Alan Zweibel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alan Zweibel
Born	(1950-05-20) May 20, 1950 (age 75) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Author, playwright, screenwriter, producer, director, actor
Years active	1974–present
Spouse	Robin (1980/1981)
Children	3

Alan Zweibel (born May 20, 1950) is a famous American writer, producer, director, comedian, and actor. The New York Times newspaper says he is a very important person in American pop culture.

He was one of the first writers for the popular TV show Saturday Night Live. Alan Zweibel has won five Emmy Awards and two Writers Guild of America Awards for his work. He helped create and produce the TV show It's Garry Shandling's Show and also worked on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Alan Zweibel has worked with many famous people. He teamed up with Billy Crystal on the play 700 Sundays, which won a Tony Award. More recently, they co-wrote and produced the movie Here Today. He has also written 11 books, including his recent memoir Laugh Lines: My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier. His book The Other Shulman: A Novel won the 2006 Thurber Prize for American Humor.

Early Life and Start

Alan Zweibel was born on May 20, 1950, in Brooklyn, New York City. His parents were Julius and Shirley Zweibel. He grew up in the New York suburbs of Wantagh and Woodmere on Long Island.

He finished George W. Hewlett High School in 1968. Then, he graduated from the University at Buffalo in 1972. After college, Alan started writing jokes for stand-up comedians. They paid him seven dollars for each joke! He collected over 1,100 jokes. He showed them to producer Lorne Michaels, who then hired him. This led to Alan becoming one of the first writers for a brand new show called Saturday Night Live.

Amazing Career

Working in Television

Alan Zweibel worked on Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1980. During this time, he wrote many famous comedy sketches. He created the "Samurai" character for actor John Belushi. He also created the popular characters Roseanne Roseannadanna and Emily Litella. Both of these characters were played by the talented actress Gilda Radner. A fun fact: the name "Richard Feder of Fort Lee, New Jersey," often mentioned by Roseanne Roseannadanna, is actually Alan Zweibel's real-life brother-in-law.

Alan Zweibel and Gilda Radner became very close friends. Their friendship continued after Saturday Night Live. Gilda Radner's last TV appearance was on an episode of It's Garry Shandling's Show, which Alan Zweibel helped create. After Gilda Radner passed away, Alan wrote a best-selling book about their friendship called Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner – a Sort of Love Story. He later turned this book into a play.

Alan has won many awards for his TV work. These include Emmy, Writers Guild of America (WGA), and Television Critics Awards (TCA). His TV shows include Curb Your Enthusiasm, It's Garry Shandling's Show, and an episode of Monk. You can also see him in documentaries like The Last Laugh and Love, Gilda. He was an executive producer for Love, Gilda, which was nominated for an Emmy.

Writing Books

Alan Zweibel has written 11 books. His book Laugh Lines: My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier came out in 2020. Another book, The Other Shulman: A Novel, won the 2006 Thurber Prize for American Humor. He also wrote Lunatics with Dave Barry.

He wrote For This We Left Egypt and A Field Guide for the Jewish People with Dave Barry and Adam Mansbach. His popular children's book, Our Tree Named Steve, was chosen by the Scholastic Book Club. It has been translated into eleven languages. His young adult novel, North, was even made into a movie directed by Rob Reiner.

Working in Theater

Alan Zweibel's plays have been shown both on and off Broadway. On Broadway, he co-wrote Fame Becomes Me with Martin Short. He also worked with Billy Crystal on the Tony Award-winning play 700 Sundays.

His off-Broadway shows include Between Cars, Comic Dialogue, Bunny Bunny, and Happy. Alan Zweibel also performs on stage himself. He is part of the show Celebrity Autobiography in New York City. He is also a popular speaker at events.

Making Movies

Alan Zweibel has helped create several movies. He co-wrote and co-produced Here Today (2021) with Billy Crystal. Billy Crystal also directed and starred in the movie with Tiffany Haddish. Alan also co-wrote the movies Dragnet (1987), The Story of Us (1999), and North (1994).

Awards and Honors

Alan Zweibel has received many awards for his amazing work.

• In 2010, he won the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Writing from the Writers Guild of America, East.
• He won the 2006 Thurber Prize for American Humor for his book The Other Shulman.
• In 2005, he won a Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event for 700 Sundays.
• He also won a CableACE Award in 1989 for his writing on It's Garry Shandling's Show.
• Alan Zweibel has won four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing Achievement in a Comedy, Variety, or Music Series. These were for The Paul Simon Special (1977/78) and NBC's Saturday Night (1977/78, 1976/77, 1975/76).

Works