Charles Shyer, who directed successful comedies Father of the bridedied at the age of 83.

A representative for Shyer confirmed this Weekly entertainment that the filmmaker died on Friday. A cause of death was not given.

“It is with indescribably heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of our beloved father, Charles Shyer,” Shyer’s family said deadline. “His loss leaves an unfillable void in our lives, but his legacy lives on through his children and the five decades of wonderful work he left behind. We honor the extraordinary life he led and know there will never be another as good as his.”

Shyer was born in Los Angeles in 1941 to Hollywood filmmaker Melville Shyer and Lois Delaney. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles and worked as an assistant director in the Directors Guild of America training program. He was assistant to Strange couple One of his earliest jobs was working for producers Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson, and in 1971 he became a writer on the series. He created the short-lived TV comedy Come together that same year and also wrote an episode of The partridge family.

Shyer’s first role as a screenwriter on a feature film came in 1977 with the smash hit Smokey and the Bandit. He then wrote the Walter Matthau dramedy Home visits and Jack Nicholson’s directorial project Goes south in 1978.

Perhaps the most important project in Shyer’s writing career came in the 1980s Private Benjamin. The war satire starred Goldie Hawn as Judy Benjamin, a woman who enlists in the U.S. Army, and ultimately earned Shyer an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The film also marked his first screenwriting collaboration with Nancy Meyers, whom he met while she was working as an editor at Motown. The co-authors married in the same year Private Benjamin was released and subsequently made a dozen films together.

Shyer made his directorial debut with “1984.” Irreconcilable differenceswhich he wrote together with Meyers. The film starred Ryan O’Neal, Shelley Long and Drew Barrymore in one of their first big screen roles. The couple wrote together that same year protocol with theirs Private Benjamin Co-author Harvey Miller. In 1986, Shyer and Meyers wrote together Jumpin’ Jack Flash under pseudonyms. With “1987,” Shyer returned to the director’s chair Baby boomanother gender-conscious comedy he co-wrote with Meyers. In the film, Diane Keaton, who later worked with the couple on several projects, played an ambitious Manhattan professional who unexpectedly inherits a distant relative’s toddler.

The couple’s next film, 1991 Father of the brideIn the film, Steve Martin and Keaton played a middle-aged couple dealing with the stress of their daughter’s wedding. The film, which was a remake of the 1950 comedy of the same name, became the biggest financial success of Shyer’s directing career, grossing $129 million at the box office. This resulted in a sequel, 1995 Father of the Bride Part IIwhich Shyer also directed, based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Meyers, and featured the entire core cast reprising their roles from the first film.

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Between the two of them Father of the bride Films the couple co-wrote Once upon a time there was a crimeand Shyer directed in 1994 I love angera romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte, which he also co-wrote with Meyers. Four years later, Shyer co-wrote and produced Meyers’ directorial debut, the remake of ” The parent trap starring Lindsay Lohan.

Shyer and Meyers divorced in 1999 and Shyer’s first project after their separation was in 2001 The affair with the necklacea historical drama starring Hilary Swank that received an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design. He then led in 2004 Alfiethe remake of Michael Caine’s 1966 romance starring Jude Law. The film bombed at the box office, grossing just $35 million on a $60 million budget, and Shyer did not direct another film until the 2022 Christmas romantic comedy The Noel diarywhich he co-wrote with Rebecca Connor and David Golden.

Shyer and Meyers got back together in 2017 Back homethe directorial debut of her daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer. Meyers served as the film’s producer, while Shyer served as second director.

Shyer’s last feature film award was “2023.” Preferably. Christmas. Always!which he co-wrote and served as executive producer. He leaves behind his four children.