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George Shapiro

George Shapiro

Producer and actor · Born May 18, 1932 (94) · Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Primetime Emmy winner

George Shapiro, one of comedy's most respected managers and producers, has built a career out of his love for laughter and his reverence for those with a gift to inspire it. Together with partner and lifelong friend Howard West, he formed Shapiro/West Productions and executive produced the Emmy, Peabody, and Golden Globe award winning series "SEINFELD." George Shapiro was born in the Bronx and graduated from New York University with a degree in advertising and marketing. He took a job in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency in New York where he advanced rapidly within the company and soon became an agent. He is responsible for packaging hit television programs such as "THE STEVE ALLEN SHOW," "THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR," "THAT GIRL" starring Marlo Thomas, and "GOMER PYLE," starring his client, Jim Nabors. Shapiro also packaged specials for Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Channing. These early shows not only made an indelible imprint on audiences, but they catapulted many of the cast members to superstardom. Shapiro eventually left the William Morris Agency to become a personal manager and producer. He managed Andy Kaufman, executive producing the comedian's special for Showtime entitled, "ANDY KAUFMAN AT CARNEGIE HALL," as well as another for ABC, "ANDY'S FUNHOUSE," and for NBC, he Executive Produced "A COMEDY SALUTE TO ANDY KAUFMAN." He executive produced the Universal film "MAN ON THE MOON" starring Jim Carrey in the role of Andy Kaufman. Danny De Vito co-starred portraying George Shapiro, with two-time Academy Award winner Milos Forman directing. An interesting sidebar; "MAN ON THE MOON" represents Shapiro and West's joint debut as feature film actors. Shapiro played the role of Mr. Besserman, a club owner who fires Andy Kaufman early in his career, and West portrayed a hard-nosed network executive. Additional feature films produced by Shapiro include "SUMMER RENTAL" starring John Candy and Rip Torn, "SUMMER SCHOOL" starring Mark Harmon and Kirsty Alley, and "SIBLING RIVALRY" starring Kirsty Alley and Jami Gertz. He is the producer of the documentaries "THE BRONX BOYS" (HBO-CINEMAX) and "THE BRONX BOYS STILL PLAYING AT 80" (PBS) and "THE BRONX BOYS FINDING THE FUTURE" (in post production). Currently featured on HBO is the critically acclaimed documentary feature film "IF YOU'RE NOT IN THE OBIT, EAT BREAFAST," produced by Shapiro, hosted by Carl Reiner and starring amongst others, Tony Bennett, Mel Brooks, Kirk Douglas, Norman Lear, Stan Lee, Jerry Seinfeld, Dick Van Dyke and Betty White. On Broadway, Shapiro was one of the producers of "COLIN QUINN LONG STORY SHORT" at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Shapiro has brought a myriad of critically acclaimed comedy specials to television. He Executive Produced Jerry Seinfeld's very first stand up special, HBO's "STAND-UP CONFIDENTIAL," in which Carl Reiner introduced Jerry to the world of Prime Time Television. He also packaged Carl Reiner and Mel Brook's animated milestone, "THE 2000 YEAR OLD MAN." Shapiro continues to trail blaze the landscape of comedy in television as the Executive Producer of Jerry Seinfeld's Netflix Comedy Standup Specials, the first being "JERRY BEFORE SEINFELD" which can now be seen on Netflix, as well as the Executive Producer of COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE," which has been nominated for an Emmy in its last two seasons and has 24 new episodes airing on Netflix starting in 2018. "COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE" has received awards for Digital Series at the Producers Guild Awards in 2015, 2016 and 2017 along with two Webby Awards. Recently Shapiro served as Executive Producer of the CBS Special "THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW - NOW IN LIVING COLOR" to be telecast December 22, 2017.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
May 18, 1932 (94)
From
Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Producer and actor
Titles
13 on Motif · 16 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Up 24% in 30 days

What are George Shapiro's films like?

Across their 11 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
29%
Bonds
22%
Society
18%
Ideas
13%
Power
6%
Morality
6%
Survival
5%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 10 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 8 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 9

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 11 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
8
Warm
6
Absurd
3
Hopeful
2
Contemplative
3
Other
6

How their films linger

Feel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet1
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch George Shapiro's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 13 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (3).

Subscription and free streaming for George Shapiro's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

16 credits, 13 with a Motif page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

Career shape

A full career of 15 titles from 1977 to 2021.

Biggest box office

Summer School (1987)

$36M worldwide

Highest rated

If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast (2017)

Midcredits 88th

Most popular right now

Summer School (1987)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 15: 1 only acting, 2 with another roleProducing14 of 15: 12 only producing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rd

By decade

1970s2 · 1 acting · 2 crew1980s6 · crew1990s2 · 1 acting · 2 crew2000s1 · acting2010s2 · crew2020s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

a Primetime Emmy from 12 major nominations, 1992–2020.

WinNomination
  1. 2020
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
  2. 2019
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Informational Series or Special
  3. 2016
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Variety Talk Series
  4. 1998
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series
  5. 1997
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series
  6. 1996
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series
  7. 1995
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special
  8. 1994
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series
Show 2 earlier years
  1. 1993
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Comedy Series
  2. 1992
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do George Shapiro's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · producer

In God We Trust (or Gimme That Prime Time Religion) (1980)

60th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Seinfeld (1989)

Midcredits 97th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 66/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 36. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does George Shapiro work with?

People who share at least 2 of George Shapiro's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Howard West shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers