Norma Levor Barzman (born September 15, 1920) is an American

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and actress and writer since the

Golden Age of Hollywood Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

Life and career

Norma was born on September 15, 1920 in

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. She started her career in 1946 writing original story of ''

Never Say Goodbye Never Say Goodbye may refer to: Films * ''Never Say Goodbye'' (1946 film), a romantic comedy directed by James V. Kern, and starring Errol Flynn and Eleanor Parker * ''Never Say Goodbye'' (1956 film), US drama film directed by Jerry Hopper and ...

'' and ''

The Locket The Locket may refer to: *The Locket (1946 film) ''The Locket'' is a 1946 American psychological thriller with noirish undertones directed by John Brahm, starring Laraine Day, Brian Aherne, Robert Mitchum, and Gene Raymond, and released by RKO ...

''. Later she also write ''

Finishing School A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the education, wit ...

'' (1952) and '' Il triangolo rosso'' (1967). She also appeared as an actress in ''

Theatre 70 ''Theatre 70'' is a 70-minute UK dramatic television anthology series produced by Associated Television. Twenty-five episodes aired on ITV from 1960–61. Guest actors included Zoe Caldwell, Robert Horton, André Morell Cecil André Mesri ...

'' (1970) and ''Pajama Party'' (2000) as Groovy Grandma guest

Personal life

She married mathematician

Claude Shannon Claude Elwood Shannon (April 30, 1916 – February 24, 2001) was an American people, American mathematician, electrical engineering, electrical engineer, and cryptography, cryptographer known as a "father of information theory". As a 21-year-o ...

, known as the " father of information theory," and lived with him in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

. When they divorced, Barzman moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

with her mother and took classes at the School for Writers, the members of which were leftist. She met and married screenwriter

Ben Barzman Ben Barzman (October 12, 1910 – December 15, 1989) was a Canadian journalist, screenwriter, and novelist, blacklisted during the McCarthy Era and best known for his screenplays for the films ''Back to Bataan'' (1945), '' El Cid'' (1961), and ''T ...

. They had 7 children. She resides in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

Filmography

Writer

* '' Il triangolo rosso'' (1967) * ''

'' (1952) * ''

'' (1946) * ''

'' (1946)

Actress

* ''Pajama Party'' (2000) - Groovy Grandma guest * ''

'' (1960) - Narrator

Documentary

* ''Les exilés d'Hollywood'' (2006) * ''Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust'' (2004)

Books

* The End of Romance: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and the Mystery of the Violin (2006) * The Red and the Blacklist: The Intimate Memoir of a Hollywood Expatriate (2002) * Rich Dreams (1982)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barzman, Norma American women screenwriters 1920 births Living people 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American actresses People from New York City People from Beverly Hills, California 20th-century American women writers