Charles Scheyer, women-focused film director, dies at 83

Charles Scheier co-wrote and directed a string of hit comedies, including Private Benjamin, Baby Boom, and Father of the Bride, many of which featured strong female protagonists. , which was co-produced with my ex-wife. , Nancy Meyers — died December 27 in Los Angeles. He was 83 years old.

His daughter Annie Meyers Scheyer and board member Harry Meyers Scheyer said he died at a hospital after a brief illness of unknown cause.

Mr. Scheyer was essentially raised in the film industry, his father Melville Scheyer was the founder of the Directors Guild of America, and his projects were based on his unabashed love of classic cinema.

His portfolio of inspirations was vast, from such well-known works as “His Girl Friday'' (1940) and “North by Northwest'' (1959) to the 1973 British absurdist comedy “Oh!・Lucky Man!'' He was ranked in that ranking. Among his favorite movies.

He and Ms. Myers were romantic and business partners. They were already dating when they collaborated with Harvey Miller on the script for Private Benjamin, a 1980 film about a socialite who joins the U.S. Army.

The film, directed by Howard Sieff and starring Goldie Hawn, was a huge hit, grossing $69.8 million on a $9.2 million budget, and the screenwriters were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

More success followed. Mr. Scheyer's first film, “Irreconcilable Differences'' (1984), was followed by “Baby Boom'' (1987), “Father of the Bride'' (1991) and its sequel in 1995, and “The Parent Trap.'' (1998) was produced. , all written by Mr. Scheier and Mr. Meyer. “Father of the Bride'' and “The Parent Trap'' were remakes of films that are considered classics in their own right.

Many of their films featured strong female characters who defied societal norms. For example, in “Baby Boom,'' Diane Keaton plays an overzealous consultant raising a baby on her own.

“A few years ago, it would have had to be a man to have a baby,” Scheyer told the Toronto Globe and Mail in 1986. But today it is possible. ”

He co-directed most of the films with Ms. Meyers, but replaced her in her directorial debut, “The Parent Trap.”

Hollywood geeks came to call them “Schmeyer,” not only because of the prolific nature of their collaboration, but also because of its closeness. They worked across from each other in a one-room building behind their home in Los Angeles' Sherman Oaks neighborhood. The other person is on the other side of the writing desk.

“I put the scene to the side, and then I — it sounds like I'm describing a movie — took out a piece of paper and lifted it onto the desk, and he wrote it out in pencil. '' Meyers said in an interview. . “Sometimes he would write down a scene and I would modify it. There was a romance to that.”

The couple married in 1995 and separated three years later, but remained friends.

Throughout their films, and in the films he made after their breakup, such as the 2004 remake of “Alfie,” Mr. Scheyer maintains plenty of humor even as he tackles serious family issues. .

He often remembered a bit of advice he received from one of his coaching heroes, Billy Wilder. We want to make them laugh and cry. ”

That's all, he told Script magazine in 2022.

“What he's saying is he wants to make movies that are fun and have substance,” he said. “I think that’s a big driving force for me.”

Charles Richard Scheyer was born on October 11, 1941 in Los Angeles. His father was an assistant director and sometimes director, while his mother, Lois (Jones) Delaney, ran the house.

He briefly attended College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California, but dropped out when he was accepted into an apprenticeship program run by the Directors Guild of America.

Mr. Scheyer held low-level jobs on a number of films before turning to screenwriting. He became Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson's assistant when they adapted Neil Simon's 1965 play The Odd Couple in 1970.

“I had to be in the story meetings, and once they were done, I said something to Garry,” he told Script. “And he said, “That's great, please speak up.'' And he encouraged me and said, “You can be a writer.''

Mr. Scheyer made three films in the 1970s (1977's “Smokey and the Bandit” and 1978's “The House Calls”) before teaming up with Mr. Myers and Mr. Miller on “Private Benjamin.” '' and “Goin South''). ”

Mr. Scheyer's first two marriages ended in divorce. Her third marriage to Ms. Myers ended in 2000. He married Deborah Lin in 2004. They divorced in 2009.

In addition to his two daughters from his marriage to Ms. Myers, he is survived by two children, Jacob and Sophia Scheyer, from his marriage to Ms. Lynn, and three grandchildren.

Mr. Scheyer's last two films were “The Noel Diary'' (2022) and “The Best of the Best,'' which he co-wrote and directed. Christmas. Until now! ” (2023), which he co-wrote and produced, both for Netflix.

He spoke warmly about his work at the streaming service, but also lamented the decline of the theater experience.

“I think movie theaters are going to go the way of bookstores and record stores,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2022. I am grateful to have worked during their time. ”