Jim Abrahams, a film director and writer behind hit slapstick comedies like “Airplane!,” “Hot Shots!,” the “Naked Gun” series and more, died Tuesday, his son Joseph confirmed to Variety. He was 80.
With his childhood friends Jerry and David Zucker, Abrahams formed the filmmaking trio, called Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker, and popularized the spoof genre of the 1980s.
“Jim Abrahams redefined the boundaries of humor through groundbreaking works like ‘Airplane!’ and ‘The Naked Gun’ series. Together with Jerry and David Zucker, he transformed satire into an art form, inspiring generations of comedians and filmmakers and leaving an indelible mark on the world of comedy,” said the National Comedy Center executive director Journey Gunderson in a statement.
With the Zucker brothers, Abrahams founded the The Kentucky Fried Theater while they all attended college together at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1971. That led to them making their film debut with the indie sketch comedy “The Kentucky Fried Movie” in 1977. Abrahams wrote the script for the movie, which was directed by John Landis — a year later Landis was tapped to make “Animal House” after the success of “The Kentucky Fried Movie.”
The trio, known as ZAZ, went on to make “Airplane!” in 1980, “Top Secret!” in 1984 and “Ruthless People” in 1986. “Airplane!” earned a BAFTA nomination for best screenplay and marked Leslie Nielsen’s first comedy role. The slapstick comedy showcased his deadpan chops after beginning his career being considered a dramatic star. The Zuckers and Abrahams’ talent for word play, sight gags and non-sequiturs became a staple of their humor, with Nielsen as their go-to actor.
Their ABC series “Police Squad!” starred Nielsen as Detective Frank Drebin and spoofed the police procedural genre. The show was such a hit that it spawned the “Naked Gun” comedies, including “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” (1988), “The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear” (1991) and “Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult” (1994). Paramount is releasing a sequel in 2025, starring Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., directed by Akiva Schaffer and with a story by Seth MacFarlane.
On his own, Abrahams directed “Big Business” (1988) with Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin; “Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael” (1990) with Winona Ryder and Jeff Daniels; the “Top Gun” parody “Hot Shots!” with Charlie Sheen in 1991 and its 1993 sequel that spoofed “Rambo”; and the “Godfather” parody “Mafia!” in 1998.
Abrahams’ final writing credit came with “Scary Movie 4” in 2006. He also had small acting credits in “The Kentucky Fried Movie,” “Airplane!,” “Top Secret!” and “Coming to America.”
He is survived by his wife Nancy Cocuzzo, daughter Jamie, sons Joseph and Charlie and grandchildren Caleb, James and Isaac.
