | ||
| 1992 | Deep Dish TV | Unknown | Television film | |
| 1992–1993 | The Edge | Various | 7 episodes | |
| The Jackie Thomas Show | Bobby Wynn | 18 episodes | ||
| 1993 | Roseanne | Pete | Episode: "A Stash from the Past" | |
| 1994 | The Good Life | Video Clerk | Episodes: "Paul Dates a Buddhist" and "John Takes Out Melissa" | |
| Hardball | Agent #1 | Episode: "Whose Strike Is It Anyway?" | ||
| 1996 | The Louie Show | Dr. Jake Anderson | 6 episodes | |
| 1996–1997 | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Mr. Eugene Pool | 26 episodes | |
| 1997 | Men Behaving Badly | Nelson | Episode: "The Sting" | |
| Ellen | Peterson | Episode: "G.I. Ellen" | ||
| 1998 | The Drew Carey Show | Worker #1 | Episode: "From the Earth to the Moon" | |
| 1999 | Freaks and Geeks | Alexander the Guitarist | Uncredited; Episode: "I'm with the Band" | |
| 2005 | Arrested Development | Magician | Episode: "Sword of Destiny" | |
| Early Bird | Unknown | Television film | ||
| 2009 | Nurse Jackie | Mr. Spagnolo | Episode: "Monkey Bits" | |
| 2013 | The Office | Animal Trainer | Episode: "Stairmageddon" | |
| 2014 | Maron | Warren | Episode: "Therapy" | |
| Hell's Kitchen | Himself | Episode: "18 Chefs Compete" | ||
| 2017 | 9JKL | Episode: "Pilot" | ||
| 2018 | The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale | 14 episodes | ||
| 2020 | Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist | Dale | Episode: "Zoey's Extraordinary Mother" |
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | Freaks and Geeks | [42] | |
| 2001 | 54th Primetime Emmy Awards | ||||
| 2008 | 60th Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series | The Office | ||
| 2009 | 61st Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Comedy Series | |||
| 61st Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series | ||||
| 2010 | 21st Producers Guild of America Awards | Best Episodic Comedy | |||
| 2014 | 16th American Comedy Awards | Best Comedy Director – Film | The Heat | ||
| 2017 | 59th Hugo Awards | Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form | Ghostbusters |