MB Civic

By Jacqueline Trescott |  Wednesday, June 14, 2006; 1:58 PM | The Washington PostNeil Simon, one of America’s most successful playwrights, has been chosen as this year’s recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the Kennedy Center announced today.

Since 1961 Simon has written more than 40 plays that appeared on Broadway and holds the distinction of being the only playwright with four works on Broadway at the same time.

His plays have been translated into film and television and have had many revivals.

Simon’s output includes: “The Odd Couple,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “Chapter Two,” “The Goodbye Girl,” “Lost in Yonkers,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “The Out-of-Towners,” “California Suite,” “Plaza Suite,” “The Prisoner of Second Avenue,” “Last of the Red Hot Lovers” and “The Sunshine Boys.” And, Simon wrote the book for “Sweet Charity.”

Simon, 79, has specialized in putting ordinary people into ordinary situations — most of them in New York– and then arming them with silly brickbats to biting satire to belly laughter.

“I am awed, thrilled and delighted to receive the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize . . . it makes up for my losing the Samuel Clemens Prize,” said Simon in a statement.

Born on the Fourth of July in 1927, Simon grew up in the Bronx and lived there for a long time. He has also maintained a home in Los Angeles for some time now.

His writing career started in the 1950s working on “Your Show of Shows.” On that program, he worked with such great comedic writers as Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart and Carl Reiner to turn out lines for Sid Caesar.

In the 1960s Simon turned to Broadway and his first hit was “Come Blow Your Horn,” later a movie with Frank Sinatra.

Simon has been rewarded for his work. In 1991 he received both the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize for “Lost in Yonkers.” In 1985 he won a Tony for “Biloxi Blues,” a repeat of his 1965 success with “Odd Couple.” He has also been honored three times with Academy Awards for his film scripts.

In 1995, he was one of the artists to receive the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.

In an interview with The Washington Post in 1997, Simon reflected on his success. “I know that I have reached the pinnacle of rewards. There’s no more money anyone can pay me that I need. There are no awards they can give me that I haven’t won. I have no reason to write another play except that I am alive and I like to do it,” he said.

The Twain Award, named for the American humorist, will be given to Simon Oct. 15. The program will air in the fall on WETA-26.