Tom Schiller is an American writer best known for his eleven-year stint writing and directing short films for ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' (following the show's original short film makers Albert Brooks and

Gary Weis Gary Weis (c. 1943) is an American filmmaker. He is known for creating multiple short films that aired on ''Saturday Night Live'' in the late 1970s. He co-produced and provided visual effects for the documentary ''Jimi Hendrix'' (1973); he co- ...

). His films, often featuring members of the original ''SNL'' cast, aired on the program in a segment titled, "Schiller's Reel." He is the son of TV comedy writer/producer Bob Schiller.

Career

Schiller was part of the original 1975 writing team when ''Saturday Night Live'' debuted on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

. Schiller was an on-screen cast member for one season. Notable films included the Federico Fellini send-up "La Dolce Gilda" and "Don't Look Back in Anger", which depicted an elderly

John Belushi John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his c ...

as the last living "Not Ready For Primetime Player" and dancing on the graves of his deceased castmembers. (Ironically, Belushi would be the first ''SNL'' cast member to die, four years after the film first aired.) Another favorite was "Java Junkie", a send-up of a 1950s-style cautionary film about a coffee addict (played by

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) which Schiller made with producer/cinematographer

Neal Marshad Neal Marshad (born April 25, 1952) is an American film and television producer, director, cinematographer, advertising executive, internet strategist, and designer. Personal life Marshad was born on April 25, 1952, in Peekskill, New York, the son ...

. Schiller wrote and directed the short film "Love Is a Dream" for ''SNL'' again with producer/cinematographer Neal Marshad and starring

Phil Hartman Philip Edward Hartman (; September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and his family moved to the United States w ...

and

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liteseyfh.com; accesse ...

. Schiller also wrote and directed a feature film, '' Nothing Lasts Forever'' (1984). The film, which was shelved by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

, has never been officially released theatrically or for home media, featured

Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan delivery. He rose to fame on ''The National Lampoon Radio Hour'' (1973–1974) before becoming a national presence on '' Saturday Nig ...

, Dan Aykroyd,

Zach Galligan Zachary Wolfe Galligan (born February 14, 1964) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Billy Peltzer in the comedy-horror films ''Gremlins'' (1984) and '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990). Early life and education Galligan was ...

, Sam Jaffe,

Mort Sahl Morton Lyon Sahl (May 11, 1927 – October 26, 2021) was a Canadian-born American comedian, actor, and social satirist, considered the first modern comedian. Sahl pioneered a style of social satire that pokes fun at political and current event t ...

, Lauren Tom, Imogene Coca, Apollonia van Ravenstein and Eddie Fisher, has gained a cult following and influenced a number of young directors. Prior to working on ''Saturday Night Live'', Schiller worked as an assistant to documentary filmmaker Robert Snyder and directed a film about his longtime friend and mentor, author Henry Miller. Schiller is the son of sitcom writer Bob Schiller, who was a staff writer on ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along wit ...

''. Schiller has gone on to direct over 500 comedy TV commercials and is currently represented by his own company, Schillervision. In spring, 2013, the comedy album "Tom and Don", which is a compilation of improv interviews between Schiller and musician Donald Fagen, was released. Schiller's body of work is the subject of the 2005 book ''Nothing Lost Forever: The Films of Tom Schiller'' by Michael Streeter. Schiller is married to humorist, community volunteer, author and partygiver
Jacque Schiller, née Lynn

References

External links

*
Nothing Lost Forever:The Films of Tom Schiller
- a book about Schiller. * http://www.schillervision.com/ the official Schillervision site

Interview - Tom and Don: Part 1 at Apple ITunes {{DEFAULTSORT:Schiller, Tom Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male comedians 21st-century American comedians American male television actors American television directors American television writers American male television writers American film directors Primetime Emmy Award winners 21st-century American screenwriters Advertising directors 21st-century American male writers