There's Something About Mary

Background:

American film director, screenwriter, producer Peter Farrelly is largely celebrated as part of The Farrelly Brothers, along with younger brother Bobby Farrelly. The two have directed and scripted a string of successful comedy films, including “Dumb and Dumber” (1994), “There's Something About Mary” (1998), “Me, Myself and Irene” (2000), “Shallow Hal” (2001) and “The Heartbreak Kid” (2007). They was handed a ShoWest Award for Screenwriter of the Year in 1999. On the small screen, Farrelly and his brother shared two Daytime Emmy nominations for the animated TV series “Ozzy & Drix” (2002-2004), which they created. Farrelly is also a published novelist, with works including “Outside Providence” and “The Comedy Writer.”

Farrelly and his brother established a production company called Conundrum Entertainment. He is married to Melinda Kocsis, with whom he has a son named Robert Farrelly. He also has a daughter named Apple.

Former Salesman

Childhood and Family:

Peter John Farrelly was born on December 17, 1956, in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, to Robert Leo Farrelly Sr., a doctor, and Mariann Farrelly, a nurse practitioner. He was raised in Cumberland, Rhode Island, and has two siblings, brother Robert “Bobby” Leo Farrelly, Jr. (born June 17, 1958) and sister Cynthia Farrelly. Peter graduated from Kent School in Connecticut, the same school attended by Seth MacFarlane, Treat Williams, Sebastian Siegel and Ted Danson, and then took business major at Providence College in Rhode Island. While in college, he was a relatively poor student and spent much of his time partying. Despite his unambitious lifestyle, he did have a dream of becoming a writer. After earning a Bachelors of Arts degree in 1979, Peter worked as a salesman for U.S. Lines, Inc. in Boston, MA, but he hated the job and spent many sales trips out on the road thinking up stories. Following a brief stay in Las Vegas, Nevada, he moved back to the East Cost and became a writer in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He also worked on a novel during this period. It was not long before he decided to renew his goal and continue his education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Dissatisfied with the writing program, he transfered to Columbia University in New York and later completed his Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in 1987. Shortly after, he headed to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a screenwriter.

On December 31, 1996, Peter married his four year girlfriend Melinda Kocsis in Santa Barbara. The couple's son, Robert Farrelly, was born in 1998.

Dumb & Dumber

Career:

In Los Angeles, Peter Farrelly began writing screenplays with Bennett Yellin, and his younger brother Bobby later joined in the process. Farrelly made his television debut in 1987 when he co-wrote the David and Jerry Zucker produced comedy special, “Our Planet Tonight” (NBC), and “Paul Reiser Out on a Whim,” starring Paul Reiser. In the following year, he published his first novel, “Outside Providence,” a semiautobiographical tale about a slack named Timothy “Dildo” Dunphy, who is sent to a posh private prep school by his widower father. He followed it up later with “The Comedy Writer.”

Farrelly's first break arrived in 1992 when he co-wrote (with Bobby) two episodes of NBC's “Seinfeld”, including “The Virgin,” where Jerry dates a woman who has not lost her virginity, while also struggling with George to write their pilot idea for NBC. Two years later, Farrelly moved on to the big screen with the buddy comedy “Dumb & Dumber,” which he co-directed with Bobby and co-wrote with Bobby and Yellin. Starring Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels and Lauren Holly, the film was met with a mostly favorable response from critics and enjoyed a huge success at the box office. With a budget of $17 million, the film grossed over $127 million in the United States, and over $247 million worldwide. “Dumb & Dumber” contributed to the launch of a successful career for the Farrelly brothers.

Along with Bobby, Farrelly returned to the director's chair when he helmed Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel and Bill Murray in the slapstick comedy film “Kingpin” (1996), written by Barry Fanaro and Mort Nathan. The film earned mixed to reasonably positive reviews from critics and was not a box office hit by making only about $25 million against a budget of $27 million. The brothers soon bounced back with the sleeper hit “There's Something About Mary” (1998), which they wrote, directed and produced. Starring Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz and Matt Dillon, the comedy made over $369 million worldwide, including $176 million in the U.S. alone, and became the highest grossing comedy of 1998 as well as the fourth highest grossing film of the year. “There's Something About Mary” was nominated for two Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical and Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical (Diaz), in addition to receiving another 16 wins and 11 nominations. The Farrellys won PGA's Vision Award for Theatrical Motion Pictures for the film. Also in 1998, Farrelly and his brother helmed a five minute video short “Behind the Zipper with Magda,” where he also appeared as himself.

Farrelly worked with his brother and film director/producer Michael Corrente to transform his novel “Outside Providence” into a film of the same name, released in 1999. The film, which starred Shawn Hatosy, Amy Smart, and Alec Baldwin, was a minor success at the box office. 1999 also saw Firrelly appear in “Say You' ll Be Mine,” the feature directing debut of Brad Kane.

In 2000, Farrelly produced, directed and scripted (sharing all responsibilities with brother) “Me, Myself and Irene,” a reunion with with Jim Carrey. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film was a commercial success. It grossed $90,570,999 in the United States and $58,700,000 internationally for a worldwide total of $149,270,999. The film's budget was $51 million.

In 2001, Farrelly directed, wrote and produced with brother Bobby “Shallow Hal,” a romance comedy film starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, and Jason Alexander. The film opened at No. 2 at the US box office, and went on to gross $70,703,043 in the United States. It made a worldwide total of $141,069,860. The same year, Farrelly also directed and produced with Bobby the live action/animated movie “Osmosis Jones,” starring Bill Murray, Chris Rock, Laurence Fishburne, David Hyde Pierce, Brandy Norwood, William Shatner, Molly Shannon and Ron Howard. The film received mixed reviews from critics though it did win a Just For Laughs Award at the Montréal Comedy Festival, and was a box office turkey. In addition, he and Bobby produced the Chris Klein and Heather Graham comedy vehicle “Say It Isn't So,” directed by J.B. Rogers and written by Peter Gaulke and Gerry Swallow. It was another disappointment at the box office.

In 2002, Farrelly co-created (with Bobby) the comic/science fiction television “Ozzy & Drix,” which premiered on September 14, 2002 on the Kids' WB. He jointly picked up two Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program for the show.

Farrelly returned to the big screen with the comedy “Stuck on You” (2003), which he produced, directed and scripted with brother Bobby. Starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins. The film scored $65.7 million at the box office against a budget of $55 million. With Bobby, Farrelly directed and produced the TV film comedy “ Why Blitt?” (2004), directed Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon in the romantic comedy “Fever Pitch” (2005), a remake of the 1997 British film of the same name, and produced “ The Ringer” (2005), a comedy film starring Johnny Knoxville. The two went on to write and direct the remake “The Heartbreak Kid” (2007), starring Ben Stiller and Malin Åkerman, executive produced the TV film “I'm with Stupid” (2007), and executive produced the short lived sitcom “ Unhitched” (Fox, 2008), where they also directed the pilot, as well as the documentary film “The Lost Son of Havana” (2009).

Recently, in 2011, Farrelly and his brother directed and produced and co-wrote the script (with Pete Jones) of “Hall Pass,” a comedy film starring Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Stephen Merchant, Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate. Their upcoming film credits include “The Three Stooges” (2012, writer, director and producer), “Movie 43” (2012, director and producer), “Glide” (2012, executive producer) and “Turkeys” (2012, producer).

Awards:

• Montréal Comedy Festival 'Just for Laughs': Just For Laughs Award, “Osmosis Jones,” 2001

• PGA : Vision Award, Theatrical Motion Pictures, “There's Something About Mary,” 1999

• ShoWest Convention: ShoWest Award, Screenwriter of the Year, 1999