The Prisoner of Second Avenue

Marvin Neil Simon was born in the Bronx, New York on July 4, 1927. He attended New York University as an enlistee in the Army Air Forces Air Reserve training program. He continued his studies at the University of Denver while assigned to a base nearby. After his discharge from the Air Force, he worked as a clerk in publicity at Warner Bros. in New York with his brother Danny. Together they began writing television and radio scripts for comics. They also wrote weekly revues for Camp Tamiment, the summer resort in the Poconos.

Simon went on to become a playwright. His first play, Come Blow Your Horn, was written in 1961. His other plays included Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Sunshine Boys, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, Broadway Bound, and The Dinner Party. In 1991, he won a Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Lost in Yonkers. He adapted several of his plays for film. He also wrote original movies including The Out-of-Towners, The Goodbye Girl, and The Heartbreak Kid. He wrote the book for several Broadway musicals including Little Me; Sweet Charity; Promises, Promises; and They're Playing Our Song. He wrote a two-volume autobiography. He died from complications of pneumonia on August 26, 2018 at the age of 91.

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