Alan Zweibel (born May 20, 1950) is an American television writer, author, playwright, and screenwriter whom ''The'' ''New York Times'' says has “earned a place in the pantheon of American pop culture." An original ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' writer, Zweibel has won five Emmy Awards and two

Writers Guild of America Awards The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility T ...

for his work in television, which includes ''

It's Garry Shandling's Show ''It's Garry Shandling's Show'' is an American sitcom that was initially broadcast on Showtime from September 10, 1986 to May 25, 1990. It was created by Garry Shandling and Alan Zweibel. The series is notable for breaking the fourth wall. S ...

'' (co-creator and producer) and '' Curb Your Enthusiasm''. Among his eclectic body of work, Zweibel collaborated with

Billy Crystal William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)On page 17 of his book ''700 Sundays'', Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. ...

on the Tony Award-winning production of ''

700 Sundays ''700 Sundays'' is an autobiography written by Billy Crystal. The title refers to the number of Sundays shared by Billy and his father, Jack Crystal, who died when Billy was 15. Broadway Crystal's stage adaptation was originally produced in 2004 ...

,'' and most recently co-wrote and produced the feature film, "Here Today" with Billy Crystal. He has written 11 books — his latest, a cultural memoir
Laugh Lines: My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier
was'' published by Abrams Books in 2020. Other books include ''The Other Shulman: A Novel'', which won the 2006

Thurber Prize for American Humor The Thurber Prize for American Humor, named after American humorist James Thurber, recognizes outstanding contributions in humor writing. The prize is given out by the Thurber House. It was first awarded irregularly, but since 2004 has been bestow ...

; and Lunatics with Dave Barry.

Early life

Zweibel was born May 20, 1950, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City, to Julius and Shirley (Bram) Zweibel. He grew up in the New York City suburbs of

Wantagh Wantagh ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, United States. The population was 18,871 at the time of the 2010 census. Wantagh is known as "The Gateway to Jones ...

and Woodmere on Long Island. He graduated from

George W. Hewlett High School George W. Hewlett High School (also known as Hewlett High School, or HHS, and replacing Woodmere High School) is a four-year public high school in Hewlett Bay Park, New York, United States. Located in the Five Towns area of Long Island, it is t ...

in 1968 and the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 18 ...

in 1972. Upon graduation from college, Zweibel started writing for stand-up comedians who paid him seven dollars a joke. He later compiled over 1,100 jokes into a portfolio which he showed to producer

Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American producer, screenwriter, and comedian. He is best known for creating and producing ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and producing the '' La ...

who then hired Zweibel to be one of the original writers of a new show called ''

''.

Career

Television

During his five years at ''

'' (1975–1980), Zweibel wrote many iconic sketches, including the ''Samurai'' for

John Belushi John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his c ...

, and created the characters of

Roseanne Roseannadanna Roseanne Roseannadanna is a character created and portrayed by Gilda Radner on ''Weekend Update'' in the early seasons of ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). She was the segment's consumer affairs reporter who, like an earlier Radner character Em ...

and

Emily Litella Emily Litella is a fictional character created and performed by comedian Gilda Radner in a series of appearances on '' Saturday Night Live''. Based on a person in her early life, Emily Litella was a popular character in Radner's comedy repertoire ...

, both portrayed by Gilda Radner. As an in-joke, Richard Feder of Fort Lee, New Jersey, a name and hometown often mentioned by Roseanne Roseannadanna on Weekend Update, is Zweibel's real life brother-in-law who did live in

Fort Lee, New Jersey Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop the Palisades. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 40,191. As of the 2010 U.S. census, t ...

. Zweibel's close friendship and collaboration with Gilda Radner extended beyond their tenure at ''

'' – as her last television appearance was on an episode of ''

'' which Zweibel co-created and produced. After Radner's death from ovarian cancer, Zweibel wrote a best-selling book about their relationship titled ''Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner – a Sort of Love Story'' which he later adapted into an off-Broadway play, ''Bunny Bunny''. Zweibel has won multiple Emmy, Writers Guild of America (WGA), and Television Critics Awards (TCA) for his work in television which also includes '' Curb Your Enthusiasm,

,'' and an episode of ''

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

''. He can be seen in the documentary ''The Last Laugh'' about humor and the Holocaust; Judd Apatow's ''

The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling ''The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling'' is an American documentary film that premiered on HBO in two parts on March 26 and 27, 2018. Directed and produced by Judd Apatow, the film explores the life and legacy of comedian Garry Shandling. Premise ...

'' (HBO); ''Gilbert'', a documentary about the life of

Gilbert Gottfried Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York accent, and his edgy, often controversial, sense of humor. His numerous r ...

; and '' Love, Gilda'', the Emmy-nominated

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

documentary for which he also served as executive producer.

Publishing

All told, Zweibel has written 11 books. His cultural memoir, ''Laugh Lines: My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier was'' published by Abrams Books in 2020. Other books include ''The Other Shulman: A Novel'', which won the 2006

; ''Lunatics'' with Dave Barry; ''For This We Left Egypt and A Field Guide for the Jewish People,'' both with Dave Barry and

Adam Mansbach Adam Mansbach (born July 1, 1976) is an American author. He has previously been a visiting professor of literature at Rutgers University-Camden, with their New Voices Visiting Writers program (2009–2011). Biography Mansbach graduated from C ...

; and ''Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner—A Sort of Love Story''. His popular children's book, ''Our Tree Named Steve,'' was a Scholastic Book Club selection that has been translated into eleven languages, and his young adult novel, ''North,'' was made into a movie directed by

Rob Reiner Robert Norman Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom ''All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a performan ...

. A collection of short stories and essays, ''Clothing Optional,'' was published by Villard in 2008. He also penned a best-selling e-book titled ''From My Bottom Drawer''. His humor has appeared in such diverse publications as ''Esquire'', ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ''The New York Times Op-Ed Page'', ''The Huffington Post'', and ''Mad Magazine''.

Theater

Zweibel's work has appeared both on and off Broadway. On Broadway, he co-wrote ''Fame Becomes Me'' with Martin Short, and collaborated with

on the Tony Award-winning production of ''

''. Off-Broadway shows include ''Between Cars, Comic Dialogue, Bunny Bunny,'' and ''Happy.'' Taking to the stage himself, Zweibel is an ensemble performer in ''

Celebrity Autobiography {{about, the television special, the off-broadway show, Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words (play) ''Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words'' was a one-hour comedy television special that premiered on December 5, 2005, on Bravo. Th ...

'' at New York's ''

Triad Theater The Triad Theater, formerly known as Palsson's Supper Club, Steve McGraw's, and Stage 72, is a cabaret-style performing arts venue located on West 72nd Street on New York's Upper West Side. The theatre has been the original home to some of the lon ...

—'' and is a sought after keynote speaker.

Film

He co-wrote and co-produced ''Here Today'' (2021) with

(who also directed and starred alongside

Tiffany Haddish Tiffany Sara Cornilia Haddish (born December 3, 1979) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. After guest-starring on several television series and lead role on a cable drama, Haddish gained prominence for her role as Nekeisha Williams on ...

), and was the co-writer for ''Dragnet'' (1987 film), ''The Story of Us'' (1999) and ''

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

(1994).''

Accolades

Zweibel has been honored by the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Gu ...

and the

Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (TCA) is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canada, Canadian television television criticism, critics, journalists and columnists who cover television television programme, programming for newspapers, ...

. He was awarded the 2006

for his book,
The Other Shulman.
' In 2009, he was awarded an honorary PhD. by the State University of New York, and in 2010, he was given the Ian McLellan Hunter Lifetime Achievement Award by the

Writers Guild of America, East The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is a labor union representing writers in film, television, radio, news, and online media. The Writers Guild of America, East is affiliated with the Writers Guild of America West. Together the guilds admin ...

Works

Books

*
North
' (1984) *
Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner – A Sort of Love Story
' (1994) *
The Other Shulman: A Novel
' (2007) *
Our Tree Named Steve
' (2007) *
Clothing Optional: And Other Ways to Read These Stories
' (2008) *
From the Bottom Drawer of: Alan Zweibel
' (2011)
''Lunatics''
with Dave Barry (2012)
''Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain In My ____''
with

(2017) *
Benjamin Franklin: You've Got Mail
', with

(2017) *
For this We Left Egypt?
' with

and Dave Barry (2017) *
A Field Guide to the Jewish People
', with

and Dave Barry (2019) *
Laugh Lines: My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier
' (2020)

Films

* ''

Gilda Live ''Gilda Live'' is a 1980 American comedy documentary film starring Gilda Radner, directed by Mike Nichols and produced by Lorne Michaels. Radner and Michaels and all of the writers involved with the production were alumni from the television progr ...

'' (with

Anne Beatts Anne Beatts (February 25, 1947 – April 7, 2021) was an American comedy writer. Early life Beatts was born in Buffalo, New York, to Sheila Elizabeth Jean (Sherriff-Scott) and Patrick Murray Threipland Beatts. She has described her parents as "b ...

Michael O'Donoghue Michael O'Donoghue (January 5, 1940 – November 8, 1994) was an American writer and performer. He was known for his dark and destructive style of comedy and humor, was a major contributor to ''National Lampoon'' magazine, and was the ...

Marilyn Suzanne Miller Marilyn Suzanne Miller (born January 3, 1950) is an American television writer and producer. She was one of only three female writers on the original staff of ''Saturday Night Live'' and was also a writer for such 1970s sitcoms as '' The Odd Coup ...

Paul Shaffer Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian singer, composer, actor, author, comedian, and multi-instrumentalist who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader, and sidekick on the entire run of both ''Late Ni ...

Don Novello Donald Andrew Novello (born January 1, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, singer, writer, film director and producer. He is best known for his work on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1978 to 1980, and again from 1985 to 1986, often as the ...

and

Rosie Shuster Rosie Shuster (born June 19, 1950) is a Canadian-born comedy writer and actress. She was a writer for ''Saturday Night Live'' during the 1970s and 1980s. Biography Shuster was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to Ruth (''née'' Burstyn), an inte ...

) (1980) * '' Dragnet'' (with Dan Aykroyd and

Tom Mankiewicz Thomas Frank Mankiewicz (June 1, 1942 – July 31, 2010) was an American screenwriter, director, and producer of motion pictures and television whose credits included ''James Bond'' films and his contributions to '' Superman: The Movie'' (1978) a ...

) (1987) * ''

'' (with

Andrew Scheinman Andrew Scheinman is an American film and television producer, as well as a film director and screenwriter. Before he got his start in entertainment, he worked as a professional tennis player, as well as earning a JD from the University of Virg ...

) (1994) (also producer) * '' The Story of Us'' (with Jessie Nelson) (1999) (also producer) * '' Here Today'' (with

) (2021) (producer and co-writer with Billy Crystal)

Unproduced screenplays

*''Barbarians at the Plate'' *''Bunny Bunny'' *''Marrying Mom'' *''Men Who Lunch'' *''Once Upon a Time, Inc.'' *''Teddy Young'' *''Waiting for Sam to Die''

Television

*''

'' (1975–1980/1984/1987) *'' The Beach Boys: It's OK'' (1976) *'' The Paul Simon Special'' (1977) *'' Steve Martin's Best Show Ever'' (1981) *''

The New Show ''The New Show'' is an NBC sketch comedy show produced by Lorne Michaels that ran for one season from January 6 to March 23, 1984. Apart from being 60 minutes in length and entirely pre-recorded, the show is similar in format to Michaels' own '' ...

'' (1984) *''

'' (1986–1990) (also Co-Creator) *''One of the Boys'' (1989) (also Creator/Executive Producer) *''

'': ''15th Anniversary'' (1989) *''

Good Sports ''Good Sports'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on the CBS network from January 10 to July 13, 1991, starring Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal. It was Fawcett's only scripted TV series after ''Charlie's Angels''. Synopsis The ...

'' (1991) (also Creator/Executive Producer) *'' The Please Watch the Jon Lovitz Special'' (1992) (also Executive Producer) *''

Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise theatrical performances such as plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is p ...

: 25th Anniversary Special'' (with Cy Coleman) (1997) *'' I Am Your Child'' (with

) (1997) *'' Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2001–2002) (Consulting Producer) *'' What Leonard Comes Home To'' (2002) (Executive Producer) *''

56th Primetime Emmy Awards The 56th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 19, 2004. The ceremony was hosted by Garry Shandling and was broadcast on ABC. The HBO miniseries ''Angels in America'' had the most successful night. It became the first program ...

'' (2003) *''

'' (2007) *'' Late Show with David Letterman'' (2008–2009) *''Women Without Men'' (2010) *''

'' (2014)

Broadway

*''

'' (with

and

) (1979) Winter Garden Theater *''

'' (with

) (2005

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

Winner) Broadhurst Theater *'' Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me'', (with Martin Short) (2006) Bernard B. Jacobs Theater

Off Broadway

*''

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, bu ...

'' (1984) (contributing writer) Circle in The Square *'' Between Cars'' (1985) Ensemble Studio Theater *'' Comic Dialogue'' (1986) Ensemble Studio Theater *'' Bunny, Bunny: Gilda Radner – A Sort of Romantic Comedy'' (1997) Lucille Lortel Theater *'' Happy'', Summer Shorts Festival 4 (2010) 59E59 Theaters
Celebrity Autobiography
— Triad Theater NYC (performer)

Appearances

*''Curb: The Discussion'' *'' Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (as "Duckstein") *''

E! True Hollywood Story ''E! True Hollywood Story'' is an American television documentary series on E! that pulls back the curtain and highlights some of pop culture's most fascinating people, moments and trends. The series offers exclusive interviews with new insigh ...

'': Gilda Radner *'' Good Morning America'' *''

The Late, Late Show ''The Late Late Show'', with its title often shortened to ''The Late Late'', is an Irish chat show. It is the world's second longest-running late-night talk show, after the American ''The Tonight Show''. Perceived as the official flagship tele ...

'' *''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

'' *'' Late Show with David Letterman'' *''

Law and Order In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...

'' *'' Make 'em Laugh: The Funny Business of America'' *''

Making Trouble ''Making Trouble'' is the debut album by the American hip hop music, hip-hop group the Geto Boys, Ghetto Boys. The group originally consisted of Bushwick Bill, DJ Ready Red, Sire Jukebox and Prince Johnny C. Following the release of ''Making Trou ...

'' (documentary by

Joan Micklin Silver Joan Micklin Silver (May 24, 1935 – December 31, 2020) was an American director of films and plays. Born in Omaha, Silver moved to New York City in 1967 where she began writing and directing films. She is best known for Hester Street (film), ' ...

) *''

'' (as "Coach") *''

Politically Incorrect ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

'' *''

'' *'' The Story of Us'' (as "Uncle Shelly") *''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...

Stage appearances

*''A History of Me'' (2007) U.S. Comedy Arts Festival *''

'' (2010) Triad Theatre, NYC; Broad Stage, LA

Awards

* (2010) WGAE Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Writing * (2006) Thurber Prize for American Humor winner * (2005) Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event 700 Sundays * (1989) CableACE Award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series in "It's Garry Shandling's Show". * (1977/78) Emmy for Outstanding Writing Achievement in a Comedy, Variety, or Music Series in "The Paul Simon Special". * (1977/78) Emmy for Outstanding Writing Achievement in a Comedy, Variety, or Music Series in "NBC's Saturday Night". * (1976/77) Emmy for Outstanding Writing Achievement in a Comedy, Variety, or Music Series in "NBC's Saturday Night". * (1975/76) Emmy for Outstanding Writing Achievement in a Comedy, Variety, or Music Series in "NBC's Saturday Night".

References

External links