# Neal Israel > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Neal_Israel > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Neal_Israel.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Israel > Source revision: 1350402808 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American director, producer and writer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}} {{Infobox person | name = Neal Israel | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|7|27}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = {{flatlist| * Director * producer * writer }} | years_active = 1973–2015 | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{Marriage|[Lori Lieberman](/source/Lori_Lieberman)|1979|1980|reason=divorced}} * {{Marriage|[Amy Heckerling](/source/Amy_Heckerling)|1984|1990|reason=divorced}} }} }} '''Neal Israel''' (born July 27, 1945) is an American film and television director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his comedic work in the 1980s for films such as ''[Police Academy](/source/Police_Academy_(film))'', ''[Real Genius](/source/Real_Genius)'', and ''[Bachelor Party](/source/Bachelor_Party_(1984_film))''. Israel has also directed episodes for several TV shows, including ''[The Fresh Beat Band](/source/The_Fresh_Beat_Band)'', ''[Lizzie McGuire](/source/Lizzie_McGuire)'', ''[Zeke and Luther](/source/Zeke_and_Luther)'', ''[Dog with a Blog](/source/Dog_with_a_Blog)'', and ''[I Didn't Do It](/source/I_Didn't_Do_It_(TV_series))''. ==Biography== ===Career=== Raised in Manhattan in a [Jewish](/source/Jewish) family,{{cite news |last=McMurran |first=Kristin |date=1985-05-13 |title=Mixing Marriage and Movies Is a Mirthly Delight for Directors Amy Heckerling and Neal Israel |url=https://people.com/archive/mixing-marriage-and-movies-is-a-mirthly-delight-for-directors-amy-heckerling-and-neal-israel-vol-23-no-19/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528205127/https://people.com/archive/mixing-marriage-and-movies-is-a-mirthly-delight-for-directors-amy-heckerling-and-neal-israel-vol-23-no-19/ |archive-date=May 28, 2019 |access-date=2019-05-28 |work=[People](/source/People_(magazine))}} Israel started his career on the Broadway stage as assistant to legendary director [George Abbott](/source/George_Abbott). After working at the New Dramatists Guild and the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference, he came to [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles), and was an executive at both ABC and CBS. During this time he wrote and directed the break through indie hit ''[Tunnel Vision](/source/Tunnel_Vision_(1976_film)),'' which introduced such future stars as [Chevy Chase](/source/Chevy_Chase), [John Candy](/source/John_Candy) and [Al Franken](/source/Al_Franken). On television, he wrote ''[Ringo](/source/Ringo_(1978_film)),'' a special that starred [Ringo Starr](/source/Ringo_Starr) and [George Harrison](/source/George_Harrison). He then wrote with his partner, [Pat Proft](/source/Pat_Proft), the first ''[Police Academy](/source/Police_Academy_(film))'' movie, which spawned six sequels. He directed and co-wrote ''[Bachelor Party](/source/Bachelor_Party_(1984_film))'', which starred [Tom Hanks](/source/Tom_Hanks). He followed this with the comedy ''[Moving Violations](/source/Moving_Violations)''. ''[Real Genius](/source/Real_Genius)'', another of his scripts, was made into a successful film starring [Val Kilmer](/source/Val_Kilmer), and in 1987, he produced the film ''[Three O'Clock High](/source/Three_O'Clock_High)''. He also directed ''[Breaking The Rules](/source/Breaking_the_Rules_(film))'' starring Jason Bateman and the cult classic ''[Surf Ninjas](/source/Surf_Ninjas)'' with Rob Schneider and Leslie Nielsen. Neal continues to work in both film and television as a writer, director, producer, and script doctor. He has directed numerous movies of the week, pilots, and episodes of shows such as ''[The Wonder Years](/source/The_Wonder_Years)'', ''[Nash Bridges](/source/Nash_Bridges)'', ''[Joan of Arcadia](/source/Joan_of_Arcadia)'', and ''[Even Stevens](/source/Even_Stevens)''. Recent directing credits include Disney's ''Zeke and Luther'' and ''Kickin It.'' In 2004, he [executive-produced](/source/Executive_producer) the [Academy Award](/source/Academy_Award)-nominated film ''[Finding Neverland](/source/Finding_Neverland_(film))'', which starred [Johnny Depp](/source/Johnny_Depp) and [Kate Winslet](/source/Kate_Winslet). In July 2017, Israel said he was working on a comedy with his longterm partner [Pat Proft](/source/Pat_Proft) that will feature stars of the predominant comedic films of the '70s and '80s.{{Cite web|url=http://www.soapboxoffice.com/2017/07/episode-64-drinking-drive-ins.html|title=Episode 64: Drinking & Drive-Ins - Americathon|website=www.soapboxoffice.com|access-date=2017-07-06|archive-date=December 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215095427/http://www.soapboxoffice.com/2017/07/episode-64-drinking-drive-ins.html|url-status=dead}} ===Personal life=== His first marriage was to American singer/songwriter [Lori Lieberman](/source/Lori_Lieberman). They divorced in 1980.{{cite web |url=https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2015584 |title=California Divorce Index, 1966-1984 |publisher=[FamilySearch.org](/source/FamilySearch.org) |access-date=2019-05-28 }} After being hired by director [Amy Heckerling](/source/Amy_Heckerling) to work on ''[Johnny Dangerously](/source/Johnny_Dangerously)'', the two began a relationship and married in July 1984. The couple divorced in 1990 after making ''[Look Who's Talking Too](/source/Look_Who's_Talking_Too)'' together. Israel believed their daughter, [Mollie](/source/The_Lost_Patrol), was biologically his until a DNA test showed she was the biological daughter of director [Harold Ramis](/source/Harold_Ramis).{{cite news |last=Swartz |first=Tracy |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-harold-ramis-daughter-mollie-heckerling-20180418-story.html |title= Mollie Heckerling revealed as Harold Ramis' daughter in new book |work=[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune) |date=2018-04-18 |access-date=2019-05-28 }}{{cite news |last=Ramis Stiel |first=Violet |url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/06/the-story-of-harold-ramis-and-amy-heckerlings-daughter.html |title=The Story of Harold Ramis and Amy Heckerling's Secret Daughter |work=[Vulture.com](/source/Vulture.com) |publisher=[New York](/source/New_York_(magazine)) |date=2018-06-05 |access-date=2019-05-28 }} ==Filmography== ===Film=== {|class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Director ! Writer ! Notes |- | 1976 | ''[Tunnel Vision](/source/Tunnel_Vision_(1976_film))'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Co-directed with Bradley R. Swirnoff |- | 1977 | ''[Cracking Up](/source/Cracking_Up_(1977_film))'' | {{no}} | {{yes}} | |- | 1979 | ''[Americathon](/source/Americathon)'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | |- |rowspan=2|1984 | ''[Police Academy](/source/Police_Academy_(film))'' | {{no}} | {{yes}} | |- | ''[Bachelor Party](/source/Bachelor_Party_(1984_film))'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | |- |rowspan=2|1985 | ''[Moving Violations](/source/Moving_Violations)'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | |- | ''[Real Genius](/source/Real_Genius)'' | {{no}} | {{yes}} | |- | 1990 | ''[Look Who's Talking Too](/source/Look_Who's_Talking_Too)'' | {{no}} | {{yes}} | |- | 1992 | ''[Breaking the Rules](/source/Breaking_the_Rules_(film))'' | {{yes}} | {{no}} | aka ''Sketches'' |- | 1993 | ''[Surf Ninjas](/source/Surf_Ninjas)'' | {{yes}} | {{no}} | |} '''Producer''' * ''[Three O'Clock High](/source/Three_O'Clock_High)'' (1987) * ''[The Runner](/source/The_Runner_(1999_film))'' (1999) '''Executive producer''' * ''Chocolate for Breakfast'' (1998) * ''[Finding Neverland](/source/Finding_Neverland_(film))'' (2004) * ''[Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation](/source/Bachelor_Party_2%3A_The_Last_Temptation)'' (2008) ===Television=== '''Director''' * ''[The George Burns Comedy Week](/source/The_George_Burns_Comedy_Week)'' (1985) * ''[The Wonder Years](/source/The_Wonder_Years)'' (1991) * ''[Harts of the West](/source/Harts_of_the_West)'' (1994) * ''[Love Boat: The Next Wave](/source/Love_Boat%3A_The_Next_Wave)'' (1999) * ''[Clueless](/source/Clueless_(TV_series))'' (1997–1999) * ''[Shasta McNasty](/source/Shasta_McNasty)'' (1999) * ''[Even Stevens](/source/Even_Stevens)'' (2000) * ''[Lizzie McGuire](/source/Lizzie_McGuire)'' (2001) * ''[The Mind of the Married Man](/source/The_Mind_of_the_Married_Man)'' (2001) * ''[Family Affair](/source/Family_Affair_(2002_TV_series))'' (2002) * ''[Do Over](/source/Do_Over)'' (2002) * ''[Phil of the Future](/source/Phil_of_the_Future)'' (2004) * ''[Joan of Arcadia](/source/Joan_of_Arcadia)'' (2005) * ''[Flight 29 Down](/source/Flight_29_Down)'' (2007) * ''[About a Girl](/source/About_a_Girl_(TV_series))'' (2007) * ''[The Fresh Beat Band](/source/The_Fresh_Beat_Band)'' (2010) * ''[Zeke and Luther](/source/Zeke_and_Luther)'' (2011) * ''[Kickin' It](/source/Kickin'_It)'' (2011) * ''[Dog with a Blog](/source/Dog_with_a_Blog)'' (2012) * ''[I Didn't Do It](/source/I_Didn't_Do_It_(TV_series))'' (2015) '''Producer''' * ''[Twilight Theater](/source/Twilight_Theater_(film))'' (1982) * ''[CBS Summer Playhouse](/source/CBS_Summer_Playhouse)'' (1988) * ''[Miracles](/source/Miracles_(TV_series))'' (2003) '''Writer''' * ''[Yogi's Gang](/source/Yogi's_Gang)'' (1973) * ''All Commercials... A Steve Martin Special'' (1980) '''TV movies''' {|class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Director ! Producer ! Writer |- | 1986 | ''[Combat Academy](/source/Combat_Academy)'' | {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{no}} |- |rowspan=2|1989 | ''[The Cover Girl and the Cop](/source/The_Cover_Girl_and_the_Cop)'' | {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{no}} |- | ''Dream Date'' | {{no}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |- | 1992 | ''[Bonnie & Clyde: The True Story](/source/Bonnie_%26_Clyde%3A_The_True_Story)'' | {{no}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |- | 1993 | ''[Taking the Heat](/source/Taking_the_Heat)'' | {{no}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |- | 1995 | ''[Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare](/source/Family_Reunion%3A_A_Relative_Nightmare)'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} |- | 1996 | ''[Kidz in the Wood](/source/Kidz_in_the_Wood)'' | {{no}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} |- | 1997 | ''[Dad's Week Off](/source/Dad's_Week_Off)'' | {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{yes}} |- | 1999 | ''The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights'' | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{yes}} |- |rowspan=2|2001 | ''[Hounded](/source/Hounded_(2001_film))'' | {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{no}} |- | ''[The Poof Point](/source/The_Poof_Point)'' | {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{no}} |- | 2002 | ''[The Brady Bunch in the White House](/source/The_Brady_Bunch_in_the_White_House)'' | {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{no}} |- | 2003 | ''[National Lampoon's Thanksgiving Family Reunion](/source/National_Lampoon's_Thanksgiving_Family_Reunion)'' | {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{no}} |} ==Awards and nominations== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" |- ! Year ! Award ! Result ! Category ! Series |-style="background-color: #EAEAEA;" | 1981 | [Writers Guild of America Award](/source/Writers_Guild_of_America_Award) | '''Won''' | Variety, Musical or Comedy | All Commercials... A Steve Martin Special (Shared with Jeffrey Barron, Earl Brown, [Carmen Finestra](/source/Carmen_Finestra), Denny Johnston, Sean Kelly, [Steve Martin](/source/Steve_Martin), [Pat McCormick](/source/Pat_McCormick_(comic)), Michael McManus, Pat Proft, and [Mason Williams](/source/Mason_Williams)) |- | 2002 | [BAFTA Awards](/source/British_Academy_of_Film_and_Television_Arts) | '''Nominated''' | Best International | ''Lizzie McGuire'' (Shared with [Susan Estelle Jansen](/source/Susan_Estelle_Jansen)) |} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=0411477}} {{Neal Israel}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Israel, Neal}} Category:1945 births Category:American male film actors Category:Film producers from California Category:People from Manhattan Beach, California Category:American male screenwriters Category:American male television actors Category:American television directors Category:American comedy film directors Category:Television producers from California Category:Television writers from California Category:Living people Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners Category:American male television writers Category:Film directors from California Category:Police Academy (franchise) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Neal Israel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Israel) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Israel?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.