Neal Israel

Neal Israel is an American filmmaker who has worked as a director, screenwriter, and producer, best known for comedy. Born in New York City in 1945 and raised in Manhattan, he began his career on Broadway as an assistant to director George Abbott, then worked at the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference and the New Dramatists Guild before moving to Los Angeles, where he was an executive at ABC and CBS. He wrote and directed the independent hit Tunnel Vision and the television special Ringo. With Pat Proft he wrote the first Police Academy film, and he directed and co-wrote Bachelor Party. His script Real Genius became a successful film, and he produced Three O'Clock High in 1987. He directed the cult classic Surf Ninjas (1993). His television directing credits include Even Stevens, The Wonder Years, Joan of Arcadia, Nash Bridges, and Lizzie McGuire, and in 2004 he was an executive producer on Finding Neverland, which received an Academy Award nomination.