Bruce Jay Friedman

Born in New York City on April 26, 1930, Bruce Jay Friedman became one of the most recognizable American humorists of his generation. He wrote novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays, and was especially admired for mixing nervous comedy with social observation.

His best-known books include Stern, and his writing often focused on the anxieties, ambitions, and contradictions of postwar American life. On screen, he wrote or co-wrote films including The Heartbreak Kid, Stir Crazy, Splash, and The Lonely Guy, while his play Steambath also became widely known.

Friedman died in Brooklyn, New York, on June 3, 2020. Across several decades, he built a body of work that was witty, restless, and unafraid to make people laugh at uncomfortable truths.