Charles Shyer

Charles Richard Shyer (born October 11, 1951) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. Shyer's films are predominantly comedies, often with a romantic-comedy overtone. His films include Private Benjamin (1980); Irreconcilable Differences (1984); Baby Boom (1987); Father of the Bride (1991); and Father of the Bride Part II (1995), The Parent Trap (1998), The Affair of the Necklace (L'Affaire du Collier) (2001), Alfie (2004) and Ieri, Oggi Domani (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) (2012). 2Early life Shyer was born in Los Angeles, the son of Lois (née Jones) Delaney and Melville Shyer, a production executive and film director. Shyer grew up in the film industry where his father worked with D.W. Griffith and was one of the founders of the Directors Guild of America. After attending UCLA, he was accepted into the DGA's apprenticeship program, which led to work as an assistant director. However, Shyer's focus was soon diverted to writing and he went to work as an assistant to Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson, producers of the TV series The Odd Couple. He eventually worked his way up to head writer and associate producer on the popular series in the early seventies. He is of Jewish descent. 2Career After The Odd Couple, Shyer transitioned into feature films and received his first writing credit on Smokey and the Bandit (1977), starring Burt Reynold