Amy Heckerling

American filmmaker Amy Heckerling is a trailblazer who paved the way for women in Hollywood. Born in the Bronx, she studied at New York University's famed Tisch School of the Arts and then went through the American Film Institute program in Los Angeles. She began working as an editor in television, but a car accident nearly derailed her career before it truly started. Once she recovered, she was given the opportunity to helm a teen comedy based on Rolling Stone reporter Cameron Crowe's account of posing as a high schooler in LA's San Fernando Valley.

The resulting "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982) turned into a cultural touchstone and helped launch the careers of a generation of actors, including Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Forest Whitaker, and Judge Reinhold. Instead of sticking to the teen theme, Heckerling moved into broader comedies. She made "Johnny Dangerously" (1984), a spoof of gangster movies starring Michael Keaton, and "National Lampoon's European Vacation" (1985) with Chevy Chase. For her next project, she added screenwriter to her credits with the John Travolta-Kirstie Alley hit comedy "Look Who's Talking" (1989).

The movie, featuring a baby character voiced by Bruce Willis, spawned a pair of sequels, "Look Who's Talking, Too" (1990) and "Look Who's Talking Now" (1993). A short-lived sitcom based on the concept, "Baby Talk" (ABC, 1991-92), also followed. She returned to teen comedy with her next film and again notched one of the defining films of the genre with "Clueless" (1995). Starring Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd, among a host of talented young actors, the story was a modern reworking of Jane Austen's "Emma."

As with the "Look Who's Talking" franchise, it also led to a sitcom, "Clueless" (ABC/UPN, 1996-99), that Heckerling assisted with. After directing Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan in the "SNL" (NBC, 1975-) comedy "A Night at the Roxbury" (1998), the filmmaker hit a rough patch. Her next two films, "Molly" (1999) and "Loser" (2000), were box office failures, causing her to step away for a period of time. An episode of the hit television show "The Office" (NBC, 2005-13) in 2005 marked her directorial return behind the camera.

She wrote and directed "I Could Never Be Your Woman" (2007), starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd, before taking another self-imposed hiatus. Upon her return, she worked primarily in television, directing episodes of "Gossip Girl" (The CW, 2007-12) and "Red Oaks" (Amazon, 2014-17). Heckerling added the horror-comedy "Vamps" (2012), starring Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter, and the CGI-animated film "Wish Dragon" (2019), featuring Jackie Chan.