Zieff was born to Jewish parents in Chicago, Illinois, then moved to Los Angeles, CA.
[2] He studied art for one year at Los Angeles City College, then dropped out in 1946 to join the United States Navy.
His campaigns included "You Don't Have To Be Jewish" for Levy's rye bread, "Mamma Mia, that's a spicy meatball" for Alka-Seltzer, and ads for the New York Daily News, Polaroid, and Volkswagen.
[3] Zieff died aged 81 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at 8:10 am on Sunday, February 22, 2009, with his wife (retired motion picture literary agent) Ronda Gomez-Quinones at his side.
Private Benjamin star Goldie Hawn was among those to pay tribute to him, saying he had a "special talent for directing comedies, always a rare gift.