Joel Zwick


Joel Rudolf Zwick 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.

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 |James Madison High School] in 1958. Zwick then went to Brooklyn College, 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.

Television

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
  • Woyzeck
  • Spring-Voices
  • Dance Wi Me
  • The Myths of America Smith or Pappy Crumb's Treefrog Beer
  • The Last Chance Saloon
  • Calm Down Mother and The Gloaming, Oh My Darling
  • Dance Wi' Me
  • The Myths of America Smith and His Son
  • Dance With Me
He was stage manager for the original 1967 production of MacBird!, and has directed the following theater productions: