Peter Segal

This article is about the director Peter Segal. For the radio host, see Peter Sagal.
Peter Segal
Segal promoting Get Smart at WonderCon
Born1962 (age 62–63)
United States
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter
Years active1991–present
SpouseLinda Brogmus

Peter Segal (born 1962) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Segal has directed the comedic films Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult (1994), Tommy Boy (1995), My Fellow Americans (1996), The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), Anger Management (2003), 50 First Dates (2004), The Longest Yard (2005), Get Smart (2008), Grudge Match (2013), and My Spy (2020).[1]

Early life and education

Segal grew up in New York City, where his father was head of publicity at MGM. In the 1970s, Segal and his family moved to Los Angeles. Segal attended the University of Southern California, where he double majored in Broadcast Journalism and English.[2]

Segal graduated from the USC School of Cinema and Television.[3][4]

Career

Segal began his career writing and directing television. In 2002, he created the NBC sitcom Hidden Hills (2002–2003). In 1995, he formed his production company, Callahan Filmworks, along with long-time producing partner Michael Ewing.[4]

Segal made his feature film directorial debut in 1994 with Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, starring Leslie Nielsen and George Kennedy.[5][6][7][8][9]

Segal went on to direct Chris Farley and David Spade in Tommy Boy (1995).[10][11] Though it received mixed reviews at the time of release, and was considered a commercial disappointment,[12] Tommy Boy's reputation has grown over the years and it is considered in some quarters a "now-iconic cult classic."[13]

Segal directed the comedy film My Fellow Americans (1996), starring Jack Lemmon, James Garner and Lauren Bacall.[3][4] The film received mixed reviews from critics. It holds a 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 60 reviews and with an average rating of 5.3/10 and the critical consensus: "It doesn't commit any impeachable offenses, but My Fellow Americans lacks strong regulatory oversight of its toothless political satire and misuse of comedic talent."[14] Co-star Garner was not impressed by Segal, writing in his memoirs that Segal "was a self appointed genius who didn't know his ass from second base and Jack and I both knew it."[15]

Segal next directed the comedy Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), starring Eddie Murphy.[3][4] The film was a substantial commercial success, grossing $42.5 million in its opening weekend, the then-highest opening weekend for an Eddie Murphy film.[16] The film went on to generate a total gross of $166.3 million worldwide.[17] Critically, however, the film did not fare as well: on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 27% and an average rating of 4.5/10, based on reviews from 89 critics. The site's consensus states that "While Eddie Murphy is still hilarious as the entire Klump family, the movie falls apart because of uneven pacing, a poor script, and skits that rely on being gross rather than funny."[12] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 38 out of 100, a score that indicates generally unfavorable reviews, based on reviews from 34 critics.[18]

Segal directed Adam Sandler for the first time in Anger Management (2003), which also starred Jack Nicholson.[19][20][21] When asked by the BBC who was the most famous person in his contacts book, Segal replied, "I have to say, it's very obvious now, it's Jack Nicholson. I've kept his number on my speed dial just so I can show it to friends. I could call him up out of the blue, but I'm worried he might say 'Pete who?'"[3]

Segal collaborated with Sandler again in 50 First Dates (2004), which also starred Drew Barrymore.[20][22][23][24][25]

Segal collaborated with Sandler for the third time in The Longest Yard (2005), a remake of the 1974 film of the same name.[2][3] The film has become the second highest grossing sports comedy in history.[4]

After directing three of Sandler's films, Segal's next film became Get Smart (2008). It is an adaptation of the '60s television series of the same name that was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. Segal stated in an interview with AMC that he loved the show so much as a kid. The film starred Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin and Terence Stamp.[26][27][28][29][30]

Segal also directed Grudge Match (2013), which starred Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Kevin Hart, Alan Arkin, Kim Basinger and Jon Bernthal.[9][31][32]

Personal life

When asked in a September 2014 interview by the BBC if he believes in God, Segal replied: "I do. I'm very spiritual and I'm Jewish by faith. I'm not a practising Jew, I'm more of a recreational Jew. I celebrate the holidays and I try to inform my kids about their heritage because I think we all at some point have to defend our heritage and if they get picked on I want them to know why."[3]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Producer
1994 Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult Yes No
1995 Tommy Boy Yes No
1996 My Fellow Americans Yes No
2000 Nutty Professor II: The Klumps Yes No
2003 Anger Management Yes No
2004 50 First Dates Yes No
2005 The Longest Yard Yes No
2008 Get Smart Yes Executive
2013 Grudge Match Yes Yes
2018 Second Act Yes Executive
2020 My Spy Yes Yes
2024 My Spy: The Eternal City Yes Yes

Acting credits

Year Title Role
1994 Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult 1# Producer of 'Sawdust & Mildew'
1996 My Fellow Americans TV Technician
2000 Nutty Professor II: The Klumps Scared Popcorn Man

Television

Year Title Director Producer Writer Notes
1987 Bikini II: The Saga Continues Yes Yes Yes TV short
1993 The Jackie Thomas Show Yes Yes No Episodes "Write This Way" and "Aloha, Io-wahu"
2002–2003 Hidden Hills No Executive Yes Also creator;
Wrote episode "Pilot"
2014–2016 Shameless Yes No No Episodes "Strangers on a Train", "The Two Lisas" and "Pimp's Paradise"
Survivor's Remorse Yes No No Episodes "How to Build a Brand", "Grown-Ass Man",
"Starts and Stops" and "The Night of the Crash"
2016 Angie Tribeca Yes No No Episode "Commissioner Bigfish"
2021 Heels Yes Executive No Directed 7 episodes

TV movies

Year Title Director Producer Writer
1989 Premiere: Inside the Summer Blockbusters Uncredited Contributing No
1992 The Road Warriors Yes Executive No
2010 In Security Yes Executive Yes
2012 Prodigy Bully Yes Executive No
2015 Ken Jeong Made Me Do It Yes Executive No

TV specials

Year Title Director Producer Writer
1991 Tom Arnold: The Naked Truth Yes Yes No
1992 Tom Arnold: The Naked Truth 2 Yes Yes Yes
1993 Tom Arnold: The Naked Truth 3 Yes Yes Yes
2022 Sebastian Maniscalco: Is It Me? Yes No No

References

  1. ^ Nathan Southern (2015). "Peter Segal". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  2. ^ a b Tinkham, Chris (24 December 2013). "Peter Segal: Ringside View". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Russell, Jamie (24 September 2014). "No.14: Peter Segal". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Comedy@SCA Presents: Dying is Easy, Comedy is Hard - An Evening with Steve Carell and Peter Segal". USC School of Cinematic Arts. 18 November 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  5. ^ "Veteran Comedy Director Peter Segal Announced as Hershey(R)'s Take 5(R) Film Contest Judge; Taste and Believe and Win $10,000". The Hershey Company. 12 June 2006. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  6. ^ Miller, Neil (2 August 2007). "INTERVIEW: GET SMART DIRECTOR PETER SEGAL". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on 1 March 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  7. ^ Douglas, Edward (28 July 2007). "Comic-Con Exclusive: Peter Segal on Shazam!". Superhero Hype!. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  8. ^ Neuman, Clayton (23 June 2008). "Masters of SciFi – An Interview with Get Smart Director Peter Segal". amc.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  9. ^ a b Topel, Fred (24 December 2013). "Exclusive Interview: Peter Segal on Grudge Match and Shazam". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  10. ^ Lesnick, Silas (23 December 2013). "Interview: Director Peter Segal Steps Into the Ring for Grudge Match". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  11. ^ "'Get Smart' Director Peter Segal To Helm 'Captain Marvel' Movie". 24 November 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Tommy Boy (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 20, 2023. Cite error: The named reference "tomatoes" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  13. ^ Norton, Damen (23 January 2014). "HeyUGuys Interview: Grudge Match Director Peter Segal On New Orleans and.. Johnny Quest?". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  14. ^ "My Fellow Americans". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  15. ^ Garner, James; Winokur, Jon (2011). The Garner Files: A Memoir. Simon & Schuster. p. 263.
  16. ^ Linder, Brian (July 31, 2000). "Weekend Box Office: Nutty II Grosses Out Critics, Out Grosses Competition". IGN. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  17. ^ "The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  18. ^ "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  19. ^ Paur, Joey (22 November 2014). "Disney Hires Peter Segal to Direct GOBLINS". Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  20. ^ a b Romano, Nick (26 December 2013). "'Shazam' Movie No Longer Fits Into the Planned DC Universe, Says Director Peter Segal". ScreenCrush. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  21. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (15 September 2014). "Peter Segal To Direct & Executive Produce MTV's Ken Jeong Comedy Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  22. ^ Khouri, Andy (23 February 2012). "Warner Bros. Wants the 'Get Smart' Guy to Make a 'Bleach' Movie". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  23. ^ Raup, Jordan (22 February 2012). "Warner Bros. Revives 'Bleach' Adaptation With 'Get Smart' Director Peter Segal". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  24. ^ Miller, Rob (7 August 2013). "Live-Action 'Jetsons' Movie Gets 'Smart' New Director". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  25. ^ Grace, Whitney (24 November 2014). "Peter Segal Tapped by Disney to Direct 'Goblins'". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  26. ^ Weintraub, Steve "Frosty" (24 December 2013). "Director Peter Segal Talks GRUDGE MATCH, Casting De Niro and Stallone, and More; Reveals What Happened With SHAZAM and GET SMART 2". Collider. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  27. ^ Anderson, Derek (19 November 2014). "'Get Smart' Director Peter Segal to Helm Disney's 'Goblins'". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  28. ^ Pearson, Ben (24 May 2012). "'Get Smart' Director Peter Segal to Build 'The Machine' with Vin Diesel". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  29. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (19 November 2014). "Peter Segal To Direct Children's Tale 'Goblins' For Disney". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  30. ^ Romano, Paul (23 December 2013). "Director Peter Segal Looks Back On Scrapped SHAZAM Movie". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  31. ^ Larson, Jared (31 December 2013). "DIRECTOR PETER SEGAL TALKS SHAZAM ON THE BIG SCREEN". IGN. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  32. ^ Shwayder, Maya (17 December 2013). "Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro in Fighting Form at 'Grudge Match' Premiere". Variety. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.