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Date of Birth
- Marvin Neil Simon
- Born in The Bronx, New York
- Parents Irving and Mamie Simon
- Screenwriter/Author/Playwright
- More than 30 plays and screenplays
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The Great Depression
- Simon was born during The Great Depression
- Because of his parents financial difficulties it caused difficulties in their marriage and resulted in an unstable and unhappy childhood
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Growing up
In an interview with writer Lawrence Grobel when talking about his childhood growing up and watching his parents constantly arguing because of financial hardship Simon said, "I think part of what made me a comedy writer is the blocking out of some of the really ugly, painful things in my childhood and covering it up with a humorous attitude do something to laugh until I was able to forget what was hurting." -
Inspiration
- He often enjoyed comedies with Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Laurel and Hardy.
- He appreciated Chaplin’s ability to make people laugh and made writing comedy his long-term goal, and also saw it as a way to connect with people.
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Neil and Danny Simon
The brothers created a series of comedy sketches for employees at an annual department store event and to help develop his writing skill, he would spend three days a week at the library reading books by famous humorists such as Mark Twain, Robert Benchley, and George S. Kaufman. -
Education
- Graduated De Witt Clinton Highschool at the age of 16
- Attended NYU
- Attended the University of Denver
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Influences
Simon's Jewish heritage is a key influence on his work, although he is unaware of it when writing. For example, in the Brighton Beach trilogy, the lead character is a "master of self-deprecating humor, cleverly poking fun at himself and at his Jewish culture as a whole. -
Army Air Force Reserve
- He was sent to a base in Colorado and took some classes at the University of Denver from 1945 until 1946
- Simon began writing when he worked as a sports editor for the Army camp newspaper, Rev-Meter
- Served 2 years before he was released
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Marriage to Joan Baim
- Married for 20 years
- Had 2 daughter together Nancy and Ellen
- Unfortunately, Joan died from bone cancer and Neil was left widowed
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Broadway
- His first Broadway experience was on Catch a Star! (1955); he collaborated on sketches with his brother, Danny.
- In 1961, Simon's first Broadway play, Come Blow Your Horn, ran for 678 performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
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First Play
- Dedicated 3 years and 21 drafts to his first play "Come Blow Your Horn"
- The play is the story of a young man's decision to leave the home of his parents for the apartment of his older brother who leads a swinging '60s lifestyle.
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Screen
Simon chose not to write the screenplay for the first film adaptation of his work, Come Blow Your Horn (1963), preferring to focus on his playwriting. Although most of his films were successful, movies were always of secondary importance to his plays. -
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"Hottest new playwright in Broadway"
After Come Blow Your Horn in 1961 Simon followed it with the two more successful plays which won him a Tony Award. It made him a national celebrity and “the hottest new playwright on Broadway.” -
Four shows on Broadway at once
- For seven months, he had four productions running at the same time on Broadway: “Barefoot in the Park,” ″The Odd Couple,” ″Sweet Charity” and “The Star-Spangled Girl.”
- Simon became the first playwright to have four shows on Broadway at once
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Television
Max Liebman hired Neil and Danny for the writing team of his popular television comedy series Your Show of Shows. The program received Emmy Award nominations for Best Variety Show in 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954, and won in 1952 and 1953. Simon later wrote scripts for The Phil Silvers Show, for episodes broadcast during 1958 and 1959. -
Themes
- In Simons plays themes of marital conflict, infidelity, sibling rivalry, adolescence, bereavement, divorce, and fear of aging
- After many twists in the plot, the endings typically show renewal of the relationships
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Genre
- His plays focused in on Comedy
- He would take serious/real topics that occur in life and adds comedy and humor to it to make it less a heavy and not too difficult to deal with
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Board of Selectors
- Simon was on the board of selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service.
- The Jefferson Awards Foundation was created in 1972 by the American Institute for Public Service. The Jefferson Awards are given at both local and national levels. Local winners are ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition.
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Marriage to Marsha Mason
- He married Marsha the same year his past wife had passed.
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Tony Awards
- He was nominated for 17 Tony Awards
- Won three times
- Received a special Tony in 1975 for his contributions to theater
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Characters
Simon's characters are typically "imperfect, unheroic figures who are at heart decent human beings". Simon used average people in life settings, and also blended humor and tragedy into his themes. Simon's characters are "likable" and easy for audiences to identify with. -
Settings
Many of Simon's plays are set in New York City. Within that setting, Simon's themes include marital conflict, infidelity, sibling rivalry, adolescence, bereavement and fear of aging. Despite the serious nature of these ideas, Simon always manages to tell the stories with humor, embracing both realism and comedy. Simon would tell aspiring comedy playwrights "not to try to make it funny try and make it real and then the comedy will come." -
Walnut Street Theatre
- He was an honorary board of trustees member of the Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, America's oldest theatre.
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Neil Simon Theatre
- The Shubert Organization changed the name of the Alvin Theatre to the Neil Simon Theatre
- He was the first living playwright to have a Broadway venue named in his honor
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Honorary Degrees
- Simon has earned three honorary degrees
- A Doctor of Humane Letters from Hofstra University
- A Doctor of Letters from Marquette University
- A Doctor of Law from Williams College
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American Theatre Hall of Fame
- Simon was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
- The Theater Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization and U.S. registered trademark. It is the only nationally recognized Hall of Fame honoring Lifetime Achievement in the American theater.
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Critics
Through his career Simon's work received mixed reviews, with many critics admiring his comedy skills while others were less admiring saying that his structure sometimes relied too heavily on gags and one-liners. -
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Marriage to Diane Lander
- He married Diane 2 separate times
- The first time was from 1987–1988 and the second time was from 1990–1998
- From this marriage he adopted Bryn, which was Lander's daughter from a previous relationship
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Memoirs
This edition combines Simons two memoirs Rewrites and The Play Goes On, into one volume that spans his five-decade career in theatre, television, and film. Rewrites takes Simon through his first love, his first play, and his first brush with failure. The Play Goes On adds to his life’s story, as he wins the Pulitzer Prize and reflects with humor and insight on his exciting life and career. -
Writing style
Simon was willing to experiment and take risks, often moving his plays in new and unexpected directions. In The Gingerbread Lady, he combined comedy with tragedy. Although some of these efforts failed to win approval from many critics, Simon was never scared to take those risks and experiment. -
Simon Fest
The Neil Simon Festival is a professional summer repertory theatre devoted to preserving the works of Simon and his contemporaries. The Neil Simon Festival was founded by Richard Dean Bugg in 2003. -
Kidney Transplant
- Simon received a kidney transplant from his long-time friend and publicist Bill Evans.
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Mark Twain Prize
- Simon received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
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Date of Death
- Sadly, passed away from pneumonia at 91 years old at Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, New York
- He was also suffering from Alzheimer's disease
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Loss of Simon
- The loss of Simon was especially hard for playwrights and screenwriters. Randi Mayem Singer, mourned Simon as a “truly great American storyteller.
- “Big Bang Theory” creator Bill Prady wrote that “there is no American comedy writer whose work isn’t influenced by the rhythm and music of Neil Simon’s words.”
- Kristoffer Diaz said, “In a different life, I would have loved to have been my generation’s Neil Simon. I’m sad that we don’t have that kind of voice.”
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References