Charles Shyer, Filmmaker of ‘Father of the Bride’ and ‘Baby Boom,’ Passes Away at 83

Charles Shyer, the Oscar-nominated writer and filmmaker famed for his enduring comedies such as “Private Benjamin,” “Baby Boom,” and “Father of the Bride,” which he created in collaboration with Nancy Meyers, has passed away at the age of 83.

Shyer died on Friday in Los Angeles, as his daughter, filmmaker Hallie Meyers-Shyer, informed The Associated Press on Sunday. The cause of his death has not been revealed.

A true son of Hollywood, with his father Melville Shyer being a founding member of the Directors Guild of America, Shyer left a lasting impression on romantic comedies during the 1980s and 1990s.

Born in Los Angeles in 1941, Shyer began his career in television, working alongside Garry Marshall on shows like “The Odd Couple” before moving into film. He contributed to writing for “Smokey and the Bandit,” Jack Nicholson’s “Goin’ South,” and the Walter Matthau drama “House Calls.” His major breakthrough came with “Private Benjamin,” a Goldie Hawn comedy centered on a privileged woman who accidentally enlists in the army, which he co-wrote with Meyers and Harvey Miller.

This script was initially rejected by every studio in Hollywood, despite Hawn being attached as star and producer.

“We attended a meeting at Paramount after they reviewed the script, and Mike Eisner, the studio president, sat with us in his office. He told Goldie, ‘This is a mistake for you to make this movie,’” Shyer recounted in an Indiewire interview in 2022. “Thankfully, Don Simpson spoke up and said, ‘Mike, you’re 100 percent wrong on this one.’”

The film became one of the largest successes of 1980, earning them an Oscar nomination, a Writers Guild Award, and setting the stage for his debut as a director with “Irreconcilable Differences.”

This film, also co-written by Meyers and released in 1984, featured Shelley Long and Ryan O’Neal as a writing-directing pair whose marriage deteriorates after achieving success and developing an attraction to a young actor played by Sharon Stone. It drew inspiration from the highly publicized romance of Peter Bogdanovich, who left his wife and producer Polly Platt for Cybill Shepherd.

“Nancy and I found ourselves laughing at the same things. We shared a love for the same films and educated each other about the movies we appreciated,” Shyer shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “Nancy truly had a gift for crafting the best one-liners, perhaps only rivaled by Neil Simon. We were always in perfect sync as filmmakers.”

They continued their successful partnership with “Baby Boom,” starring Diane Keaton as a career woman unexpectedly tasked with caring for an infant, and “Father of the Bride,” which updated Vincente Minnelli’s 1950 classic for a new generation, featuring Keaton, Steve Martin, and Martin Short in a comedic ensemble that led to a sequel.

The couple’s final project together before their 1999 divorce was the remake of “The Parent Trap,” featuring Lindsay Lohan, directed by Meyers, with Shyer co-writing and producing. Their daughters, Annie and Hallie, inspired the names of Lohan’s twin characters and both appeared in the film. Shyer is survived by his children, Jacob and Sophia, from a subsequent marriage that also ended in divorce.

Although Shyer often took on remakes, he and Meyers aimed to steer clear of creating “carbon copies” of original films, reflecting their unique perspective in each project. Nonetheless, he reminisced about how surprised he was by the longevity of some of their work, recalling a Billy Wilder quote stating, “comedy is not like fine wine, it does not age well.” They endeavored to avoid excessive contemporary references.

“We try to craft stories that transcend the moment, particularly in comedy,” Shyer explained to Indiewire. “Our aim is to create narratives about humans that reflect today, tomorrow, and yesterday.”

Shyer later remade “Alfie,” starring Jude Law, and directed the Hilary Swank period drama “The Affair of the Necklace,” neither of which achieved commercial success. He also directed “I Love Trouble,” featuring Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte, which he later admitted was the only film of his that he disliked.

Some projects never materialized, such as his year-and-a-half effort on “Eloise in Paris,” which was scrapped when the production company went out of business.

After a substantial hiatus from directing, he returned with two Netflix Christmas romantic comedies: “The Noel Diary” and “Best. Christmas. Ever!”

“I always gravitate towards material that resonates with me,” he shared with Indiewire. “I’ve never seen a James Bond movie. I’m not a fan of science fiction. I’m drawn to stories about people and want them to carry substance.”

Shyer mentioned to Indiewire that he was working on a long-considered script inspired by a brief hospitalization at 17. He described it as a blend of “The 400 Blows” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” At the time, he affirmed that retirement was not on his agenda.

“What would I do? Garden?” he joked. “I have so much energy. I want to keep going. I genuinely enjoy the process, the camaraderie, and my work. If I were to drop dead, I’d want it to be while holding a camera.”

By Lindsey Bahr