Paul D. Zimmerman

Paul D. Zimmerman (July 3, 1938 in New York City, New York – March 2, 1993 in Princeton, New Jersey)^[1] was a screenwriter, film critic and activist.

Biography

He was a film critic for Newsweek magazine from 1967 to 1975,^[1] and wrote for television shows including Sesame Street,^[2] but is best known for writing The King of Comedy (1982), directed by Martin Scorsese. He was the co-writer of Lovers and Liars (1979) and Consuming Passions (1988). Zimmerman was the author of many other screenplays, mostly unproduced, as well as three books:^[3]

• The Marx Brothers at the Movies (1968)
• The Year the Mets Lost Last Place (1969)
• The Open Man: The Championship Diary of the N.Y. Knicks (1970)

Active in the Nuclear Freeze movement, he founded the Bucks Alliance for Nuclear Disarmament,^[4] funded by the proceeds from a sold-out premiere he organised for King of Comedy.^[5] In 1984, he managed to become a member of the Pennsylvania delegation to the Republican Party convention in order to be the only delegate to vote against Ronald Reagan.^[1]

Zimmerman died of colon cancer.^[6]

Accolades

Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref(s)
BAFTA Awards	BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay* *Zimmerman was the first winner of this award	The King of Comedy	Won	[7]