Peter Farrelly

Peter John Farrelly (born December 17, 1956) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and novelist. Along with his brother Bobby, the Farrelly brothers are mostly famous for directing and producing quirky comedy and romantic comedy films such as Dumb and Dumber; Shallow Hal; Me, Myself and Irene; There's Something About Mary; and the 2007 remake of The Heartbreak Kid.

Farrelly solo-directed and co-wrote the comedy-drama Green Book (2018), which won the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018, the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay, and Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Early life and education Farrelly was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, to Mariann (née Neary), a nurse practitioner, and Robert Leo Farrelly, a doctor. Three of his grandparents were Irish immigrants, and he also has Polish ancestry. He was raised in Cumberland, Rhode Island. He graduated from Kent School in 1975 and from Providence College where he studied accounting. In 1986 he earned a master's in fine arts from Columbia University.

Career Writer Farrelly decided to pursue writing full-time, which prompted him to quit his sales job and relocate to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where he got a job as a waiter. On one of the tables he was waiting, Farrelly struck up a conversation with a writing professor from UMass Amherst, who encouraged Farrelly to apply to graduate school. Farrelly said he did not think his chances were good, considering he did poorly in college but the professor said not everything is judged by grades. With what would later be Outside Providence, Farrelly submitted the work and was pleasantly surprised that he was accepted. He studied writing for a time at UMass Amherst, but was ultimately dissatisfied with the program, and transferred to Columbia University in New York City, which Farrelly said he found very satisfying. He later became interested in screenwriting, which led him to directing. He made this career decision after many of his screenplays sold but were not produced.

He is a published novelist, with works including Outside Providence (1988) and The Comedy Writer (1998).

Producer and director Together with his brother, Bobby Farrelly, he has written, directed, and produced several comedy films including There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, Shallow Hal, Me, Myself & Irene, Stuck on You, and Fever Pitch. They also conceived the 1992 Seinfeld episode "The Virgin" (Season 4.Episode:10).

In 2006, Farrelly directed the Man Laws series of television commercials for the Miller Lite beer brand, which featured actor Burt Reynolds, American football player Jerome Bettis, climber Aron Ralston, and professional wrestler Triple H.

Peter worked on a film entitled, Movie 43, which was released in 2013 and produced by the siblings' long-time producer Charles B. Wessler. He produced the anthology film and directed two of its segments.

In 2011, the Farrellys produced and directed Hall Pass.

The brothers produced and directed The Three Stooges in 2012.

In 2012, Peter and his brother announced that the filming of Dumb and Dumber To would begin in 2013. The film was released on November 14, 2014.

In 2016, Audience announced that Loudermilk, a new half-hour scripted comedy co-created by Farrelly and Bobby Mort, would receive a straight-to-series order. In 2018, the show was renewed for season 2, and in 2021 a third season was aired on Amazon Prime Video.

In 2018, Farrelly directed Green Book, which won the Toronto International Film Festival's People Choice Award. At the 91st Academy Awards, he won the Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture.

In 2020, Farrelly directed alongside his brother, and co-wrote the Quibi comedy series The Now, starring Bill Murray, Dave Franco, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Daryl Hannah, and Jimmy Tatro.

Board member Farrelly is a board member of Direct Sports Network (formerly DeskSite).

Personal life Farrelly is married to Melinda Kocsis and has a son and a daughter. He has two sisters, and a third sister died in 2017. Peter lives in California, while brother Bobby lives in Massachusetts. Those who had been tricked into seeing Farrelly's genitals include film executive Tom Rothman and actress Cameron Diaz. In 2019 after the story resurfaced, Farrelly stated: "I did this decades ago, and I thought I was being funny, and the truth is I'm embarrassed, and it makes me cringe now. I'm deeply sorry."

Philanthropy and honors Farrelly is a long-time supporter of disability rights. In 2020, he and his brother Bobby received the Morton E. Ruderman Award for Inclusion of People with Disabilities. Past winners include Michael Phelps and Marlee Matlin. He won the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed by Media Access Awards.

Filmography Film With Bobby Farrelly Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 1994 Dumb and Dumber 1996 Kingpin 1998 There's Something About Mary 1999Outside Providence 2000 Me, Myself & Irene 2001 Osmosis Jones Live-action scenes Shallow Hal 2003 Stuck on You 2005 Fever Pitch 2005 The Ringer 2007 The Heartbreak Kid 2011 Hall Pass 2012 The Three Stooges 2014 Dumb and Dumber To 2015 Dodge Law: Speak No Evil Commercial/ short film 2024 Dear Santa

Solo works Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 2013 Movie 43 Segments: "The Pitch", "The Catch", "Truth or Dare";Golden Raspberry Award for Worst DirectorGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture 2018 Green Book Academy Award for Best PictureAcademy Award for Best Original ScreenplayGolden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or ComedyGolden Globe Award for Best ScreenplayNominated—BAFTA Award for Best FilmNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Original ScreenplayNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best DirectorNominated—Razzie Redeemer Award 2022 The Greatest Beer Run Ever 2024 Ricky Stanicky Nominated—GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Streaming or TV 2026 Balls Up I Play Rocky Post-production

Television Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 2003 Blitt Happens TV pilot 2008 Unhitched Episode: "Pilot" 2015 Cuckoo TV movie 2017–2021 Loudermilk 3 Seasons 2021 The Now TV series 2023 Lucky Hank

Awards and nominations

Farrelly won or was nominated for awards for his work in film and television, including winning two Academy Awards and winning two Golden Globe Awards out of five nominations for Green Book in 2019. He also won or was nominated for several film festival awards.