Playwright, Screenwriter. One of the most celebrated story writers of stage and screen, he is responsible for an abundance of smash hit Comedy plays, as well as Dramas which include "Barefoot in the Park" (1963), "The Odd Couple" (1965), "Biloxi Blues" (1985) and "Lost in Yonkers" (1991). He received a Pulitzer Prize for Drama with "Lost in Yonkers." Born Marvin Neil Simon, into a Jewish family, he endured a difficult childhood as his parents suffered from an unstable marriage. To cope, Neil would spent much time in movie theaters enjoying such comedy legends as Charlie Chaplin and The Marx Brothers. Following graduation from DeWitt Clinton High School, he briefly studied at New York University. He enlisted with the United States Air Force Reserve and was stationed in Colorado, where he began his lengthy association as a writer, initially as a sports editor for their newspaper. He attended the University of Denver during his service and later returned to New York where he attained a job as an office mailroom clerk with Warner Brothers in Manhattan. Along with his brother Danny, Neil broke into the entertainment industry as a comedy sketch writer for radio producer Ace Goodman which led to his working with Milton Berle and Jackie Gleason. His status as a writer was elevated, when he joined such talents as Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks and Woody Allen as part of the staff for Sid Caesar. Phil Silvers and Garry Moore would also benefit from Simon's talents. He penned his first Broadway production titled "Catch a Star!" (1955), however it would be the play "Come Blow Your Horn" (1961), which earned him his first taste of critical success. The story was made into a motion picture adaptation which starred Frank Sinatra (1963). The stage play "Little Me" (1963) earned Simon a Tony Award for Best Musical. "Barefoot in the Park" garnered him a Tony Award nomination and four-years later (1967), it was brought to the big screen starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. It will perhaps be his work "The Odd Couple" for which he is most recognized. He received a Tony Award for the stage production which starred Art Carney as 'Felix Unger' and Walter Matthau as 'Oscar Madison' (1965 to 1967). Matthau repeated the role of 'Oscar' for the film version (1968) and Jack Lemmon took over as 'Felix.' Both provided memorable performances. The story was further accentuated with the TV series which starred Jack Klugman as 'Oscar' and Tony Randall as 'Felix.' Simon was a veteran of screenwriting for Television movies, prior to writing his first motion picture story "After the Fox" (1966). This was only the beginning. "The Odd Couple" (1968), "The Sunshine Boys" (1976), "The Goodbye Girl" (1978) and "California Suite" (1979) earned him Academy Award nominations. He received a Golden Globe Award for "The Goodbye Girl." Tony Award nominations became the normal for Simon with "Sweet Charity" (1966), "Plaza Suite" (1968), "Promises, Promises" (1969), "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" (1970), "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" (1972), "Chapter Two" (1978) and "They're Playing Our Song" (1979). He received additional Tony Awards for "Biloxi Blues" and "Lost in Yonkers." Other stories of Simon which achieved Broadway success include "The Star-Spangled Girl" (1966 to 1967), "There's a Girl in My Soup" (1967 to 1968), "The Gingerbread Lady" (1970 to 1971), "The Good Doctor" (1973 to 1974) and "Yentl" (1975 to 1976). Other screenplays include "The Out-Of-Towners" (1970), "Murder By Death" (1976), "The Cheap Detective" (1978) and "Brighton Beach Memoirs" (1986). In 1995, Simon was honored by the Kennedy Center. He was married four times of which included actresses Marsha Mason ("The Goodbye Girl") and Elaine Joyce. He died from complications of pneumonia. At the time of his death, he had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.