Paul Feig

Actor, producer, writer and director - those are just a few of the titles that sum up the widely successful film and television career of Paul Feig. After launching his career in show business as a bit player on sitcoms like "The Facts of Life" (NBC 1979-1988) and "It's Garry Shandling's Show" (Showtime 1986-1990), Feig moved into writing and directing movies and TV shows. One of the first shows he created was the high school dramedy "Freaks and Geeks" (NBC 1999-2000). Feig created the show, with Judd Apatow serving as executive producer, and although only 18 episodes of the series were shot, NBC decided to pull the plug after episode 12. In later years, however, "Freaks and Geeks" went on to become one of the first cult shows of the Internet era, eventually earning lofty rankings by Entertainment Weekly, Time and other media outlets as one of the greatest series of all-time. Feig continued to direct TV shows after "Freaks and Geeks'" cancellation, most notably episodes of "The Office" (NBC 2005-2013), "Mad Men" (AMC 2007-2015) and "Weeds" (Showtime 2005-2012), until he scored an unexpected smash hit at the box office in 2011 as the director of the raunchy female-driven comedy "Bridesmaids" (2011). His follow-up to "Bridesmaids," 2013's "The Heat," was equally as successful both critically and commercially, thus signaling that Feig had become the hotshot man behind the camera for some of Hollywood's biggest blockbuster comedies of the 2010s.