Carl Gottlieb (born March 18, 1938) is an American screenwriter, actor, comedian and executive. He is probably best known for co-writing the screenplay for Jaws, as well as directing the 1981 low-budget cult film Caveman.
Gottlieb was born in New York City, to Jewish parents: the son of Elizabeth, a medical administrative assistant, and Sergius M. Gottlieb, an engineer. After studying drama at Syracuse University, he became a member, in the 1960s, of the San Francisco improvisational comedy troupe "The Committee". They made one feature film: A Session with the Committee.
He began writing comedy for TV, contributing to The Bob Newhart Show, All in the Family, and The Odd Couple. Minor acting roles have included Robert Altman's M*A*S*H and the film Clueless.
Gottlieb also cowrote David Crosby's two autobiographies, 1989's "Long time Gone" and 2006's "Since Then".
Gottlieb was hired as an actor to appear as Meadows, the editor of the local newspaper, in Jaws. He was hired by his friend, Steven Spielberg, to redraft the script, adding more dimensions to the characters, particularly humour. Ironically, his redrafts reduced the role of Meadows (who still appears in the Town Hall corridor and the Tiger Shark scene).