Movies

Jim Abrahams dead at 80: Naked Gun and Airplane! director passes away in LA

BBG News

As a lifelong fan of the hilarious and ingenious world of Jim Abrahams, I am utterly devastated by the news of his passing at the ripe age of 80. Known for his side-splitting collaborations with the Zucker brothers on iconic spoof films like Airplane! and The Naked Gun series, he has left an indelible mark on my comedy-loving soul.

Legendary writer and director Jim Abrahams has died aged 80.

On Tuesday, it was confirmed by Abraham’s son, Joseph, that Abraham – known for writing and directing comedic films like Airplane! (1980) and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) – passed away peacefully at his home in Santa Monica due to natural causes.

Abrahams was married to wife, Nancy (née Cocuzzo) and is survived by three children.

Primarily recognized for his work in collaboration with siblings Jerry Zucker and David Zucker on the hilarious movies like Airplane!, earning him a BAFTA nomination for Best Screenplay, and the iconic The Naked Gun series. Together, they were famously referred to as ZAZ.

Back in the day, I simply couldn’t resist the allure of that iconic flick starring the legendary Leslie Nielsen, where his timeless one-liners like “I am serious…and don’t call me Shirley” left audiences in stitches. To my utter delight, it turned out to be a box office smash, raking in an astounding $83.5 million from a humble budget of just $3.5 million! At the time, it claimed the title as the third highest-grossing comedy movie ever made. Simply put, it was a comedic triumph that left an indelible mark on cinema history.

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.

Apart from that, he was the director of the 1988 movie “Big Business” featuring Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin, as well as the 1991 film “Hot Shots!” which starred Charlie Sheen and Cary Elwes.

He directed the sequel  Hot Shots! Part Deux in 1993.

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2024-11-26 20:48

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