Jim Abrahams
Abrahams in 2015
Born	James S. Abrahams (1944-05-10) May 10, 1944 (age 79) Shorewood, Wisconsin, US
Occupation(s)	film director film producer screenwriter
Years active	1976–2019
Spouse	Nancy Cocuzzo

James S. Abrahams (born May 10, 1944) is an American film director and writer, best known as a member of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker.

Life and career

Abrahams was born to a Jewish family^[1] in Shorewood, Wisconsin, the son of Louise M. (née Ogens), an educational researcher, and Norman S. Abrahams, a lawyer.^[2] He attended Shorewood High School.^[2] He has a home in Eagle River, Wisconsin where he has spent summers since he was a child.^[3]

He may be best known for the spoof movies that he co-wrote and produced with brothers Jerry Zucker and David Zucker, such as Airplane! (for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay) and The Naked Gun series. The team of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (also referred to as "ZAZ") really began when the three men grew up together in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He directed movies on his own, such as Big Business, and further honed his skills in parody with Hot Shots! and its 1993 sequel, Hot Shots! Part Deux.^{[citation needed]}

Abrahams and his wife, Nancy (née Cocuzzo) co-founded The Charlie Foundation To Help Cure Pediatric Epilepsy.

Filmography

Films

Executive producer only

• Cry-Baby (1990)
• The Naked Gun 2+1⁄2: The Smell of Fear (1991)
• Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult (1994)

Acting roles

Television

Series

Other work

Acting roles