Neil Simon

Neil Simon (Marvin Neil Simon), 1927-, American playwright, b. New York City. His plays, nearly all of them popular, if not always critical successes, are comedies treating recognizable aspects of modern middle-class life. Particularly adept at portraying the middle-aged, Simon is a master jokesmith who builds up his characters through funny lines rather than plot, although he does often attempt serious themes. The Gingerbread Lady (1970), for example, deals honestly with alcoholism, and his Pulitzer Prize-winning Lost in Yonkers (1991) treats the anguish of parental rejection. His many other plays include Come Blow Your Horn (1961), Barefoot in the Park (1963), The Odd Couple (1965), Plaza Suite (1968), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1971), The Good Doctor (1973), God's Favorite (1974), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983), Biloxi Blues (1984), Broadway Bound (1986), Laughter on the 23d Floor (1993), and 45 Seconds from Broadway (2001). Many of his plays have been adapted into films, and Simon has written numerous screenplays.

Bibliography: See his memoirs, Rewrites (1996) and The Play Goes On (1999); biography by R. Johnson (1985); studies by E. M. McGovern (2d ed. 1979), R. K. Johnson (1983), G. Konas, ed. (1997), H. Bloom, ed. (2002), and S. Koprince (2002).

Simon, Neil (1927– ) US playwright. Simon's plays include Come Blow Your Horn (1961), Barefoot in the Park (1963), The Odd Couple (1965), the musical Sweet Charity (1966), They're Playing Our Song (1979), and Little Me (1982). His films include California Suite (1978), Seems Like Old Times (1980), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982), and Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986), adapted from his stage play.

Simon, [Marvin] Neil (b. 1927), playwright. The most successful popular dramatist of his era, he was born in the Bronx and educated at New York University. Early in his career he was a radio and television script writer, then turned to the stage by writing sketches for summer camp revues. His sketches were seen on stage in Catch a Star (1955) and New Faces of 1956 before finding success with his first full‐length play, Come Blow Your Horn (1961). After writing the book for the musical Little Me (1962), Simon then enjoyed a string of hits unparalleled in American stage history: Barefoot in the Park (1963), The Odd Couple (1965), Sweet Charity (1966), Plaza Suite (1968), Promises, Promises (1968), and Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1968). He had less success with The Star‐Spangled Girl (1966) and The Gingerbread Lady (1970) but had back‐to‐back hits with The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1971) and The Sunshine Boys (1972). From that point on, Simon's theatre career was a matter of hit‐or‐miss with some estimable plays in both categories: The Good Doctor (1973), God's Favorite (1974), California Suite (1976), Chapter Two (1977), They're Playing Our Song (1979), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1980), Fools (1981), and the autobiographical trilogy consisting of Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983), Biloxi Blues (1985), and Broadway Bound (1986). His later efforts include Rumors (1988), Lost in Yonkers (1991), Jake's Women (1992), Laughter on the 23rd Floor (1993), The Goodbye Girl (1993), London Suite (1995), Proposals (1997), The Dinner Party (2000), 45 Seconds from Broadway (2001), and Rose's Dilemma (2003). Simon, a shrewd observer of human foibles and a master of the surprise one‐line joke, often makes remarkably effective comedies out of potentially unpleasant themes. Much of his success depends on these qualities, since his plays rarely offer major plot twists. While Simon's more serious efforts have met with mixed reactions, they usually employ the same skill and vivid characterizations. Many of his plays have been made into popular films, often with his own screenplays. Autobiographies: Rewrites, 1996; The Play Goes On, 1999.