Neil Simon

Born: 1927-07-04

Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received three Tony Awards, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for four Academy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. He was awarded a Special Tony Award in 1975, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1995 and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2006. Simon grew up in New York City during the Great Depression. His parents' financial difficulties affected their marriage, giving him a mostly unhappy and unstable childhood. He often took refuge in movie theaters, where he enjoyed watching early comedians like Charlie Chaplin. After graduating from high school and serving a few years in the Army Air Force Reserve, he began writing comedy scripts for radio programs and popular early television shows. Among the latter were Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows (where in 1950 he worked alongside other young writers including Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart and Selma Diamond), and The Phil Silvers Show, which ran from 1955 to 1959. His first produced play was Come Blow Your Horn (1961). It took him three years to complete and ran for 678 performances on Broadway. It was followed by two more successes, Barefoot in the Park (1963) and The Odd Couple (1965). He won a Tony Award for the latter. It made him a national celebrity and "the hottest new playwright on Broadway". From the 1960s to the 1980s he wrote for stage and screen; some of his screenplays were based on his own works for the stage. His style ranged from farce to romantic comedy to more serious dramatic comedy. Overall, he garnered 17 Tony nominations and won three awards. In 1966, he had four successful productions running on Broadway at the same time, and in 1983 he became the only living playwright to have a New York theatre, the Neil Simon Theatre, named in his honor. Description above from the Wikipedia article Neil Simon, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


Placeholder

Pitch

as Himself
Released: 1997-09-04

A Canadian documentary featuring two young filmmakers attending the Toronto Film Festival to...

Movie page

Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough

as Self
Released: 1997-01-01

A profile of the life of actor Walter Matthau.

Movie page

Caesar's Writers

as Self
Released: 1996-08-19

On January 24, 1996, at the Writers Guild Theater in Los Angeles, CA, legendary comic Sid Caesar...

Movie page

Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman

as Self
Released: 1996-11-25

Jack Lemmon made over 60 films and received numerous awards, including eight Academy Award...

Movie page

In the Beginning: The Caesar Years

as Self
Released: 2012-11-13

New interviews with Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, footage from the reunion of Caesar's Writers...

Movie page

Sid Caesar Collection: Buried Treasures - The Legend of Sid Caesar

as Himself
Released: 2003-01-01

A collection of Ceasar's finest comedy moments.

Movie page

Bob Fosse: Steam Heat

as Himself
Released: 1990-02-23

A documentary profile of director/choreographer Bob Fosse. Includes clips from his films and...

Movie page

The Sid Caesar Collection: The Magic of Live TV

as Self
Released: 2000-06-20

One of the greatest comedians of early television, Sid Caesar hasn't had his work shown in...

Movie page

The Dick Cavett Show

as Self - Guest
First aired: 1968-06-06

The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various...

TV Show page

The Merv Griffin Show

as Self
First aired: 1962-10-01

The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran...

TV Show page

Frasier

as Andy (voice)
First aired: 1993-09-16

After many years spent at the “Cheers” bar, Frasier moves back home to Seattle to work as a...

TV Show page

CBS News Sunday Morning

as Self
First aired: 1979-01-28

The sparkling notes of a trumpet fanfare and the familiar logo of the sun alert viewers that...

TV Show page

The Kennedy Center Honors

as Self
First aired: 1978-12-28

The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their...

TV Show page

The Rosie O'Donnell Show

as Self - Guest
First aired: 1996-06-10

The Rosie O'Donnell Show was an American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by...

TV Show page

Inside the Actors Studio

as Self
First aired: 1994-08-14

James Lipton sits down with some of the world's most accomplished actors and directors for...

TV Show page