Paul Feig
Paul Feig is an acclaimed film and television director and actor, celebrated for his innovative contributions to comedy. He is best known for creating the cult classic television series *Freaks and Geeks* (1999-2000) and directing hit films such as *Bridesmaids* (2011) and *The Heat* (2013). Born on September 17, 1962, in Mount Clemens, Michigan, he developed an early interest in entertaining and storytelling, which ultimately led him to pursue a career in show business after studying mass communications.
Feig's career began with minor acting roles before he transitioned into writing and directing. His breakthrough came with *Freaks and Geeks*, which, despite its short run, gained critical acclaim and launched the careers of several now-famous actors. Following this, Feig found success directing episodes of popular sitcoms, including *The Office*, earning multiple award nominations for his work. His film *Bridesmaids* was particularly notable, receiving widespread praise and commercial success, and marking a shift towards more inclusive comedy, often showcasing strong female characters.
Throughout his career, Feig has advocated for "comedy for outsiders," crafting relatable narratives that resonate with a diverse audience. He continues to produce and direct films and television, contributing significantly to modern comedic storytelling while maintaining a commitment to representing complex, three-dimensional female characters. Married since 1994, Feig also shares his life with two rescue dogs.
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Paul Feig
Director
- Born: September 17, 1962
- Place of Birth: Mount Clemens, Michigan
Contribution: Paul Feig is a film and television director and actor, best known for creating the acclaimed television series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000) and directing the films Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), and Jackpot! (2024).
Background
Paul S. Feig was born on September 17, 1962, in Mount Clemens, Michigan. He is an only child, the son of Elaine Elizabeth, a telephone operator, and Sanford William Feig, an army surplus storekeeper. From an early age, Feig showed an interest in entertaining people, and his parents indulged his hobbies. When he was fourteen years old, Feig filmed commercials for his father’s store. Feig also showed an interest in magic when he attended Chippewa Valley High School in Clinton Township, Michigan, and his parents encouraged him to put together an act that he practiced at nursing homes and hospitals.
Feig attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, where he studied mass communications. After a year, he left school and moved to Los Angeles, California. He enrolled at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he graduated in 1984. The same year he won the college’s Jack Oakie Award for comedy in film. While later working as a tour guide at Universal Studios theme park and polishing his stand-up comedy routine, Feig began pursuing an acting career.
Career
Two years after graduating from college, Feig started acting in minor roles in various film and television shows. His first television appearance was on the sitcom The Facts of Life (1986), and from there he appeared on Newhart (1988) and Dirty Dancing (1988–89), in which he had a recurring role as Norman Bryant. For the next several years, Feig appeared in a variety of shows and films, primarily comedies, including The Jackie Thomas Show (1992–93), Roseanne (1993), and The Louie Show (1996). In 1996, he landed a recurring role as a high school science teacher on the hit sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
In between Sabrina’s seasons, Feig spent his life savings shooting Life Sold Separately (1997), starring magician and comedian Penn Jillette. Feig was unable to make any money from the movie, and when filming was set to begin again on Sabrina, he was told he would not be returning for the new season.
Discouraged with acting, Feig began writing the dramedy series Freaks and Geeks, a vaguely autobiographical show set in 1980–81 at a suburban Michigan high school. Together with his friend Judd Apatow, whom he had met on the stand-up circuit, Feig sold the show, and eighteen episodes were produced. The series premiered on September 25, 1999, on NBC to rave reviews, though it suffered from low viewership, shifting timeslots, and episodes that were shown out of order. Ultimately, only twelve episodes were aired before the show was canceled, but Freaks and Geeks has since developed a strong cult following and is frequently included on critics’ lists of the all-time best television series. For his writing, Feig was nominated for two Emmy Awards. Freaks and Geeks is also known for launching the careers of stars including James Franco, Seth Rogan, and Jason Segel.
After the cancellation of Freaks and Geeks, Feig began adapting the 1963 novel I Am David, about a young man coming of age in a communist labor camp after World War II. Feig was asked to direct the 2003 film, which was a critical and commercial failure. During this period, Feig also published the memoir Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence (2002) and its follow-up, Superstud; or, How I Became a 24-Year-Old Virgin (2005).
He directed several episodes of the critically acclaimed sitcom Arrested Development in 2004 and 2005 and then returned to the big screen with the children’s comedy Unaccompanied Minors (2006). The film, about a group of kids left alone at an airport around Christmas, received generally negative reviews. Feig has stated that the studio executives made him tone down the dark humor in the film.
Despite the critical and financial failure of Unaccompanied Minors, Feig became an in-demand director for sitcoms. He directed episodes of such highly lauded shows as 30 Rock (2007), Weeds (2005–07), and Nurse Jackie (2010). He also found steady work directing episodes of the hit sitcom The Office (2005–11). For his work on the show, he was nominated for a 2008 Emmy Award for outstanding directing for a comedy series and 2009 and 2010 Golden Globe Awards for best television musical or comedy series. He also won the 2008 Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series for the episode "The Dinner Party."
His return to directing for the big screen was with 2011’s hit comedy Bridesmaids, which reunited Feig with producer Judd Apatow and starred Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, and Rose Byrne. The film focuses on a woman struggling with her own shortcomings who is asked to be the bridesmaid at her best friend’s wedding. Critics praised the film, and it made over $250 million worldwide, making it Feig’s most successful project to date. The film received numerous awards and nominations, including Academy Award nominations for best original screenplay and best supporting actress for Melissa McCarthy. It was also nominated for best motion picture at the Golden Globe Awards. It became the first in a series of films for which Feig and McCarthy worked together.
Feig reunited with McCarthy, who costarred with Oscar winner Sandra Bullock, for the 2013 buddy-cop comedy The Heat. It generally received positive reviews from critics, although not as overwhelmingly as Bridesmaids.
Feig went on to write, direct, and produce the espionage comedy Spy (2015), for which he cast McCarthy as a desk worker turned undercover spy and also reunited with Byrne. He also cowrote, directed, and executive-produced the 2016 reboot of the 1980s film Ghostbusters, starring the all-female cast of McCarthy, Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. Critics largely praised the sci-fi comedy remake, but it became subject to sexist and racist vitriol and proved a commercial failure.
After that disappointing outing, Feig subsequently directed and produced A Simple Favor (2018), a critically well-received comedic film noir that earned $97.6 million worldwide, nearly quadrupling its production budget. That same year, he played Dr. Street in the independent comedy Song of Back and Neck. Feig returned to the romantic comedy genre with 2019's Last Christmas, which he both directed and produced.
Feig continued his success as a director and producer in the 2020s, notably helming the fantasy film The School for Good and Evil in 2022 and the action comedy Jackpot! in 2024. He also remained active in television, directing and producing the short-lived mockumentary sitcom Welcome to Flatch (2022-23).
Impact
Feig has carved his own niche in film and television that utilizes what he refers to as “comedy for outsiders.” His relatable and often awkward characters resonate with legions of viewers, and he has contributed to some of the most acclaimed and beloved shows of the early twenty-first century. Feig has also committed to presenting three-dimensional female characters in his films. The recipient of several awards and nominations, including the second-ever Spirit of the Industry Award in 2019, he continues to work in comedy as a writer, producer, actor, and director.
Personal Life
Feig married Laurie Karon, his former manager, in 1994. They have two Scottish terrier rescue dogs.
Bibliography
Bowe, John. “The Trouble with Paul Feig.” New York Times 28 Sept. 2008: MM44. Print.
Feig, Paul. “Director Paul Feig on The Heat, Bridesmaids, and Freaks and Geeks.” Interview by Zaki Hasan. Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 June 2013. Web. 14 Aug. 2013.
Feig, Paul. Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence. New York: Three Rivers, 2002. Print.
Feig, Paul. “The King of the Lady Gross-Out.” Interview by Mary Kaye Schilling. Grantland. ESPN Internet Ventures, 28 June 2013. Web. 14 Aug. 2013
Feig, Paul. "Paul Feig Interview: 'I Got Tired of Seeing How Women Were Being Portrayed in Movies.'" Interview by Clarissa Loughrey. The Independent, 20 Sept. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/paul-feig-interview-freaks-and-geeks-ghostbusters-bridesmaids-director-a8546826.html. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
Feig, Paul. Superstud; or, How I Became a 24-Year-Old Virgin. New York: Three Rivers, 2005. Print.
Lloyd, Robert. “2 Good 2 Be 4Gotten: An Oral History of Freaks and Geeks.” Vanity Fair. Condé Nast Digital, Jan. 2013. Web. 26 Aug. 2013.
"Paul Feig." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm0082450. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.