After having directed some "Van Dyke" show episodes, Paris devoted himself to directing, both in television and film, most notably on the TV series Happy Days, for which he directed the majority of episodes.
Paris had roles in major 1950s films like The Caine Mutiny, The Wild One and also played Martin "Marty" Flaharty , one of Eliot Ness's men in a recurring role in the first season of ABC-TV's The Untouchables.
He was predeceased by his wife, the former Ruth Benjamin, who died in 1980; they had three children.
Jerry Paris died from complications from brain cancer surgery at the age of 60. He was residing in Los Angeles, California at the time of his death.