Joel Zwick

Joel Zwick is an American director and producer with a career spanning over four decades. He was born on January 11, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York. Zwick attended Brooklyn College where he studied theater and film.
Zwick began his career in theater, directing several Off-Broadway productions in the 1960s. He made his Broadway debut in 1974 with the play "George M!" which starred Joel Grey. Zwick went on to direct several other Broadway productions, including "The Robber Bridegroom" in 1976 and "Dance with Me" in 1979.
In addition to his work in theater, Zwick has also directed and produced several television shows and films. He directed episodes of popular TV shows such as "Full House," "Growing Pains," and "Perfect Strangers." Zwick also directed the hit film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" in 2002, which became one of the highest-grossing independent films of all time. He also directed the film's sequel, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2," which was released in 2016.
Zwick's success in both theater and film has earned him several accolades throughout his career. He received a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical for "Dance with Me" in 1979. In 2003, he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature for "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Zwick also received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for his work on "Full House" in 1990.
Zwick's most recent work includes directing episodes of the TV shows "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce" and "Young Sheldon." He also directed the film "Fat Albert" in 2004 and the TV movie "The Pregnancy Pact" in 2010.
In addition to his work as a director and producer, Zwick is also a writer. He co-wrote the play "Lenny's Back" with Lenny Bruce's daughter, Kitty Bruce, which premiered Off-Broadway in 2015.