Rick Friedberg

Last updated
Rick Friedberg
Born (1944-03-11) March 11, 1944 (age 80)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s) Film director, producer, writer
Known for Spy Hard
Children Jason, Alix, Nicholas

Rick Friedberg (born March 11, 1944) is an American film and television director, screenwriter and producer, best known for his work with Leslie Nielsen. He is also the author of Hollywood War Stories, How to Survive in the Trenches, a memoir/advice guide on the film industry. [1]

Contents

Career

Friedberg made his feature film debut in 1980 with the comedy Pray TV starring Dabney Coleman, followed by 1983's Off the Wall . [2] He would direct television episodes for The Twilight Zone , New Monkees and CityKids . When Friedberg made the comic instruction video Bad Golf Made Easier with Leslie Nielsen, he showed his son Jason Friedberg's script to him, which was parodying James Bond movies and other action films. Nielsen approved, and this led to 1996's Spy Hard . [3] 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 and Scorpion , as well as director/field producer on The Real Housewives of Orange County . [4]

Filmography

Feature Film

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotes
1983 Off the Wall YesYesNo
1996 Spy Hard YesScreenplayYes

Television

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotes
1980 Pray TV YesYesYesTV movie; lyrics: "Billy Bob Jingle"
1985 The Twilight Zone YesNoNo1 Episode (Wish Bank)
1987 New Monkees YesNoNo2 episodes
1993 CityKids YesNoNo6 episodes
2006–2008 The Real Housewives of Orange County NoNoField28 episodes
2008–2009 CSI: Miami Second UnitNoNo5 episodes
2014–2018 Scorpion Second UnitNo12 episodes

Direct-To-Video

YearTitleDirectorProducerNotes
1988W.A.S.P. - Videos... In the RawYesNo
1990Playboy: Sensual Pleasures of Oriental MassageNoCreativeDocumentary
1993 Leslie Nielsen's Bad Golf Made Easier YesNo
1993Our First VideoYesNoVideo Short "Brother for Sale"
1994 Bad Golf My Way YesNo
1997Our Music VideoYesNoSegment "Brother for Sale"

Music Videos

References

  1. Friedberg, Rick; Chudnow, Dick (19 September 2014). Hollywood War Stories: How to Survive in the Trenches. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN   978-1500991616.
  2. "Rick Friedberg - Rotten Tomatoes". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  3. "Surely They Can't Be Serious? «". grantland.com. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  4. "Rick Friedberg - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 2016-12-05.