Table of Biography
Early Life and Education
Marvin Neil Simon best known as Neil Simon was born on 4th July 1927, in The Bronx, New York City, the United States of America.
At the age of 91 years old, he passed away and was a citizen of the United States. He has a zodiac sign of Cancer and is Jewish by religion.
He was the son of Irving Simon (father) and Mamie Simon (mother). In addition, he has an elder brother whose name is Danny Simon.
His father worked as a clothing merchant, and his mother worked as a housewife. He was raised in Washington Heights alongside his brother.
His childhood was spent facing the Great Depression and his parents’ difficult marriage, with his father leaving the family on several occasions.
He used comedy and writing to cope with the difficulties of his childhood.
Talking about his academic career, he studied at DeWitt Clinton High School. He joined the Army Air Force Reserve at New York University after graduating from high school.
During this time, he began writing professionally. He enrolled at the University of Denver in 1946.
Death
At the age of 91, he died of pneumonia on August 26, 2018. He was also said to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.
Neil Simon – Net Worth 2023
At the time of his death, his net worth estimated at around $10 million which he earned from his profession.
Awards
This man has received several awards and honors in his career. He earned an Emmy Award for ‘Your Show of Shows’ in 1954. He earned an Emmy Award for ‘The Phil Silvers show in 1959.
In addition, he won the Tony Award for Best Author for ‘The Odd Couple’ in 1965. For ‘Sweet Charity,’ he won an Evening Standard Theatre Award in 1967.
He got the Sam S. Shubert Award in 1968. For ‘The Odd Couple,’ he earned the Writers Guild of America Award in 1969.
He earned the Writers Guild of America Award for Last of the “Red Hot Lovers” in 1970. For ‘The Out-of-Towners,’ he earned the Writers Guild of America Award in 1971.
For ‘The Trouble with People,’ he earned the Writers Guild of America Award in 1972.
He was named Cue Entertainer of the Year in 1972. Moreover, he received a Special Tony Award for service to the theatre in 1975. He earned the Writers Guild of America Award for ‘Sunshine Boys’, in 1975.
In addition, he was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2006. He was on the Jefferson Awards for the Public Service Board of Selectors and many more honors.
Caption: Neil Simon receiving a Golden Globe award (Source: Twitter)
Relationship Status
This man married four times in his life. In 1953, he married Joan Baim, but the couple divorced in 1973. He married Marsha Mason began in 1973 and lasted 1983.
In 1987, he married Diane Lander, but the couple divorced in 1988. He married Diane Lander again in 1990, but they divorced in 1998.
Neil Simon later married Elaine Joyce in 1999. Nancy Simon, Ellen Simon, and Bryn Simon are his three children. Till the time of his death, he was not a part of controversy or rumors and focused on his career.
Caption: Neil Simon with his wife Elaine Joyce (Source: Page Six)
Career and Professional Life
Neil obtained a job as a mailroom clerk at Warner Brothers’ East Coast Office in Manhattan after being released from the army and graduating from university.
He left his job a few years later and began writing for radio and television with his brother.
They worked on shows including ‘The Phil Slivers Show’ and ‘Your Show of Shows’ alongside Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, and others.
Neil Simon was nominated for an Emmy for his television writing multiple times, which encouraged him to pursue a career in theatre, and his first Broadway production, ‘Come Blow Your Horn,’ appeared at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in 1961. It was played 678 times.
More about his career
Neil Simon was quickly nicknamed the ‘hottest new playwright on Broadway,’ and he went on to write many plays, including ‘Barefoot in the Park (1963),’ The Old Couple (1965),’ Plaza Suite (1968),’ The Gingerbread Lady (1970),’ The Good Doctor (1973),’ Chapter Two (1977),’ and so on.
Even though his plays were huge successes and audiences enjoyed the themes he explored in his work, such as satire, romance, family disputes, and difficult marriages, critics continued to hate him and labeled him a ‘writer of gags.’
With ‘The Good Doctor (1973)’ and ‘God’s Favorite (1976),’ he experienced a low point and faced failure.
His writing revived when he moved to California, and he wrote classics like ‘California Suite (1978)’ and ‘Chapter Two (1979)’.
He had already started writing screenplays for at least 20 films at this time. However it did not catch his curiosity because his passion for plays writing was considerably stronger.
Caption: Neil Simon posing in a smiley face (Source: The New York Times)
Converting his plays into films
When producers offered to make his plays into movies, Neil took command of transforming them into scripts himself to maintain control over the final result.
‘The Heartbreak Kid (1972)’, ‘Seems Like Old Times (1980)’, ‘Max Dugan Returns (1983)’, ‘The Slugger’s Wife (1985)’, ‘The Sunshine Boys (1995)’, ‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor (2001)’, and others are among his works adapted for film and television.
Body Measurements
Neil Simon stands 6 feet tall and his weight is unknown. Moreover, his hair is white with brown eyes and there is no more information regarding his other body measurements.
Neil Simon – Social Media
The multi-talented man is no more in this world, so, Neil Simon is not active on social platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.