Nora Ephron facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nora Ephron
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Ephron at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival
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| Born | May 19, 1941 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | June 26, 2012 (aged 71) New York City, U.S.
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| Education | Wellesley College (BA) |
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| Years active | 1962–2012 |
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Notable work
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Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally..., Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, Julie & Julia |
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| Children | 2 |
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Nora Ephron (born May 19, 1941 – died June 26, 2012) was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She was famous for her romantic comedy films. Nora Ephron was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. These nominations were for her movies Silkwood (1983), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), and Sleepless in Seattle (1993).
She won a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay for When Harry Met Sally.... This movie's script was even ranked as one of the greatest screenplays ever by the Writers Guild of America. Nora Ephron also directed many films, often from her own scripts. Some of her well-known directed movies include Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You've Got Mail (1998). Both of these popular films starred Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.
Nora Ephron also wrote plays. Her first play, Imaginary Friends (2002), was named one of the ten best plays in New York that year. She also helped write Love, Loss, and What I Wore. After she passed away, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her play Lucky Guy in 2013.
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Early Life and Education
Nora Ephron was born in New York City on May 19, 1941. She was the oldest of four daughters in her family. Her family moved to Beverly Hills, California, where she grew up.
Nora's parents, Phoebe and Henry, were both famous writers for plays and movies. They named her Nora after a character in a play called A Doll's House. Nora's younger sisters, Delia and Amy, also became screenwriters. Her sister Hallie Ephron writes crime novels and reviews books.
When Nora was in high school, she dreamed of moving to New York City. She wanted to become a writer like Dorothy Parker, a famous American writer. Nora said her high school journalism teacher, Charles Simms, inspired her to become a journalist. She finished Beverly Hills High School in 1958. Then, she graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts in 1962. She earned a degree in political science.
Nora Ephron's Career
Starting Out as a Writer
After college in 1962, Nora Ephron worked for a short time at the White House. She also tried to get a writing job at Newsweek magazine. However, they told her they did not hire women writers. So, she took a job as a mail girl there instead.
Nora eventually left Newsweek because she was not allowed to write. She later joined a lawsuit against the magazine. This lawsuit was about unfair treatment of women in the workplace. This event was even turned into a TV series called Good Girls Revolt.
Later, Nora wrote a funny article about the New York Post newspaper. The editor of the Post liked it and offered her a job. She worked as a reporter there for five years. In 1966, she was the first to report that singer Bob Dylan had gotten married secretly.
As she became a successful writer, she wrote a column for Esquire magazine. She wrote about many topics, including women's issues. She even wrote about her old college, Wellesley, saying it made women "docile and unadventurous."
In the mid-1970s, Nora Ephron helped rewrite a script for the movie All the President's Men. She worked with her husband at the time, Carl Bernstein. Even though their script wasn't used, someone saw it. This led to Nora's first job writing for a TV movie, starting her career in screenwriting.
Movies in the 1980s
In 1983, Nora Ephron co-wrote the movie Silkwood with Alice Arlen. The film was directed by Mike Nichols. It starred Meryl Streep as Karen Silkwood, a worker who spoke out against a nuclear facility. Karen died under mysterious circumstances. Nora and Alice were nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Silkwood.
Nora Ephron's book Heartburn was published in 1983. This book was based on her own marriage to Carl Bernstein. In 1986, the book was made into a movie, also called Heartburn. Nora wrote the movie script herself. Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson starred in it.
In 1986, Nora wrote the script for the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally.... The movie came out in 1989. It was directed by Rob Reiner and starred Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. The film shows the long friendship between Harry and Sally as they deal with their own relationships. Nora said she wrote the script with Rob Reiner in mind for Harry and herself for Sally. This script was nominated for an Oscar in 1990.
Movies in the 1990s
Nora Ephron directed her first movie in 1992, called This Is My Life. She wrote the script with her sister Delia Ephron. The movie is about a woman who becomes a stand-up comedian.
In 1993, Nora directed and wrote the romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle. This movie starred Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Tom Hanks plays Sam Baldwin, a father whose son calls a radio show to find his dad a new partner. Meg Ryan plays Annie Reed, who hears the call and becomes interested in Sam. They plan to meet in New York City.
In 1994, Nora received the Crystal Award from Women in Film Los Angeles.
In 1998, Nora Ephron released the movie You've Got Mail. She wrote the script with her sister Delia Ephron and also directed it. The story is a modern version of an old movie called The Shop Around the Corner. You've Got Mail stars Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kelly, who owns a small children's bookstore. Her store is threatened by a big bookstore chain owned by Joe Fox, played by Tom Hanks. Kathleen and Joe become business rivals but also form a close connection through email, without knowing who the other person is.
Movies in the 2000s
In 2007, Nora Ephron received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. This award was given to her by George Lucas, the famous director.
In 2009, Nora directed and co-wrote the movie Julie & Julia. The film is based on a blog and book by Julie Powell. The movie tells two stories: one about Julia Child, a famous American chef played by Meryl Streep, and the other about Julie Powell, played by Amy Adams. Julie tries to cook every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook and blogs about it. The movie also shows Julia Child's early career in a French cooking school. This film was very successful.
Nora Ephron's play Imaginary Friends (2002) was about the rivalry between two writers, Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy. She also co-wrote the play Love, Loss, and What I Wore with her sister Delia. This play has been very popular in Canada, New York City, and Los Angeles.
Personal Life
Nora Ephron was married three times. Her first marriage to writer Dan Greenburg ended after nine years. In 1976, she married journalist Carl Bernstein. In 1979, Nora had a young son, Jacob, and was expecting her second son, Max. At this time, she learned that her husband was seeing someone else. This experience inspired her to write the 1983 book Heartburn. The book was later made into a movie in 1986.
Nora Ephron was married for more than 20 years to screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi. They married in 1987 and stayed together until her death in 2012. They lived in Los Angeles and New York City.
Nora's friend Richard Cohen said she felt very connected to her Jewish culture. However, Nora was not religious. She once joked, "You can never have too much butter – that is my belief. If I have a religion, that's it." She said this in an interview about her movie Julie & Julia.
Nora Ephron's son, Jacob Bernstein, directed an HBO movie about her life called Everything Is Copy. As of 2021, he works as a reporter for The New York Times.
Death and Legacy
In 2006, Nora Ephron was diagnosed with a serious illness. She chose not to tell her friends or co-workers about it. She worried that knowing she was sick would hurt her career and make it hard to get new projects funded. On June 26, 2012, Nora Ephron passed away in New York City at age 71. She died from pneumonia, which was a complication of a type of blood cancer.
Many famous people attended her memorial service in New York City. These included Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Steven Spielberg, and Woody Allen. Actresses Helen Mirren and Susan Sarandon also honored Nora Ephron at a film festival that year.
Lena Dunham's 2014 book Not That Kind of Girl is dedicated to Nora Ephron. The movie The Post (2017), directed by Steven Spielberg, is also dedicated to her.
The Nora Ephron Prize is an award given by the Tribeca Film Festival. It gives $25,000 to a female writer or filmmaker who has a unique voice. The first Nora Ephron Prize was given in 2013 to Meera Menon for her film Farah Goes Bang.
Awards and Nominations
Nora Ephron received many awards and nominations throughout her career.
- Academy Award Nominations:
- 1983: Silkwood (Best Original Screenplay)
- 1989: When Harry Met Sally... (Best Original Screenplay)
- 1993: Sleepless in Seattle (Best Original Screenplay)
- British Academy Film Award (BAFTA):
- 1989: Won for When Harry Met Sally... (Best Original Screenplay)
- 1993: Nominated for Sleepless in Seattle (Best Original Screenplay)
- Golden Globe Award:
- 1989: Nominated for When Harry Met Sally... (Best Screenplay)
- Tony Award:
- 2013: Nominated for Lucky Guy (Best Play)
- Writers Guild of America Award:
- 1983: Nominated for Silkwood (Best Original Screenplay)
- 1989: Nominated for When Harry Met Sally.. (Best Original Screenplay)
- 1993: Nominated for Sleepless in Seattle (Best Original Screenplay)
- 2003: Won the Ian McLellan Hunter Award
- 2010: Nominated for Julie & Julia (Best Adapted Screenplay)
- Other Awards:
- 1994: Won the Women in Film Crystal Award
- 2003: Her play Imaginary Friends was named one of the Ten Best Plays of the New York season.
- 2009: Won the Golden Apple Award (with Delia Ephron)
See also
In Spanish: Nora Ephron para niños
