Rick Friedberg

Rick Friedberg
Born (1944-03-11) March 11, 1944 (age 80)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Film director, producer, writer
Known forSpy Hard
ChildrenJason, 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]

Career

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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

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Feature Film

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Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1983 Off the Wall Yes Yes No
1996 Spy Hard Yes Screenplay Yes

Television

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Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1980 Pray TV Yes Yes Yes TV movie; lyrics: "Billy Bob Jingle"
1985 The Twilight Zone Yes No No 1 Episode (Wish Bank)
1987 New Monkees Yes No No 2 episodes
1993 CityKids Yes No No 6 episodes
2006-2008 The Real Housewives of Orange County No No Field 28 episodes
2008-2009 CSI: Miami Second Unit No No 5 episodes
2014-2018 Scorpion Second Unit No 12 episodes

Direct-To-Video

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Year Title Director Producer Notes
1988 W.A.S.P. - Videos... In the Raw Yes No
1990 Playboy: Sensual Pleasures of Oriental Massage No Creative Documentary
1993 Leslie Nielsen's Bad Golf Made Easier Yes No
1993 Our First Video Yes No Video Short "Brother for Sale"
1994 Bad Golf My Way Yes No
1997 Our Music Video Yes No Segment "Brother for Sale"

Music Videos

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References

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  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.
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