Carl Gottlieb
Carl Gottlieb | |
|---|---|
 Gottlieb in 2009 | |
| Born | March 18, 1938 New York City,U.S. |
| Occupation |
|
| Period | 1966–present |
| Genre | Comedy,thriller |
| Notable works | Jaws |
Carl Gottlieb(born March 18, 1938) is an Americanscreenwriter,actor, comedian, and executive. He is best known for co-writing the screenplay forJaws(1975) and its first two sequels, as well as directing the 1981 filmCaveman.
Early life
[edit]Gottlieb was born to a middle classJewishfamily[1]in New York City, the son of Elizabeth, a medical administrative assistant, and Sergius M. Gottlieb, an engineer.[2]
Gottlieb studied drama atSyracuse Universitywhere he befriended character actorLarry Hankin.[3]After graduating, he was drafted into theArmy,serving as an entertainment specialist in theSpecial Servicesdivision from 1961 to 1963.[4][5]Following his discharge, he became a member, later in the 1960s, of theSan Franciscoimprovisational comedytroupeThe Committee.They made one feature film:A Session with the Committee.
Career
[edit]He began writing comedy for TV, contributing toThe Smothers Brothers Comedy Hourfor which he won an Emmy Award in 1969, The Music Scene,The Bob Newhart Show,All in the Family,andThe Odd Couple.He also appeared on camera onKen Berry's Wow Showvariety summer television program in 1972. Minor acting roles have includedRobert Altman'sM*A*S*Hand the filmClueless.
Gottlieb also cowroteDavid Crosby's two autobiographies, 1989'sLong Time Goneand 2006'sSince Then.
Jaws
[edit]Gottlieb was hired as an actor to appear as Harry Meadows, the editor of the local newspaper, inJaws.He was hired by his friend,Steven Spielberg,to redraft the script, adding more dimensions to the characters, particularly humor. His redrafts reduced the role of Meadows (who still appears in the Town Hall corridor and the Tiger Shark scene).
He wrote a book,The Jaws Log,about the notoriously difficult production of the film.[6][7]
He was enlisted under similar circumstances to work on theJaws 2screenplay. He co-wrote the screenplays forThe Jerk,in which he played Iron Balls McGinty, andJaws 3-D.Gottlieb contributes toJawsrelated activities, such as interviews (including the documentaryThe Shark Is Still Working) and attended JawsFest onMartha's Vineyardin June 2005.
Writers' politics
[edit]Gottlieb joined theWriters Guild of Americain 1968 and became interested in Guild politics and with a desire to serve fellow writers following writers' strikes in the 1970s and 1981. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 1983, and re-elected for numerous terms thereafter, including two stints as vice-president (1991–1994). He was again appointed VP of the Writers Guild of America, West in 2004[8]and served until the following year.[9]In September 2011, he was elected asWGA-Westsecretary-treasurer.[10]
Filmography
[edit]Feature films
[edit]As writer only
[edit]| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Jaws | Steven Spielberg | Credited withPeter Benchley Nominated -BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay Nominated -Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay Nominated -Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay |
| 1977 | Which Way Is Up? | Michael Schultz | Credited withCecil Brown |
| 1978 | Jaws 2 | Jeannot Szwarc | Credited withHoward Sackler |
| 1979 | The Jerk | Carl Reiner | Credited withSteve Martin&Michael Elias |
| 1983 | Jaws 3-D | Joe Alves | Credited withRichard Matheson |
| Doctor Detroit | Michael Pressman | Credited withBruce Jay Friedman&Robert Boris |
As director
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Absent-Minded Waiter | Short Film |
| 1981 | Caveman | Also Writer |
| 1987 | Amazon Women on the Moon | Co-Directed withJoe Dante,Peter Horton,John Landis&Robert K. Weiss Directed Segments:Pethouse Video,Son of the Invisible Man,Art Sale&Peter Pan Theatre |
As actor
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Maryjane | Larry Kane | |
| 1970 | MASH | 'Ugly John' | |
| 1972 | Up the Sandbox | Vinnie | |
| Something Evil | Party Guest | TV Movie | |
| 1973 | The Long Goodbye | Wade Party Guest | Uncredited |
| 1975 | Jaws | Ben Meadows | |
| 1976 | Cannonball | Terry McMillan | |
| 1979 | The Jerk | Iron Balls McGinty | |
| 1983 | The Sting II | Maitre D' | |
| 1984 | Johnny Dangerously | Dr. Magnus | |
| 1985 | Into the Night | Federal Agent | |
| 1995 | Clueless | Priest | |
| 2017 | Decker | Himself | TV Series: 1 Episode |
References
[edit]- ^Gans, Herbert j. (1999).Making Sense of America: Sociological Analyses and Essays.Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 326.ISBN978-0847690411.
- ^Carl Gottlieb Biography (1938-)
- ^"Escaping in an el Camino: The Larry Hankin Experience by World of Walley".
- ^Writer Carl Gottlieb on serving in the Army - TelevisionAcademy /InterviewsTelevision AcademyviaYouTube.Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^Carl Gottlieb Biography (1938-)filmreference. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^Valcourt, Keith (28 July 2016)."'Jaws' screenwriter Gottlieb says classic film still has its bite ".The Washington Times.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^Singer, Bryan."Reviews".The Jaws Log.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^Scott, Gabriel (23 March 2004)."Writers Guild of America, west Appoints Carl Gottlieb New Vice President".Writers Guild of AmericaNews.Archived fromthe originalon 20 September 2005.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^Scott, Gabriel (20 September 2005)."2005 WGAw Officer and Board Election Results".Writers Guild of America West.Archived fromthe originalon 13 June 2010.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^Mitchell, Gregg (September 16, 2011)."Writers Guild of America, West Announces 2011 Officers and Board of Directors Election Results".Writers Guild of America West.Archived fromthe originalon 4 October 2011.Retrieved19 May2019.
External links
[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1938 births
- Living people
- Male actors from New York City
- American male film actors
- Jewish American screenwriters
- American male television actors
- American male screenwriters
- Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Syracuse University alumni
- Writers from New York City
- Comedians from New York City
- Screenwriters from New York (state)
- 21st-century American Jews
- American male comedians
- Jewish film people