James S. Abrahams (born May 10, 1944) is an American film director and writer, best known as a member of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker. Life and career Abrahams was born to a Jewish family in Shorewood, Wisconsin, the son of Louise M. (née Ogens), an educational researcher, and Norman S. Abrahams, a lawyer. He attended Shorewood High School. He has a home in Eagle River, Wisconsin where he has spent summers since he was a child. He may be best known for the spoof movies that he co-wrote and produced with brothers Jerry Zucker and David Zucker, such as Airplane! (for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay) and The Naked Gun series. The team of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (also referred to as "ZAZ") really began when the three men grew up together in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He directed movies on his own, such as Big Business, and further honed his skills in parody with Hot Shots! and its 1993 sequel, Hot Shots! Part Deux. Abrahams and his wife, Nancy (née Cocuzzo) co-founded The Charlie Foundation To Help Cure Pediatric Epilepsy. Filmography Films Executive producer only Cry-Baby (1990) The Naked Gun : The Smell of Fear (1991) Naked Gun : The Final Insult (1994) Acting roles Television Series Other work Acting roles References External links biodata, The New York Times; accessed April 23, 2014. Charlie's Story; accessed November 25, 2014. 1944 births Living people American male screenwriters American parodists Filmmakers from Milwaukee Jewish American screenwriters Jewish American film directors Writers Guild of America Award winners People from Shorewood, Wisconsin People from Eagle River, Wisconsin Screenwriters from Wisconsin Film producers from Wisconsin Comedy film directors Parody film directors Shorewood High School (Wisconsin) alumni 21st-century American Jews