About me
With worldwide box office hits such as "Airplane!", "Ruthless People", "The Naked Guns", "Phone Booth", "A Walk In the Clouds", and the record-breaking "Scary Movie 3" and 4, all to his credit, director/writer/producer David Zucker has established himself as one of Hollywood’s most successful filmmakers. Every one of his 15 studio films having been profitable, David’s track record remains unparalleled in a highly competitive industry. Starting out after college with a borrowed video tape deck and camera, David recruited his brother Jerry, and friend Jim Abrahams to join him in creating the Kentucky Fried Theater, setting up shop in the back of a Madison, Wisconsin bookstore. Moving the show to Los Angeles in 1972, with their groundbreaking style of outrageous sketch comedy, they became the most successful small theater group in Los Angeles history. After parlaying this success into an iconic independent feature, "Kentucky Fried Movie", David, Jim, and Jerry conceived the idea that would create a whole new film genre. "Airplane!" broke all conventions, featuring dramatic actors like Robert Stack and Leslie Nielsen performing hair-brained dialogue with straight-laced sincerity. The spoof became the surprise hit of 1980, positioning David and his partners as kingpins of Hollywood comedy. Their streak of successful movies continued with the secret agent spoof "Top Secret!" starring Val Kilmer, and the biting farce "Ruthless People", with Bette Midler and Danny DeVito, one of that year’s top-grossing films. In 1988, David went out on his own to direct "The Naked Gun", a zany comedy that was a runaway hit. His 1991 "Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear" surpassed the original’s grosses, quickly followed by the third box-office winner, "Naked Gun 33 1/3". David then produced "A Walk in The Clouds" (Keanu Reeves) and "Phone Booth" (Colin Farrell), which added to the list of hits, after which he directed the comedy classic "BASEketball", featuring South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone. In 2003, David was tapped by Dimension Films to revitalize the "Scary Movie" comedy franchise, resulting in two more blockbusters, "Scary Movie 3" and 4. Returning to producing, David turned out "Superhero Movie" and 2013’s "Scary Movie 5". Currently, David resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Danielle, a physician, and their two children, Charles, 12, an attorney, and Sarah, 10, a dental hygienist.
