Mark O'Donnell facts for kids

Mark O’Donnell (born July 19, 1954 – died August 6, 2012) was an American writer and humorist. He was known for his funny plays, books, and work on popular musicals like Hairspray.

Early Life and Education

Harvard Lampoon's Ibis Mascot c.1888

Mark O'Donnell was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He went to Harvard College and graduated in 1976 with a degree in arts.

While at Harvard, he was part of The Harvard Lampoon. This is a famous comedy magazine created by students. Mark even held a special role there called "Ibis."

In 1974, he helped create a very popular funny magazine called a "parody." It made fun of Sports Illustrated magazine. He worked on this with other writers, including his twin brother, Steve O'Donnell. Mark and Steve even acted in the parody as funny twin football players. Mark also wrote three musicals for a student theater group called the Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

A Career in Writing

Mark O'Donnell had a successful career writing for theater, movies, and magazines.

Broadway Musicals

Mark O'Donnell worked with Thomas Meehan to write the story for the musical Hairspray. This musical was a big hit! In 2003, they won a special award called the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. This award is given to the best story for a Broadway musical. They also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical.

Later, Mark and Thomas also wrote the script for the Hairspray movie in 2007. They worked together again on another musical called Cry-Baby. For this, they were nominated for another Tony Award in 2008.

Plays and Books

Mark O'Donnell wrote many plays, including That's It, Folks!, Fables for Friends, and Vertigo Park. He also wrote the story and songs for a musical called Tots in Tinseltown. With actor Bill Irwin, he adapted an old play by Molière into a new version called Scapin in 1997.

He also wrote several books. These include Elementary Education and Vertigo Park and Other Tall Tales. He also wrote two novels, which are longer stories: Getting Over Homer and Let Nothing You Dismay.

Magazine Contributions

Mark O'Donnell wrote for many well-known magazines. He contributed to Army Man, a funny magazine created by George Meyer. He also wrote for famous publications like The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Spy.

In 1980, he wrote a funny article for Esquire magazine called "O'Donnell's Laws of Cartoon Motion." This article joked about how things work in cartoons. One famous "law" was: "Anybody suspended in space will remain suspended in space until made aware of its situation." Many people who loved cartoons shared this article.

Mark O'Donnell also worked as a writer for the TV show Saturday Night Live during the 1981–1982 season. He wrote alongside other talented writers like Terry Southern.

Even though he was part of The Harvard Lampoon, Mark also advised The Yale Record, which is Yale University's comedy magazine. He also taught a popular class on comedy writing at Yale University.

Family Life

Mark O'Donnell had an identical twin brother named Steve O'Donnell. Steve is also a television writer. They sometimes worked together on projects, like the Sports Illustrated parody.

Later Years and Death

Mark O'Donnell passed away in 2012 in New York City. He was 58 years old.

See also

In Spanish: Mark O'Donnell para niños