Paul Brickman

Brickman was born in Chicago and raised in suburban Highland Park, the son of Shirley (née Kronenthal) and Morrie Brickman. His father, Morrie Brickman, was a cartoonist who created the popular comic strip "The Small Society." He graduated from Highland Park High School in 1967.

Brickman began his career by writing the screenplays for The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training and Handle with Care, both of which were released in 1977.

In 1983, he made his directorial debut with Risky Business, starring Tom Cruise. Much of the film was filmed in Brickman's hometown, Highland Park, Illinois, and the surrounding area. However, the film was set in nearby Glencoe. The film was a major success, though Brickman felt disillusioned at having to compromise on the ending.

In 1990, he cowrote and directed Men Don't Leave, a loose adaptation of the 1982 French film La Vie Continue.

Brickman shared writing credit with Jon Avnet (the producer of Risky Business) on the 2001 NBC miniseries Uprising.