American film director, producer and screenwriter
Peter John Farrelly (born December 17, 1956) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and novelist. Along with his brother
Bobby , the
Farrelly brothers are mostly famous for directing and producing quirky comedy and
romantic comedy films such as
Dumb and Dumber ;
Outside Providence ;
Shallow Hal ;
Me, Myself and Irene ;
There's Something About Mary ; and
the 2007 remake of The Heartbreak Kid .
[1]
Farrelly solo-directed and co-wrote the comedy-drama
Green Book (2018), which won the Audience Award at the
Toronto International Film Festival in 2018,
[2] the
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay , and the
Academy Awards for
Best Picture and
Best Original Screenplay .
Early life and education
Farrelly was born in
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania , to Mariann (Neary), a nurse practitioner, and Robert Leo Farrelly, a doctor.
[3]
[4] His grandparents were Irish immigrants, and he also has Polish ancestry.
[5]
[6] He was raised in
Cumberland, Rhode Island .
[7] He graduated from
Kent School in 1975 and from
Providence College where he studied accounting.
[8] In 1986 he earned a master's in fine arts from Columbia University.
[9]
Career
Writer
Farrelly decided to pursue writing full-time, which prompted him to quit his sales job and relocate to
Cape Cod, Massachusetts , where he got a job as a waiter. On one of the tables he was waiting, Farrelly struck up a conversation with a writing professor from
UMass Amherst , who encouraged Farrelly to apply to graduate school. Farrelly said he did not think his chances were good, considering he did poorly in college but the professor said not everything is judged by grades. With what would later be
Outside Providence , Farrelly submitted the work and was pleasantly surprised that he was accepted. He studied writing for a time at UMass Amherst, but was ultimately dissatisfied with the program, and transferred to
Columbia University in New York City, which Farrelly said he found very satisfying. He later became interested in screenwriting, which led him to directing. He made this career decision after many of his screenplays sold but were not produced.
He is a published novelist, with works including Outside Providence (1988)
[10] and
The Comedy Writer (1998) .
[11]
Producer and director
Together with his brother,
Bobby Farrelly , he has written, directed, and produced several comedy films including
There's Something About Mary ,
[12]
Dumb and Dumber ,
[13]
Kingpin ,
[14]
Shallow Hal ,
[15]
[16]
Me, Myself & Irene ,
[17]
Stuck on You ,
[18] and
Fever Pitch .
[19] They also conceived the 1992
Seinfeld episode "
The Virgin " (Season 4.Episode:10).
[13]
[20]
In 2006, Farrelly directed the
Man Laws series of television commercials for the
Miller Lite beer brand, which featured actor
Burt Reynolds , American football player
Jerome Bettis , climber
Aron Ralston , and professional wrestler
Triple H .
[21]
Peter worked on a film entitled,
Movie 43 , which was released in 2013 and produced by the siblings' long-time producer
Charles B. Wessler . He produced the
anthology film and directed two of its segments.
[22]
In 2011, the Farrellys produced and directed
Hall Pass .
[23]
[24]
[25]
The brothers produced and directed
The Three Stooges in 2012.
[26]
In 2012, Peter and his brother announced that the filming of
Dumb and Dumber To would begin in 2013.
[27]
[28] The film was released on November 14, 2014.
[29]
[30]
In 2016,
Audience announced that
Loudermilk , a new half-hour scripted comedy co-created by Farrelly and Bobby Mort, would receive a straight-to-series order.
[31] In 2018, the show was renewed for season 2, and in 2021 a third season was aired on
Amazon Prime Video .
[32]
[33]
In 2018, Farrelly directed
Green Book , which won the
Toronto International Film Festival's People Choice Award .
[34] At the
91st Academy Awards , he won the Oscars for
Best Original Screenplay and
Best Picture .
In 2020, Farrelly directed alongside his brother, and co-wrote the
Quibi comedy series
The Now , starring
Bill Murray ,
[35]
[36]
Dave Franco ,
O'Shea Jackson Jr. ,
Daryl Hannah , and
Jimmy Tatro .
[37]
[38]
Board member
Farrelly is a board member of
Direct Sports Network (formerly DeskSite).
[39]
Personal life
Farrelly is married to Melinda Kocsis and has a son, Bob,
[40]
[41]
[42] and a daughter, Apple.
[43] He has two sisters, Beth and Cindy, and a third sister, Kathy, who died in November 2017.
[44] Peter lives in California, while brother Bobby lives in
Massachusetts .
[22]
In 1998, Farrelly's colleagues told Newsweek magazine that he and his brother Bobby "liked to use ruses to get people to look at Farrelly’s penis" as a joke.
[45] Those who had been tricked into seeing Farrelly's genitals include film executive
Tom Rothman and actress
Cameron Diaz .
[46] In 2019 after the story resurfaced, Farrelly stated: "I did this decades ago, and I thought I was being funny, and the truth is I’m embarrassed, and it makes me cringe now. I’m deeply sorry."
[47]
[48]
Philanthropy and honors
Farrelly is a long-time supporter of
disability rights . In 2020, he and his brother Bobby received the
Morton E. Ruderman Award for Inclusion of People with Disabilities. Past winners include
Michael Phelps and
Marlee Matlin .
[49] He won the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed by Media Access Awards.
[50]
Filmography
Films
With Bobby Farrelly
Solo works
Television
Awards and nominations
Farrelly won or was nominated for awards for his work in film and television, including winning two Academy Awards
[51]
[52] and winning two
Golden Globe Awards out of five nominations for Green Book in 2019.
[53] He also won or was nominated for several film festival awards.
[54]
[55]
References
^
"Interview: The Farrelly Brothers" . CINEMABLEND . September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2018 .
^
"Peter Farrelly's new movie wins People's Choice Award at Toronto film festival" . BostonGlobe.com . Retrieved September 25, 2018 .
^
"Bobby Farrelly Biography (1958?-)" . Filmreference.com. Retrieved August 1, 2011 .
^ Dear, Pamela (June 1, 2000).
Contemporary Authors New Revision Series: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Non-Fiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, M .
ISBN
9780787632120 .
^ Moon, Aileen (June 15, 2010).
"Q&A with Writer/Director Bobby Farrelly" . The Irish Film & Television Network .
^
"Peter Farrelly Returns to 'Green Book's Toronto Awards Launch Pad for 'The Greatest Beer Run Ever' with Zac Efron, Bill Murray & Russell Crowe: Q&A" . September 9, 2022.
^
"Peter Farrelly Thanks All Of Rhode Island Following Oscar Win" . Smithfield, RI Patch . February 25, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2020 .
^
"The DO Lectures - Peter Farrelly | Be Whoever You Want To Be" . The DO Lectures . Retrieved September 21, 2020 .
^
"Alumnus Peter Farrelly '86 Discusses Hit New Film 'Green Book' " . Columbia - School of the Arts . Retrieved September 21, 2020 .
^ Hunter, Stephen (September 1, 1999).
" 'Providence': R.I. Confidential" . Home Index Search Archives . Retrieved September 21, 2020 .
^
The Comedy Writer . Kirkus Reviews.
^
"20 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About There's Something About Mary!" . Eighties Kids . October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^
a
b
"How The Farrelly Brothers Gave The World One Of Seinfeld's Greatest Episodes" . Cinemablend . November 11, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^ Berkowitz, Joe (December 30, 2016).
"The Farrelly Brothers' Oral History of "Kingpin," Twenty Years Later" . Fast Company . Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^
"Shallow Hal Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly" . exclaim.ca . Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^
"Shallow Hal" . Time Out Worldwide . September 10, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^ Ebert, Roger.
"Me, Myself & Irene movie review (2000) | Roger Ebert" . www.rogerebert.com/ . Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^
"Stuck On You Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly" . exclaim.ca . Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^
"Fever Pitch Quotes, Movie quotes – Movie Quotes .com" . www.moviequotes.com . Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^ Domain, Master Of This (May 14, 2013).
"The Virgin" . Maps About Nothing. A global guide to Seinfeld . Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^
"Burt Reynolds may star in Miller Lite ad" . The Business Journal. Accessed on July 2, 2006
^
a
b
"Exclusive Interview: Peter Farrelly on Movie 43" . ComingSoon.net . January 22, 2013.
^
Hall Pass (2011) , retrieved November 15, 2020
^
"Hall Pass" . Time Out Worldwide . March 8, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2020 .
^ Radish, Christina (February 21, 2011).
"Bobby and Peter Farrelly Exclusive Interview – Hall Pass" . Collider . Retrieved November 15, 2020 .
^ Dargis, Manohla (April 12, 2012).
"Wry and Subtle Jesting? Not Here, Knucklehead (Published 2012)" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved November 15, 2020 .
^ Barubto, Dana,
"Peter Farrelly announces 'Dumb and Dumber' sequel"
Archived September 28, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine ,
The Patriot Ledger , Quincy, Massachusetts, April 3, 2012
^ Franich, Darren (April 3, 2012).
" 'Dumb and Dumber 2' filming this year, with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels" . CNN . Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^ Eby, Margaret (November 19, 2013).
" 'Dumb and Dumber To' release date set for November 2014" . nydailynews.com . Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^
" 'Dumb And Dumber To Hit Theaters In November 2014" . Deadline . November 19, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^ Hipes, Patrick (July 20, 2016).
"Peter Farrelly-Bobby Mort Comedy 'Loudermilk' Gets Straight-To-Series Order At Audience Network" . Deadline . Retrieved September 25, 2018 .
^
" 'Loudermilk' Renewed for Season 2 at Audience Network" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved September 25, 2018 .
^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 27, 2021).
" 'Loudermilk' Season 3 Premieres Today On Amazon Prime Video – Update" . Deadline . Retrieved April 28, 2021 .
^ Hammond, Pete (September 16, 2018).
" 'Green Book' Wins 2018 Toronto Film Festival People's Choice Award" . deadline.com .
^ Thorne, Will (November 15, 2019).
"Bill Murray to Star in Peter Farrelly Comedy Series at Quibi" . Variety . Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^ Pedersen, Erik (November 15, 2019).
"Bill Murray Joins Farrelly Brothers Comedy 'The Now' At Quibi" . Deadline . Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^ Petski, Denise (July 9, 2019).
"Peter Farrelly Comedy Series 'The Now' Set At Quibi" .
Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 7, 2020 .
^ Ray-Ramos, Dino (November 11, 2019).
"Quibi Comedy 'The Now' Sets O'Shea Jackson, Daryl Hannah, And Jimmy Tatro In Lead Roles; Alyssa Milano, Rob Yang And Lex Scott Davis To Recur" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 7, 2020 .
^
"DeskSite... A Video Ad Network" . Desksite.com. Retrieved August 1, 2011 .
^ Kettmann, Steve (2004).
One Day at Fenway: A day in the life of baseball in America . New York: Atria Books. p. 117.
ISBN
1-4165-0515-6 . Peter Farrelly brought his group through the concourse. His son Bob was playing it cool, but his nephews kept giving him looks...
^
"Peter Farrelly , wife Melinda Farrelly, and son Bob arrive at the AFI..." Getty Images . Retrieved October 29, 2020 .
^
"Ojai Short Festival" . Twitter . September 6, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2020 .
^
"76th Annual Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals" . Getty Images . January 6, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2020 .
^
"Kathryn Farrelly Obituary (2017) - Boston Globe" . www.legacy.com . Retrieved November 22, 2020 .
^
"Peter Farrelly Apologizes for Flashing Cameron Diaz and More Stars" . E! Online . January 10, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2022 .
^ Newsweek Staff (July 19, 1998).
"Sibling Ribaldry" . Newsweek . Retrieved September 16, 2022 .
^
" 'Green Book' Director Peter Farrelly Apologizes for Past Genital-Flashing | Hollywood Reporter" . www.hollywoodreporter.com . January 9, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2020 .
^
"Peter Farrelly apologizes for exposing genitals to Cameron Diaz | Boston.com" . www.boston.com . Retrieved October 26, 2020 .
^
"Farrelly Brothers Honored with Morton E. Ruderman Award for Inclusion of People with Disabilities" . Ruderman Family Foundation . Retrieved June 17, 2020 .
^
"Awards" . Media Access Awards . Retrieved October 14, 2020 .
^ Daniels, Karu F. (June 13, 2020).
" 'Green Book' writer Peter Farrelly and star Viggo Mortensen may reteam for 'Beer Run' film" . New York Daily News . Retrieved September 29, 2020 .
^
"Oscar Winners and More From the 91st Academy Awards" .
The New York Times . February 25, 2019.
^ Lewis, Hilary (January 6, 2019).
"Golden Globes: Peter Farrelly Praises "Hope" of 'Green Book' in Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical Win" . Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 29, 2020 .
^ Kilgannon, Maddie (September 16, 2018).
"Peter Farrelly's new movie wins People's Choice Award at Toronto film festival" . Boston Globe. Retrieved September 29, 2020 .
^ Coyle, Jake (September 17, 2018).
"Director Peter Farrelly's "Green Book" Wins Audience Award At Toronto Film Fest" . shoot on line. Retrieved September 29, 2020 .
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