Robert Leo Farrelly Jr. (born June 17, 1958) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is one of the Farrelly brothers, alongside his brother Peter, and together are known for directing and producing quirky, slightly offensive comedy films such as Dumb and Dumber, Shallow Hal, Me, Myself and Irene, There's Something About Mary, and the 2007 remake of The Heartbreak Kid. He made his solo directorial debut in 2023 with Champions.
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Farrelly was raised in Cumberland, Rhode Island, to Mariann, a nurse practitioner, and Dr. Robert Leo Farrelly.[1] His grandparents were Irish immigrants, and he also has Polish ancestry.[2][3] He is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he entered the school on a hockey scholarship.[4]
Bobby and his brother Peter Farrelly are known as the Farrelly brothers. They have written, directed and produced several comedy films including Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary, Kingpin, Shallow Hal, Me, Myself & Irene and Stuck on You, as well as Fever Pitch, and The Lost Son of Havana. They conceived the Seinfeld episode "The Virgin" (4.10)
In 2014, Bobby and Peter directed Dumb and Dumber To, the sequel to Dumb and Dumber. In 2016, Bobby directed two episodes of Season 10 of the Canadian cult mockumentary TV series Trailer Park Boys.
In 2020, Bobby and Peter directed the Quibi comedy series The Now.[5]
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.[6]
