The Jewish Chronicle
On this day: Neil Simon is born
July 4 1947: From the Bronx to Broadway
July 4, 2011 08:00
By
Deborah Weitzmann
1 min read
July 4 1947: From the Bronx to Broadway
July 4, 2011 08:00By
Deborah Weitzmann
Born Marvin Neil Simon, the esteemed playwright and screenwriter, is now 84-years-old. He was born in the Bronx, New York City, in 1927 - just before the Great Depression hit the United States.
Growing up in Manhattan, Simon was the younger of two sons and his father sold cloth fabric to the dress manufacturers in Manhattan's garment district
Simons, who briefly attended both New York University and the University of Denver, joined the US Army after the Second World War. It was there that he began to pursue a career in writing through working for the Army camp newspaper Rev-Meter, as sports editor.
One of the most prolific playwrights of the modern era, Simon's Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning plays and screenplays were often windows into the events of his life and family.
