Segal began his career writing and directing television. In 2002, he created the
NBC sitcom
Hidden Hills (2002–2003). In 1995, he formed his production company, Callahan Filmworks, along with long-time producing partner Michael Ewing. Segal directed
Chris Farley and
David Spade in
Tommy Boy (1995). Although it received mixed reviews at the time of release and was considered a commercial disappointment,
Tommy Boy's reputation has grown over the years and it is considered in some quarters a "now-iconic cult classic." Segal directed the comedy film
My Fellow Americans (1996), starring
Jack Lemmon,
James Garner, and
Lauren Bacall. Co-star Garner was not impressed by Segal, writing in his memoirs that Segal "was a self appointed genius who didn't know his ass from second base and Jack and I both knew it." Segal next directed the comedy
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), starring
Eddie Murphy. The film grossed $166.3 million worldwide. Critically, however, the film did not fare as well: on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 27% and an average rating of 4.5/10, based on reviews from 89 critics. The site's review says, "While Eddie Murphy is still hilarious as the entire Klump family, the movie falls apart because of uneven pacing, a poor script, and skits that rely on being gross rather than funny." On
Metacritic, the film has a score of 38 out of 100, a score which indicates a generally unfavorable response based on reviews from 34 critics. Segal directed
Adam Sandler for the first time in
Anger Management (2003), which also starred Jack Nicholson. When asked by the
BBC who was the most famous person in his contacts, Segal replied, "I have to say, it's very obvious now, it's Jack Nicholson. I've kept his number on my speed dial just so I can show it to friends. I could call him up out of the blue, but I'm worried he might say 'Pete who?'" Segal collaborated with Sandler for the third time in
The Longest Yard (2005), a remake of the
1974 film of the same name. Segal also directed
Grudge Match (2013), which starred
Robert De Niro,
Sylvester Stallone,
Kevin Hart, Alan Arkin,
Kim Basinger, and
Jon Bernthal. ==Personal life==