Joel Rudolf Zwick (born January 11, 1942) is an American film director, television director, and theater director. He worked on the television series Perfect Strangers, Full House, and Family Matters, and directed the films My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Second Sight, and Fat Albert.
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Biography
Zwick was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family. His father was a cantor from an Orthodox background, and Zwick had his bar mitzvah at an Orthodox synagogue.
He graduated from James Madison High School in 1958. Zwick then went to Brooklyn College ('62), where he taught in the School of Film.
Zwick has directed 21 television pilots, all of which have continued on to successful runs as weekly series.
He is married to Dr. Candice Zwick, a psychologist. They have three daughters, Hillary, Jodi and Lara, and one son, Jamie. Despite a popular misconception, he is not related to fellow filmmaker Edward Zwick.
Film
Second Sight (1989)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Elvis Has Left the Building (2004)
Fat Albert (2004)
Broadway
Shenandoah (national tour)
Dance with Me (1975; musical; Tony Award nomination)
Esther (Promenade Theater, New York City)
George Gershwin, Alone (2001; one-man show; Helen Hayes Theater)
Back From Broadway (2002; benefit concert at Lincoln Center)
Theater
Zwick was active in the Off-Off-Broadway movement at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, which was founded by Ellen Stewart in 1961. He worked with the La MaMa Plexus company at the East Village theater and on tour both domestically and internationally. He performed with La MaMa Plexus in Jan Quackenbush's Inside Out in 1968. He also directed the following productions at La MaMa:
The Last Chance Saloon (1969)
Woyzeck (1969)
Spring-Voices (1969)
Dance Wi Me (1971)
The Myths of America Smith or Pappy Crumb's Treefrog Beer (1973)
The Last Chance Saloon (1973)
Calm Down Mother and The Gloaming, Oh My Darling (1974)
Dance Wi' Me (1974)
The Myths of America Smith and His Son (1975)
Dance With Me (1975)
He was stage manager for the original 1967 production of MacBird!, and has directed the following theater productions:
Oklahoma (national tour)
Cold Storage (American Place Theater)
Merry-Go-Round (Chicago and Las Vegas)
Last Chance Saloon (West End, London)
Woycek (West End, London)
Carry A. Nation (Triangle Theater)
Teaching
Brooklyn College
Queens College, City University of New York
University of Southern California
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Yale University
