About

Known credits:
93
Birthday:
1927-07-04
Place of birth:
The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
Website:
N/A

Neil Simon

Overview

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.

Known for

Acting
2012 In the Beginning: The Caesar Years Actor Self N/A
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2003 Sid Caesar Collection: Buried Treasures - The Legend of Sid Caesar Actor Himself N/A
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2000 The Sid Caesar Collection: The Magic of Live TV Actor Self N/A
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2000 The Sid Caesar Collection: Inside the Writer's Room Actor Himself N/A
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2000 The Sid Caesar Collection: Creating the Comedy Actor Himself N/A
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1999 Murder By Death - A Conversation with Neil Simon Actor Himself N/A
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1998 Private Screenings: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau Actor Self N/A
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1997 Pitch Actor Self 59
Average
1997 Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough Actor Self 59
Average
1996 Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman Actor Self 59
Average
1996 Caesar's Writers Actor Self N/A
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1990 Bob Fosse: Steam Heat Actor Himself N/A
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1977 The Amazing Miss Cummings: An Actress at Work and Play Actor N/A
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Writing
2019 Goodbye Shirazi Girl Writing Theatre Play N/A
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2015 Les Stars : Daniel Prévost & Jacques Balutin Writing Writer N/A
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2013 Rumors Writing Writer 59
Average
2010 Barefoot in the Park Writing Writer N/A
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2007 The Heartbreak Kid Writing Original Film Writer 57
Average
2006 Sweet Charity Brasil Writing Writer N/A
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2004 The Goodbye Girl Writing Writer 58
Average
2004 Ein seltsames Paar Writing Theatre Play N/A
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2001 Laughter on the 23rd Floor Writing Writer 58
Average
1999 Panier de crabes Writing Theatre Play N/A
N/A
1999 The Out-of-Towners Writing Original Story 58
Average
1998 The Odd Couple II Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1996 London Suite Writing Teleplay 58
Average
1996 The Sunshine Boys Writing Writer 58
Average
1996 Jake's Women Writing Writer N/A
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1995 Sonny Boys Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1993 Lost in Yonkers Writing Writer 59
Average
1992 Broadway Bound Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1992 Broadway Bound Writing Writer 59
Average
1991 The Marrying Man Writing Writer 58
Average
1989 Last of the Red Hot Lovers Writing Author N/A
N/A
1989 Andy & Norman Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1988 Biloxi Blues Writing Theatre Play 60
Fair
1988 Biloxi Blues Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1987 Plaza Suite Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1987 Drôle de couple Writing Writer 59
Average
1986 Brighton Beach Memoirs Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1986 Brighton Beach Memoirs Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1985 The Slugger's Wife Writing Writer 58
Average
1984 The Lonely Guy Writing Writer 59
Average
1983 Max Dugan Returns Writing Writer 59
Average
1982 Sonny Boys Writing Theatre Play N/A
N/A
1982 The New Odd Couple Writing Theatre Play 68
Fair
1982 Plaza Suite Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1982 I Ought to Be in Pictures Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1982 I Ought to Be in Pictures Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1982 Barefoot In the Park Writing Writer 59
Average
1982 Pieds nus dans le parc Writing Writer N/A
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1981 Only When I Laugh Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1981 Only When I Laugh Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1980 Seems Like Old Times Writing Writer 59
Average
1980 The Prisoner of Second Avenue Writing Novel N/A
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1980 Felix und Oskar Writing Characters N/A
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1979 Chapter Two Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1979 Chapter Two Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1978 California Suite Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1978 The Good Doctor Writing Writer 59
Average
1978 The Cheap Detective Writing Writer 59
Average
1977 The Goodbye Girl Writing Writer 61
Fair
1976 Murder by Death Writing Writer 67
Fair
1975 The Sunshine Boys Writing Writer 60
Fair
1975 The Sunshine Boys Writing Original Story 60
Fair
1975 The Prisoner of Second Avenue Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1975 The Prisoner of Second Avenue Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1972 The Heartbreak Kid Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1972 The Trouble With People Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1972 Last of the Red Hot Lovers Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1971 Star Spangled Girl Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1971 Plaza Suite Writing Writer 59
Average
1971 Plaza Suite Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1970 The Out-of-Towners Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1969 Sweet Charity Writing Musical 60
Fair
1968 The Odd Couple Writing Theatre Play 67
Fair
1968 The Odd Couple Writing Screenplay 67
Fair
1967 Barefoot in the Park Writing Theatre Play 65
Fair
1967 Barefoot in the Park Writing Screenplay 65
Fair
1966 After the Fox Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1966 After the Fox Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1963 Come Blow Your Horn Writing Theatre Play 58
Average
1956 The Adventures of Marco Polo Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1955 Babes in Toyland Writing Adaptation N/A
N/A
1955 Dearest Enemy Writing Adaptation N/A
N/A
1955 The Desert Song Writing Adaptation 59
Average
1954 Babes in Toyland Writing Adaptation 59
Average

Production
2004 The Goodbye Girl Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1998 The Odd Couple II Production Producer 59
Average
1983 Max Dugan Returns Production Producer 59
Average
1982 I Ought to Be in Pictures Production Producer 59
Average
1981 Only When I Laugh Production Producer 59
Average
1972 The Trouble With People Production Executive Producer N/A
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