David L. Itzkoff (born March 2, 1976) is an American journalist and writer who is a culture reporter for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. He is the author of ''Cocaine's Son'', a memoir about growing up with his drug-abusing father. Before joining the ''Times'', he was an associate editor at ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' magazine and at ''
Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
''.
Early life and family
Itzkoff was born in New York City to Madelin and Gerald Itzkoff, and grew up in the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
. His father had a cocaine addiction, which affected Dave's home life considerably. He has a sister, Amanda, a psychiatrist. He is Jewish; his paternal grandfather and great-grandfather were Russian Jews who worked in the fur trade.
Itzkoff obtained his B.A. in English Literature from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in 1998. He married actress and singer Amy Justman in 2008, and lives in New York.
Career
In 1999, Itzkoff worked as an editorial assistant for ''
Details Detail(s) or The Detail(s) may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Details'' (film), a 2003 Swedish film
* ''The Details'' (film), a 2011 American film
* ''The Detail'', a Canadian television series
* "The Detail" (''The Wire''), a television epis ...
'' magazine. He worked for ''
Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
'' magazine from 1999 to 2002 and ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' magazine from 2002 to 2006. From June 2007 to July 2008, Itzkoff worked as a freelance editor for the Sunday Styles section in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. He is a culture reporter for ''The New York Times'' and writes frequently about film, television and comedy. His latest work is a biography of
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
.
Books
*''Lads: A Memoir of Manhood'', published in 2004
*''Cocaine's Son: A Memoir'', published in 2011
*''Mad as Hell: The Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies'', published February 2014.
*''Robin'', a biography of Robin Williams, published in May 2018
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Itzkoff, Dave
1976 births
20th-century American journalists
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American journalists
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American biographers
21st-century memoirists
American memoirists
American newspaper reporters and correspondents
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
Jewish American journalists
Journalists from New York City
Living people
Princeton University alumni
The New York Times writers
Writers from the Bronx
21st-century American Jews