Donald Petrie


Donald Mark Petrie is an American film director and actor.

Life and career

Petrie was born in New York City, New York, the son of Dorothea, a television producer, actor, and novelist, and Daniel Petrie, a director. He is the brother of writer Daniel Petrie, Jr.
Petrie began his entertainment career as an actor, having trained and graduated from California State Northridge as a theatre major. Donald soon was appearing in many television episodes. In 1980, Donald decided to shift his focus to directing when he was accepted as a Fellow at the American Film Institute.
Petrie has acted and guest-starred on television programs since 1976. His first directorial job was on the set of The Equalizer, a private detective television series, in 1985. Since, he has directed films such as Mystic Pizza, Opportunity Knocks, Grumpy Old Men, The Favor, Richie Rich, The Associate, My Favorite Martian, Miss Congeniality, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Welcome to Mooseport, Just My Luck, My Life in Ruins and Little Italy.