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Norman Wexler

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Norman Wexler
Born(1926-08-16)August 16, 1926
New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedAugust 23, 1999(1999-08-23) (aged 73)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma materHarvard University
OccupationScreenwriter

Norman Wexler (August 16, 1926 – August 23, 1999) was an American screenwriter. He was a two-time Academy Award nominee, Best Original Screenplay for Joe (1970) and Best Adapted Screenplay for Serpico (1973).

Early life and education

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A New Bedford, Massachusetts native and 1944 Central High School graduate in Detroit, Wexler attended Harvard University before moving to New York in 1951.[1]

Career

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Wexler wrote the screenplays for several hit films, most notably Joe, Serpico, Mandingo and Saturday Night Fever. He received Oscar nominations for Joe and Serpico. According to Bob Zmuda, Saturday Night Fever made Wexler a wealthy man. He was a much sought-after script doctor, reworking the scripts for Lipstick and The Fan.

Wexler also was a serious and accomplished playwright. Several of his plays were produced off-Broadway and in regional theaters. His play The Rope was produced at Cafe La MaMa on New York, Red's My Color, What's Yours? won the Cleveland Playhouse Award, and his most recent work Forgive Me, Forgive Me Not was staged in Los Angeles in 1996, winning the Julie Harris Playwright Award, three years before his death.[2]

Health, personal life, and character inspirations

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He was reported to have suffered from severe mental illness, reportedly bipolar disorder, and was arrested in 1972 for threatening to shoot President Richard Nixon.[3]

In the book Andy Kaufman Revealed, Bob Zmuda, Kaufman's friend and writer, relates his experiences working as an assistant for an extremely eccentric, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, prone to pulling stunts that ranged from the bizarre to the profane. Zmuda refers to the man by the alias Mr X. Mr X's wild antics and boorish behavior are said to have been a major influence in creating Andy Kaufman's iconic alter-ego, the obnoxious lounge lizard Tony Clifton. Zmuda does not confirm Mr. X's identity in the book. However, on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, he confirmed the long-standing rumor that it was Wexler.[4]

His last manic episode, from November 1998 to February 1999, took a toll on his health. Early in the morning of August 23, 1999, Wexler died of a heart attack at age 73.[5]

Filmography

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Year Title Director Notes
1970 Joe John G. Avildsen
1973 Serpico Sidney Lumet with Waldo Salt
1975 Mandingo Richard Fleischer
1976 Drum Steve Carver
1977 Saturday Night Fever John Badham
1983 Staying Alive Sylvester Stallone with Stallone
1986 Raw Deal John Irvin with Gary DeVore

Awards and nominations

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Award Year Category Work Result
Academy Award 1971 Best Original Screenplay Joe Nominated
1974 Best Adapted Screenplay Serpico Nominated
Edgar Award 1974 Best Motion Picture Screenplay Nominated
Writers Guild of America Award 1974 Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
1978 Best Original Screenplay Saturday Night Fever Nominated

References

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  1. ↑ Vallance, Tom (August 27, 1999). "Obituary: Norman Wexler". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  2. ↑ Obituary, Los Angeles Times. Accessed November 6, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Screenwriter Jailed For a Threat to Nixon". The New York Times. December 16, 1972. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  4. ↑ Marc Maron (April 26, 2012). "Episode 274 – Bob Zmuda" (Podcast). Event occurs at 0:38:00. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  5. ↑ Williams, Andrew (July 31, 2012). "Erica Wexler: I dealt with my dad's manic depression with music". Metro. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
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