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Neil Simon

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Neil Simon

Aliases: Marvin Neil Simon
Pen Names: Marvin Neil Simon（birth name）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1927-07-04 （The Bronx, New York City, U.S.）
Died
2018-08-26 （Manhattan, New York City, U.S.） age 91
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Washington Heights, Manhattan → The Bronx, New York City → Manhattan, New York City

Career

Occupations
playwright, screenwriter, author, academic
Active Years
1948-2010
Affiliations
Jefferson Awards for Public Service (board of selectors)
Influenced By
Charlie Chaplin, Menander, Sholem Aleichem
Influenced
Contemporary American comedy playwrights, Film and television screenwriters
Nominations
Academy Award nominations (screenplay/screenwriting, multiple), Primetime Emmy Award nominations (multiple), Tony Award nominations (numerous)

Education

New York University
Period: 在学（中退/非卒業の可能性あり）
Country: United States
Attended while enlisted in the Army Air Force Reserve; attendance interrupted
University of Denver
Period: 1945–1946
Year of Graduation: 1946
Country: United States
Attended while assigned to Lowry Air Force Base

Awards

Special Tony Award
1975
Category: 功労
Organization: Tony Awards
Result: 受賞
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
1991
Work: Lost in Yonkers
Organization: Pulitzer Prize
Result: 受賞
Kennedy Center Honors
1995
Organization: John F. Kennedy Center
Result: 受賞
Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
2006
Organization: Kennedy Center
Result: 受賞
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
1978
Work: The Goodbye Girl
Category: 映画脚本
Organization: Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Result: 受賞
Tony Award for Best Play
1966
Work: The Odd Couple
Category: 作劇
Organization: Tony Awards
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Odd Couple

1965 Comedy / Farce

A two-character comedy about mismatched roommates whose contrasting personalities produce both humor and heartfelt moments.

friendshipurban lifedomestic dissonance
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Odd Couple / Gilles Jacob (1968)
  • [Television series] The Odd Couple (1970–1975) (1970)
Translations
  • The Odd Couple (Japanese translation)

Brighton Beach Memoirs

1983 Autobiographical play (comedy/drama)

An autobiographical play depicting the author's adolescence, exploring family, growing up, and bittersweet humor.

familycoming of ageJewish-American experience
Adaptations
  • [Film] Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986)

Lost in Yonkers

1991 Drama / Comedy

A mature play about family, loss, and coming to terms with hardship; winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

family losscoming of agelove and emotional neglect
Adaptations
  • [Film] Lost in Yonkers (1993)

The Sunshine Boys

1972 Comedy

A conversational comedy about two aging comedians, combining humor with reflections on aging and craft.

agingfriendshipdedication to craft
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Sunshine Boys (1975)

The Goodbye Girl

1977 Romantic comedy

A romantic comedy set in New York about the relationship between a man and a woman; notable for its successful film adaptation.

romancenew beginningsmodern relationships
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Goodbye Girl (1977)

Bibliography

  • Come Blow Your Horn (1961)
  • Barefoot in the Park (1963)
  • The Odd Couple (1965)
  • Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983)
  • Lost in Yonkers (1991)
  • Rewrites: A Memoir (1996)

Adaptations

  • 'The Odd Couple' adapted into film and multiple TV series
  • Many plays adapted for film and television

Style & Themes

Literary Style
rapid-fire dialogue (wit and one-liners)combination of humor and pathosurban, everyday settings
Recurring Motifs
familial tensionsmarriage and divorceself-deprecating Jewish-American humoraging and loss

Health

  • Kidney failure (kidney transplant)
    2004（移植）以降
    Received a kidney transplant from a friend in 2004. Required ongoing health management thereafter.
  • Alzheimer's disease
    晩年（診断時期不明）
    Reported cognitive decline in later years.
  • Pneumonia
    2018年8月（死去時）
    Suffered pneumonia in August 2018 and died while hospitalized.

Legacy

Neil Simon was one of the most commercially successful and influential American comedy playwrights of the late 20th century, receiving both popular success and critical recognition (including a Pulitzer). His works have been widely adapted and have had a lasting impact on contemporary comedy.

Museums

  • Neil Simon Theatre (Broadway, renamed) Manhattan, New York City Opened in 1983

Academic Societies

  • American Theater Hall of Fame

In Popular Culture

  • 'The Odd Couple' became a film, multiple TV series and an animated spin-off, entering popular culture.
  • Numerous plays were adapted into Hollywood films, increasing his mainstream recognition.

Quotes

  • My view is, 'how sad and funny life is.' I can't think of a humorous situation that does not involve some pain.
    Source: Interview / various sources (1991)
  • 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.
    Source: Memoir / Interview (1977)

Trivia

  • Attended the University of Denver during 1945–46 while in military service.
  • Had multiple Broadway shows running simultaneously in the 1960s–1970s, earning substantial income.
  • Received a kidney transplant from a friend in 2004.