10 Famous Directors Who Made Columbo Episodes

7. Dennis Dugan

Columbo Spielberg
NBC

Dennis Dugan started out as a television actor on shows such as Hill Street Blues and Moonlighting before moving to film and television directing with the likes of Ally McBeal and NYPD Blue.

Fans of Adam Sandler should send Dugan some of their love since the pair have had a fruitful working partnership for over two decades now. Conversely, haters of Adam Sandler (and his films) should probably direct some of their spite in Dugan's direction considering his involvement in so many of Sandler's films...

Dugan directed (and acted in) Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy, arguably two of Sandler's biggest and most memorable comedies but unfortunately, he also directed the truly abysmal Jack and Jill, and for that, there is no excuse.

For Columbo, however, Dugan directed the eighth episode of Season 10 "Butterfly in Shades of Grey", a decent episode that features a comically moustachioed, overacting William Shatner. You can just imagine a comedic actor/director like Dugan relishing the opportunity of working with Shatner's delightfully oddball delivery.

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Contributor

Christopher is a freelance pop culture writer, podcaster and self-confessed nerd from Scotland. He's also the owner, founder and editor at "The Head Scratcher" and a host of "The Scratch Cast" podcast. Visit www.theheadscratcher.com to find out more.