Legendary writer and director Jim Abrahams has died aged 80.
Abrahams – who wrote and directed iconic spoof films Airplane! (1980) and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) died from natural causes on Tuesday at his home in Santa Monica, his son Joseph confirmed to THR.
Abrahams was married to wife, Nancy (née Cocuzzo) and is survived by three children.
He is best known for his collaborations with brothers Jerry Zucker and David Zucker on comedy films Airplane! – which landed him a BAFTA Award nod for Best Screenplay and The Naked Gun series. The trio were known as ZAZ.
The movie starring Leslie Nielsen – which features classic one liners such as ‘I am serious….and don’t call me Shirley’ – was a huge hit, grossing $83.5million from a budget of $3.5million and at the time, became the third biggest grossing comedy of all time.
The slapstick comedy is regularly cited as one of the funniest films of all-time and won a 1981 Writer’s Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Adapted from another Medium.
Legendary writer and director Jim Abrahams has died aged 80
Along childhood friends Jerry and David Zucker, Abrahams directed and wrote iconic slapstick comedy Airplane! starring Leslie Nielsen (1980)
He also directed 1988 film Big Business, starring Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin, and 1991’s Hot Shots! with Charlie Sheen and Cary Elwes.
He directed the sequel Hot Shots! Part Deux in 1993.
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His last writing credit was on 2006 spoof, Scary Movie 4.
Abrahams was born in Shorewood, Wisconsin, where he forged a childhood friendship with the Zucker brothers.
Abrahams studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In 1971 the trio set up the Kentucky Fried Theater to showcase their sketch comedies. Material for their first film, The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977).
After failing to make an impression on Hollywood executives, they produced the film independently, secured $650,000 worth of investors and released the film – which made $7.1 million in domestic rentals.
ZAZ were inspired by comedian Mel Brooks and Airplane! broke barriers when it came to comedy with its clever jokes and deadpan delivery by previously ‘serious’ actors such as Nielsen.
He is best known for his collaborations with brothers Jerry Zucker and David Zucker on comedy films Airplane! – which landed him a BAFTA Award nod for Best Screenplay and The Naked Gun series. The trio were known as ZAZ – pictured 2009
Abrahams wrote 1988’s The Naked Gun alongside the Zucker brothers – with David Zucker directing
Abrahams said: ‘In one day, we took a look at what was on our video machine, and there was this movie called Zero Hour! which is a 1957 melodrama.
‘So you got this script, then, full of jokes, but you get actors who aren’t known for telling jokes, who aren’t comedians.’
The trio created American spoof crime comedy television series Police Squad! in 1982 – which starred Nielsen as Frank Drebin.
Although canceled after just six episodes, it sparked The Naked Gun film series which comprised three films and ran from 1988 – 1994,