Paul D. Zimmerman

Paul D. Zimmerman (July 3, 1938 in New York City, New York – March 2, 1993 in Princeton, New Jersey)[1] was a screenwriter, film critic and activist.

Biography

He was a film critic for Newsweek magazine from 1967 to 1975,[1] and wrote for television shows including Sesame Street,[2] but is best known for writing The King of Comedy (1982), directed by Martin Scorsese. He was the co-writer of Lovers and Liars (1979) and Consuming Passions (1988). Zimmerman was the author of many other screenplays, mostly unproduced, as well as three books:[3]

• The Marx Brothers at the Movies (1968)
• The Year the Mets Lost Last Place (1969)
• The Open Man: The Championship Diary of the N.Y. Knicks (1970)

Active in the Nuclear Freeze movement, he founded the Bucks Alliance for Nuclear Disarmament,[4] funded by the proceeds from a sold-out premiere he organised for King of Comedy.[5] In 1984, he managed to become a member of the Pennsylvania delegation to the Republican Party convention in order to be the only delegate to vote against Ronald Reagan.[1]

Zimmerman died of colon cancer.[6]

Accolades

Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref(s)
BAFTA Awards	BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay* *Zimmerman was the first winner of this award	The King of Comedy	Won	[7]

References

1. "Obituary: Paul D. Zimmerman". The Independent. 8 March 1993. Archived from the original on 9 February 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
2. "Paul D. Zimmerman, Screenwriter; Founded Disarmament Group". The Morning Call. 6 March 1993. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
3. "Paul D. Zimmerman Biography (1938-[1993])", Film Reference website
4. "Bucks Friends Recall Paul D. Zimmerman". The Morning Call. 8 March 1993. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
5. "Bucks County must band together to 'Ban the Bomb'". Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania. 30 March 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
6. "Paul Zimmerman, 54, Book and Film Writer". The New York Times. 6 March 1993. Archived from the original on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
7. BAFTA: Film | Original Screenplay in 1984

External links

• Paul D. Zimmerman at IMDb
• Paul D. Zimmerman at Goodreads
• Paul D. Zimmerman at Rotten Tomatoes
• Paul D. Zimmerman at Cinephilia and Beyond
• Paul D. Zimmerman on The David Letterman Show