Biography for
Paddy Chayefsky
(1939) Graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School
Screenwriter. (b. Jan. 29, 1923, Bronx, N.Y.; d. Aug. 1, 1981.) One of Hollywood's most
respected and celebrated authors, Chayefsky began his literary career as a playwright, concentrating on small, intimate stories of the kind he may have actually experienced as an apprentice in his uncle's print shop. He
eventually made a name for himself writing radio and teleplays, one of which became 1955's Marty a touching tale of a homely butcher and lonely schoolteacher that won Chayefsky his first Oscar. (His first credit was
1951's As Young As You Feel which was adapted from his story.) Dividing his work between Hollywood and Broadway over the next two decades, Chayefsky penned a series of acerbic works that were often heavy on social
commentary, like The Bachelor Party (1957), the Marilyn Monroe-inspired The Goddess (1958), The Hospital (1971), which won him his second Oscar, and Network (1976), which brought in a third. He also adapted such films
as The Americanization of Emily (1964) and Paint Your Wagon (1969). Chayefsky's last film was the Ken Russell extravaganza Altered States (1980). The director's decision to have the actors deliver Chayefsky's dialogue
in breathless, rapid-fire manner so infuriated the author that he had his name withdrawn from the credits.
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