Paul Feig


Paul Samuel Feig is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for directing films starring frequent collaborator Melissa McCarthy, including Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy, and Ghostbusters. He also directed the black comedy mystery film A Simple Favor and the romantic comedy film Last Christmas.
Feig created the comedy series Freaks and Geeks and Other Space. He has also directed several episodes of the U.S version of The Office, Arrested Development, Weeds and Nurse Jackie, as well as episodes of Mad Men, 30 Rock, and Parks and Recreation. He received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards for writing on Freaks and Geeks and two for producing and directing on The Office.
As an actor, Feig is best known for playing Tim the Camp Counselor in the comedy film Heavyweights. He also appeared as Bobby Wynn in the sitcom The Jackie Thomas Show and as Mr. Eugene Pool on the sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

Early life

Feig was born and raised in Mount Clemens, Michigan. His mother, Elaine Elizabeth, was a telephone operator, and his father, Sanford William Feig, owned Ark Surplus on Gratiot Avenue. Feig's father was born Jewish and converted to Christian Science; Feig's parents met at a church social, and Feig was also raised in Christian Science.

Career

1986–2010: Early career, ''Freaks and Geeks'' and directorial debut

After a year at Wayne State University, Feig moved to Los Angeles, California 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. Feig also appeared in a number of films, such as Ski Patrol, 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, and in summer 2008, Entertainment Weekly ranked Freaks and Geeks as the 13th best show of the past 25 years. 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.

2011–2016: ''Bridesmaids'', ''The Heat'', ''Spy'' and ''Ghostbusters''

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, who suffers a series of misfortunes after being asked to serve as maid of honor for her best friend, Lillian, played by Maya Rudolph. 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. 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.
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, and was a success at the box office, grossing $229 million worldwide against a $43 million budget.
In 2015, Feig wrote, directed, and produced the spy comedy movie Spy for 20th Century Fox, again starring Melissa McCarthy. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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, but was not renewed for a second season due to Yahoo! Screen being shut down in 2016. Feig would later create a Tumblr to provide direct links to each episode after he reobtained the rights to the series.
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. The announcement of the female-led cast in 2015 drew a polarized response from the public and Internet backlash, leading to the film's IMDb page and associated YouTube videos receiving low ratings prior to the film's release. The film grossed $229 million worldwide against a production budget of $144 million, becoming the highest-grossing live-action comedy domestically of 2016. Due to its high production and marketing budget, it is considered a box office bomb.

2017–present: ''A Simple Favor'' and ''Last Christmas''

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. 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.
In 2018, Feig directed an advertisement for Diet Coke starring Hayley Magnus, which was shown during the Super Bowl. 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.
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.

Personal life

Feig has been married to Laurie Karon since September 23, 1994.

Filmography

Film

Producer only

Television

YearTitleDirectorProducerWriterNotes
1999Freaks and GeeksCreator; 18 episodes
Episode directed: "Discos and Dragons"
Episodes written:
  • "Pilot"
  • "Tricks and Treats"
  • "Carded and Discarded"
  • "Girlfriends and Boyfriends"
  • "Looks and Books"
  • "Discos and Dragons"
2004–2005Arrested DevelopmentEpisodes:
  • "Whistler's Mother"
  • "Let 'Em Eat Cake"
  • "Switch Hitter"
  • "Burning Love"
  • "Ready, Aim, Marry Me"
  • "The Cabin Show"
  • "The Ocean Walker"
    • 2005–2007WeedsEpisodes:
  • "The Punishment Lighter"
  • "He Taught Me How to Drive By"
  • "Risk"
    • 2005–2011The OfficeEpisodes directed:
  • "Office Olympics"
  • "Halloween"
  • "Performance Review"
  • "E-mail Surveillance"
  • "Survivor Man"
  • "Dinner Party"
  • "Goodbye, Toby"
  • "Weight Loss"
  • "The Surplus"
  • "Moroccan Christmas"
  • "New Boss"
  • "Dream Team"
  • "Niagara"
  • "Goodbye, Michael"
    • 200730 RockEpisode: "Cleveland"
    2007Mad MenEpisode: "Shoot"
    2009Parks and RecreationEpisode: "Pawnee Zoo"
    2009Bored to DeathEpisodes:
  • "Take a Dive"
  • "The Case of the Lonely White Dove"
    • 2009–2010Nurse JackieEpisodes:
  • "Nosebleed"
  • "Ring Finger"
  • "Comfort Food"
  • "Twitter"
  • "Silly String"
  • "Monkey Bits"
  • "P.O. Box"
  • "Sleeping Dogs"
  • "What the Day Brings"
  • "Years of Service"
    • 2012Ronna and Beverly6 episodes
    2015Other SpaceCreator; 8 episodes Episode written: "Into the Great Beyond...Beyond"
    2018The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale19 episodes
    2020–presentZoey's Extraordinary Playlist12 episodes
    2020–presentLove Life10 episodes
    TBAEast of La Brea6 episodes
    TBAGirls CodePilot

    Acting roles

    Awards and nominations