
Bernard Gotfryd · Public domain
S. J. Perelman
American humorist, author, and screenwriter
1904 – 1979aged 75
S. J. Perelman spent decades sharpening a distinct comic voice in the pages of The New Yorker, publishing humorous short pieces alongside work for Judge and other magazines, as well as books and screenplays. His screenwriting earned him the 1956 Academy Award — a rare instance of a magazine humorist crossing successfully into Hollywood craft, at a time when the two worlds rarely mixed.