Charles Scheyer, the Oscar-nominated writer, director and producer whose credits included “Father of the Bride,” “Private Benjamin” and other notable comedies, has died.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Shier died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after a short illness. He was 83 years old.
“It is with a heavy heart that words cannot express the news of the passing of our beloved father, Charles Scheyer,” Scheyer’s family told Deadline in a statement. “His death has left an unfillable hole in our lives, but his legacy lives on through his children and the 50 years of extraordinary work he left behind. I admire his life and know that there is no one else like him.”
Born in Los Angeles, Shier was the son of pioneer filmmaker Melville Shier, a founding member of the Directors Guild of America.
After attending UCLA, the younger Scheyer entered the DGA’s apprenticeship program, but quickly turned to writing. He began his career as a screenwriter for sitcoms such as “The Odd Couple” and “The Partridge Family” before entering the world of movies with the 1977 blockbuster “Smokey and the Bandit.”
Three years later, Shier made his breakthrough as co-writer of Private Benjamin, teaming up with Harvey Miller and Nancy Meyers, whom he married the same year.
The 1980 film starring Goldie Hawn earned the trio an Oscar nomination, and Scheyer and Meyers went on to star in “Baby Boom,” “Irreconcilable Differences,” and the remake of the 1950 classic “Father of the Bride.” They co-starred in several popular comedies. .
Scheyer and Meyers collaborated on the screenplay for the 1998 hit The Parent Trap, which featured Lindsay Lohan’s screen debut, and was directed by Meyers. The couple broke up the following year.
Myers posted a black-and-white photo on Instagram Saturday of her and Shire looking at each other and smiling.
Lohan replied to the post with a heartbroken emoji.
Shier and Myers had two daughters, Annie and screenwriter/director Harry Myers Shier. Shier is also survived by twins Jacob and Sophia Shier, whose subsequent marriages ended in divorce.
Meyers-Shyer, who made her directorial debut in 2017 with the romantic comedy Home Again, posted a photo of her late father on her Instagram Story with the caption, “Totally original.”
