Neil Simon

Prolific and immensely popular Pulitzer- and Tony-winning playwright, and screenwriter; also a leading light of the early live television comedy scene -- via the New York Times. He wrote for Phil Silvers and Sid Caesar. He wrote The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park, The Sunshine Boys, Biloxi Blues, Lost in Yonkers, and on and on. Screenplays? Try The Goodbye Girl, The Heartbreak Kid, Murder by Death. (And, dammit, I loved his script for After the Fox. His influence cannot be overestimated. He was pervasive.