Rick Friedberg (born March 11, 1944) is an American film and television director, screenwriter and producer, best known for his work with

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

. He is also the author of ''Hollywood War Stories, How to Survive in the Trenches'', a memoir/advice guide on the film industry.

Career

Friedberg made his feature film debut in 1980 with the comedy '' Pray TV'' starring

Dabney Coleman Dabney Wharton Coleman (born January 3, 1932) is an American actor. Coleman's best known films include '' 9 to 5'' (1980), '' On Golden Pond'' (1981), ''Tootsie'' (1982), ''WarGames'' (1983), '' Cloak & Dagger'' (1984), ''The Beverly Hillbillies ...

, followed by 1983's ''

Off the Wall ''Off the Wall'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, the label he recorded under until his death in 2009, and t ...

''. He would direct television episodes for ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'', ''

New Monkees ''New Monkees'' is the name of both an American pop rock music group and a 1987 syndicated television show featuring the group. Overview Background The 20th anniversary of ''The Monkees'' TV series in 1986 generated enough interest that ''Ne ...

'' and '' CityKids''. When Friedberg made the comic instruction video '' Bad Golf Made Easier'' with

, he showed his son

Jason Friedberg Jason Friedberg (born October 13, 1971) and Aaron Seltzer (born January 12, 1974) are American and Canadian filmmakers. They have primarily worked on parody films, which they began writing and directing during the mid-2000s. Friedberg and Seltze ...

's script to him, which was

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

ing

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

movies and other

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

s. Nielsen approved, and this led to 1996's ''

Spy Hard ''Spy Hard'' is a 1996 American spy parody film starring Leslie Nielsen (who also executive produced) and Nicollette Sheridan, parodying James Bond and other action films. The introduction to the film is sung by comedy artist "Weird Al" Yanko ...

''. The film eventually grossed $26 million against a production budget of $18 million. Through the 2000s and 2010s, Friedberg served as second unit director on series like ''

CSI: Miami ''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...

'' and ''

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

'', as well as director/field producer on ''

The Real Housewives of Orange County ''The Real Housewives of Orange County'' (abbreviated ''RHOC'') is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on March 21, 2006. It has aired sixteen seasons and focuses on the personal and professional lives of several wome ...

''.

Filmography

Feature Film

Television

Direct-To-Video

Music Videos

Hot for Teacher "Hot for Teacher" is a song by the American rock band Van Halen, taken from their sixth studio album, ''1984''. The song was written by band members Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth, and produced by Ted Temple ...

Summertime Girls "Summertime Girls" is a single by American rock band Y&T. It was released as the first single from their seventh studio album '' Open Fire''. It later reappeared on their eighth studio album ''Down for the Count''. The song became the band's big ...

*Blind in Texas * Wild Child

References

External links

* Living people American film directors American male screenwriters Comedy film directors English-language film directors 1944 births {{US-film-director-1940s-stub