Oscar nominated screenwriter, director, and producer Charles Shyer has passed away at the age of 83.
The Meyers-Shyer family shared this statement with Deadline: “It’s with an indescribably heavy heart that we share the news of our beloved father, Charles Shyer’s passing. His loss leaves an unfillable hole in our lives, but his legacy lives on through his children and the five decades of wonderful work he’s left behind. We honor the extraordinary life he led and know there will never be another quite like him.”
The prolific writer was known for writing a number of fan-favorite films, including many for The Walt Disney Company. Shyer wrote the 1991 remake of Father of the Bride for Touchstone Pictures, as well as its 1995 sequel, Father of the Bride Part II – both of which he also directed. Later in the decade, he wrote the script for the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap, starring a young Lindsay Lohan in the dual roles of Hallie and Annie.
Shyer received an Oscar nomination and WGA Awards win for his original screenplay for the 1980 comedy Private Benjamin starring Goldie Hawn, which he co-wrote with Nancy Meyers and Harvey Miller. More recent credits for Shyer include writing and directing Netflix’s The Noel Diaries and writing the script for Best. Christmas. Ever!
Shyer was essentially born into the business as the son of Lois Delaney and Melville Shyer, a production executive and film director who worked with D.W. Griffith and was one of the founders of the Directors Guild of America. After going to UCLA, he received an apprenticeship from the DGA and became an assistant on the TV series, The Odd Couple.
Charles Shyer is survived by his four children, which include filmmaker Hallie Meyers-Shyer.