I. A. L. Diamond (born Ițec (Itzek) Domnici; June 27, 1920 – April 21, 1988) was a Moldovan–American screenwriter, best known for his collaborations with Billy Wilder.

Life and career

Diamond was born in

Ungheni Ungheni () is a municipality in Moldova. With a population of 35,157, it is the seventh largest town in Moldova and the seat of Ungheni District. There is a bridge across the Prut and a border checkpoint to Romania. There is another border t ...

, Iași County,

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

, Romania, i.e. present day Moldova. He emigrated with his mother and sister, following his father to the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn in the United States. There, he studied at the Boy's High School, showing ability in mathematics, competing in the state Mathematics Olympiads in 1936–37 and winning several medals therein. Diamond was referred to as "Iz" in Hollywood, and was known to quip that his initials stood for "Interscholastic Algebra League", a prize he also won while attending Boys' High School. Diamond completed his undergraduate studies at

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

in 1941. There he studied journalism, publishing in the ''

Columbia Daily Spectator The ''Columbia Daily Spectator'' (known colloquially as the ''Spec'') is the student newspaper of Columbia University. Founded in 1877, it is the oldest continuously operating college news daily in the nation after ''The Harvard Crimson'', and has ...

'' under the pseudonym "I. A. L. Diamond". He was editor of the humor magazine ''

Jester of Columbia The ''Jester of Columbia'', or simply the ''Jester'', is a humor magazine at Columbia University in New York City. Founded on April Fool's Day, 1901, it is one of the oldest such publications in the United States. Printed continuously at least th ...

'' and a member of the Philolexian Society. He became the only person to single-handedly write four consecutive productions of the annual revue, the Varsity Show and a spare should they need one. After graduating, he abandoned the plan to pursue his master's in engineering at Columbia and accepted a short-term contract in Hollywood. A succession of limited-term contracts ensued, notably at Paramount, where Diamond worked on projects without receiving a writing credit. He moved to Universal Pictures, where he made his first film ''Murder in the Blue Room''. It was a year later at Warner Bros., that he achieved his first real success and consequent recognition with ''Never Say Goodbye''. He worked at

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

for four years. In 1957, he began collaborating with Billy Wilder, working on the film '' Love in the Afternoon''. They later wrote the classic films, ''

Some Like It Hot ''Some Like It Hot'' is a 1959 American crime comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, with George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee, Grace Lee Whitney and N ...

'', '' The Apartment'' (which won an

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Awards, Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Be ...

), '' One, Two, Three'', ''

Irma la Douce ''Irma la Douce'' (, "Irma the Sweet") is a 1963 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond, based on the 1956 French stage musical of the same name by Marguerite Monnot and Alexa ...

'', '' Kiss Me, Stupid'' and '' The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes''. In 1969, Diamond wrote the play '' Cactus Flower'' and the screenplay for the

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

. In total, Diamond and Wilder wrote the script for twelve films. Some featured characters engaging in an endless but friendly squabbling, such as Joe and Jerry in ''Some Like it Hot'' and Holmes and Watson in ''The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes''. Diamond's widow claims that these characters were based on her husband's relationship with Wilder. In 1980, Diamond and Wilder received the Writers Guild of America's Laurel Award for career achievement in screenwriting. Wilder had previously received the Laurel Award in 1957 for his partnership with Charles Brackett. Diamond died of

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, an ...

on April 21, 1988.

Filmography

As writer

* ''

Buddy Buddy ''Buddy Buddy'' is a 1981 American comedy film based on Francis Veber's play ''Le contrat'' and Édouard Molinaro's film '' L'emmerdeur''. It was the final film directed and written by Billy Wilder. Plot Hitman Trabucco eliminates two witnesses a ...

'' (1981) * ''

Fedora A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...

'' (1978) * '' The Front Page'' (1974) * ''

Avanti! ''Avanti!'' is a 1972 American/Italian international co-production comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills. The screenplay by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond is based on Samuel A. Taylor's play, w ...

'' (1972) * '' The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' (1970) * '' Cactus Flower'' (1969) * '' The Fortune Cookie'' (1966) * '' Kiss Me, Stupid'' (1964) * ''

'' (1963) * '' One, Two, Three'' (1961) * '' The Apartment'' (1960) * ''

'' (1959) (screenplay) * '' Merry Andrew'' (1958) * '' Love in the Afternoon'' (1957) * ''

That Certain Feeling "That Certain Feeling" is a 1925 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Allen Kearns and Queenie Smith in the 1925 musical ''Tip-Toes''. It was later used as the title of a 1956 Bob Hope film when ...

'' (1956) * ''

Something for the Birds ''Something for the Birds'' is a 1952 film directed by Robert Wise and starring Victor Mature and Patricia Neal. Plot Johnnie Adams, an engraver in Washington, uses some of the invitations his firm makes to crash Washington parties. He gets to be ...

'' (1952) * '' Monkey Business'' (1952) * ''

Let's Make It Legal ''Let's Make It Legal'' is a 1951 American comedy film made by Twentieth Century-Fox, directed by Richard Sale and produced by Robert Bassler from a screenplay by I.A.L. Diamond and F. Hugh Herbert, based on a story by Mortimer Braus entitled ...

'' (1951) * '' Love Nest'' (1951) * '' It's a Great Feeling'' (1949) (story) * ''

The Girl from Jones Beach ''The Girl from Jones Beach'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey (director), Peter Godfrey and written by I. A. L. Diamond. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Virginia Mayo, Eddie Bracken, Dona Drake, Henry Travers and Lois Wilso ...

'' (1949) * '' Two Guys from Texas'' (1948) * '' Romance on the High Seas'' (1948) (additional dialogue) * ''

Always Together ''Always Together'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Frederick de Cordova and written by I. A. L. Diamond, Henry Ephron and Phoebe Ephron. The film stars Robert Hutton, Joyce Reynolds, Cecil Kellaway, Ernest Truex, Don McGuire and Ran ...

'' (1948) * '' Love and Learn'' (1947) * ''

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 ...

'' (1946) * '' Two Guys from Milwaukee'' (1946) * ''

Murder in the Blue Room ''Murder in the Blue Room'' is a 1944 American film directed by Leslie Goodwins. Plot A musical mystery about a young couple's attempt to solve a mysterious murder that occurred at their house. Cast * Anne Gwynne as Nan * John Litel as Frank B ...

'' (1944)

As associate producer

* ''Fedora'' (1978) * ''The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' (1970) * ''The Fortune Cookie'' (1966) * ''Kiss Me, Stupid'' (1964) * ''Irma la Douce'' (1963) * ''One, Two, Three'' (1961) * ''The Apartment'' (1960) * ''Some Like It Hot'' (1959)

Award and honors

Academy Awards

Golden Globe Awards

WGA Awards

*1957: '' Love in the Afternoon'' – American Comedy *1959: ''

'' – American Comedy *1960: '' The Apartment'' – American Comedy *1961: '' One, Two, Three'' – American Comedy *1963: ''

'' – American Comedy *1966: '' The Fortune Cookie'' – American Comedy *1969: '' Cactus Flower'' – Adapted Screenplay (Comedy) *1970: '' The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' – Original Screenplay (Comedy) *1972: ''

'' – Adapted Screenplay (Comedy) *1974: '' The Front Page'' – Adapted Screenplay (Comedy) *1980:

Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement The Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement (also known as the Screen Laurel Award) is a lifetime achievement award given by the Writers Guild of America. It is given "to that member of the Guild who, in the opinion of the current Board of Dir ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diamond, I. A. L. 1920 births 1988 deaths Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Romanian Jews Romanian emigrants to the United States American male screenwriters Jewish American writers Columbia College (New York) alumni People from Ungheni Boys High School (Brooklyn) alumni Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Crown Heights, Brooklyn Deaths from multiple myeloma Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American Jews