A Portrait of Neil Simon

Marvin Neil Simon was born on July 4, 1927 in the Bronx in New York City. He was the second son of Irving and Mamie Simon. His brother, Danny was also a writer. In fact, Neil wrote a lot of his earlier works with his brother. His father was a traveling salesman and his mother was a housewife. After graduating from public school, he enlisted in the Army and started writing for an Army camp newspaper. A week later, armistice was declared. After he was discharged, he returned to New York and became a mailroom clerk for Warner Brother’s east coast office. At that time he was also attending New York University and then The University of Denver.

Soon he started writing revues with his brother, Danny, in Pocono, then for radio, and finally, for television, where he practically made the careers of some of the “Greats”. Guys like Phil Silvers, Jackie Gleason, Red Bu

In the 80’s Neil Simon wrote his landmark autobiographical trilogy—Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and Broadway Bound, which showed his childhood, his army days, and his entry into show business. In 1993, he wrote Lost in Yonkers. Of Lost in Yonkers, Simon says, “ It is probably the most honest play I’ve ever written. I did the best and dug the deepest I ever did. I was making up the story, but I tried to capture the characters as I do in my semi-autobiographical plays. I spared nobody in that play.”

Throughout the 60’s and 70’s he wrote hit after hit for the stage and the screen, most of them depicting life in and about New York City. With Manhattan, Brighton Beach, Lost in Yonkers, Riverside Drive Second Avenue, Central Park West, The Odd Couple, Sweet Charity, Plaza Suite, The Out-of-Towners, Promises Promises, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Goodbye Girl, and Chapter Two, we get a very clear and sharp, not to mention funny, picture of the people crazy and lucky enough to call New York City home.

Neil Simon has three children. Ellen and Nancy are with his first wife Joan Baim. Bryn is his adopted daughter with Diane Lander, whom he married in 1987. They divorced in 1988 and remarried in 1990. Then they divorced again in 1998. He is now married to Elaine Joyce, whom he married in 1999.

In 1973 he entered a low period in his life when his wife of 20 years, Joan Baim, died. Later that year he married his second wife, Marsha Mason. The marriage ended in divorce in 1982. His 1977 play, Chapter Two, was a drama about the grief of a newly remarried man trying to start over after his wife has died. Chapter Two was considered one of his finest works and he followed it with a musical, They’re Playing Our Song.

Not only was Simon getting the laughs he was also

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