Farrelly was raised in Cumberland, Rhode Island, to Mariann, a nurse practitioner, and Dr. Robert Leo Farrelly.[4] His grandparents were Irish immigrants, and he also has Polish ancestry.[5][6] Farrelly is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he entered the school on a hockey scholarship.[7][8]
Farrelly co-directed this iconic comedy, in which a business woman, played by Lauren Holly, accidentally leaves her briefcase at an airport terminal.[9] Hilarity ensues when her limousine driver Lloyd, played by Jim Carrey, and his friend Harry, played by Jeff Daniels, embark on a cross-country road trip to return it to her.[10]
Kingpin, 1996
Farrelly co-directed Kingpin, starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid and Bill Murray. The 1996 sports comedy chronicles competitors in the world of professional bowlers as they compete in a high-stakes tournament.[11][12]
Farrelly co-produced and co-wrote Outside Providence, which was an adaptation of Peter Farrelly's 1988 novel of the same name.[16]
Me, Myself and Irene, 2000
Farrelly co-directed this slapstick dark comedy about a state trooper in Rhode Island, played by Jim Carrey, whose years of suppressed rage results in a psychotic break and split personality.[17] The film also stars Renรฉe Zellweger and Chris Cooper.
Osmosis Jones, 2001
In 2001, Farrelly co-directed Osmosis Jones, a blend of live-action and animation, starring Bill Murray.[18] The film presents an inventive spin on the buddy-cop film trope.[19]
Shallow Hal, 2001
The Farrelly brothers wrote, directed and produced romantic comedy Shallow Hal, a film about a superficial man who falls in love with a 300-pound woman after being hypnotized into only seeing a person's inner beauty.[20]
In 2005, Farrelly co-directed Fever Pitch, a romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon about a schoolteacher and Red Sox fanatic who falls in love with a business consultant.[22] The film is an American remake of an eponymous British movie based on a novel by Nick Hornby.[23]
Hall Pass, 2011
Directed, written and produced by the Farrelly brothers, Hall Pass tells the story of two friends, played by Jason Sudeikis and Owen Wilson, whose wives give them the titular hall pass from their marriage for a week.[24][25]
Dumb and Dumber To, 2014
In 2014, Bobby and Peter wrote and directed Dumb and Dumber To, the sequel to Dumb and Dumber.[26][27] Set 20 years after the events of the first film, the sequel follows Jim Carrey's Lloyd and Jeff Daniels' Harry on a cross-country road trip to find Harry's adopted daughter.[28]
Champions, 2023
In 2023, he made his solo directorial debut with the sports comedy-drama film Champions. Woody Harrelson, the feature actor of the film who worked on Kingpin with Farrelly in 1996, personally picked Farrelly to direct the film, saying "He's a deep person and he's got the most amazing sense of humor". Just like the original Campeones (2018) film, Champions was filmed with actors with intellectual disabilities.[29]
Dear Santa, 2024
Farrelly directed the Christmas comedy, Dear Santa, reuniting with the star of his 2001 movie Shallow Hal, Jack Black.[30][31]
Television
In 1992, the Farrelly brothers conceived the Seinfeld episode "The Virgin" (4.10), in which Jerry dates a woman, played by Jane Leeves, who has not lost her virginity.[32] In 2016, Farrelly directed several episodes of Season 10 of the Canadian cult mockumentary TV series Trailer Park Boys.[33] He created the series Loudermilk for Amazon Prime, which ran from 2017 to 2020 and starred Ron Livingston.[34][35] In 2020, Bobby and Peter directed the Quibi comedy series The Now.[36]
Awards
In 1999, the Farrelly brothers won the MTV Movie of the Year award for There's Something About Mary.[37] In 2020, the Farrelly brothers received the Morton E. Ruderman Award for their sensitive and inclusive depictions of people with differing abilities in Champions.[38][39] In 2023, Global Down Syndrome Foundation honored Farrelly as a Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Awardee.[40][41]
