Jim Abrahams

James Steven Abrahams was born on May 10, 1944, to a Jewish family^[1] in Shorewood, Wisconsin, the son of Louise M. (née Ogens), an educational researcher, and Norman S. Abrahams, a lawyer.^[2][3] He attended Shorewood High School.^[3] He had a home in Eagle River, Wisconsin, where he spent summers from the time he was a child.^[4]

He is 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. ^{[citation needed]}

Abrahams and his wife, Nancy (née Cocuzzo) co-founded The Charlie Foundation To Help Cure Pediatric Epilepsy.^[5] He was an advocate of the ketogenic diet as a treatment for epilepsy.

Abrahams had three children. His daughter, Jamie Abrahams, is also a comedy writer.