Charles Shyer
Shyer was born in Los Angeles. He was the son of Lois (née Jones) Delaney and Melville Shyer, a production executive and film director. Shyer grew up in the movie industry where his father worked with D.W. Griffith and was one of the founders of the Directors Guild of America.  After attending UCLA, he was accepted into the DGA's apprenticeship program, which led to work as an assistant director. However, Shyer's focus was soon changed to writing. He went to work as an assistant to Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson, producers of the TV series The Odd Couple. He eventually worked his way up to head writer and associate producer on the popular series in the early seventies. He is of Jewish descent.