Bruce Jay Friedman(1930-2020)

Novelist, playwright, short-story writer, and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Bruce Jay Friedman was born in New York City on April 26, 1930, and raised in The Bronx by his parents, Irving and Molly (Liebowitz) Friedman. Determined to be a writer, Friedman attended the University of Missouri, where he majored in journalism in the school's first-rate journalism department. After serving as an Air Force officer during the Korean War, he married model Ginger Howard (who became a writer and acting coach) in 1954. He established himself as a writer for men's magazines published by the Magazine Management Co., eventually working himself up to executive editor of three of the company's titles: "Men", "Male" and "Man's World". These magazines were unlike Hugh Hefner's "Playboy" magazine in that they focused on macho subjects such as hunting, fishing and war.

Friedman published his first novel, "Stern" in 1962 and established himself as a writer and playwright, most famously known for his off-Broadway hit "Steambath" (filmed as Steambath (1973)) and his 1978 novel "The Lonely Guy's Book of Life". "Steambath" ran at the Truck and Warehouse Theater from June 30 to October 18, 1970, for a total of 128 performances and was adapted for television in 1973, being the first American TV program to feature nudity. "The Lonely Guy's Book of Life" was adapted into the 1984 Steve Martin vehicle The Lonely Guy (1984), with a screenplay by Friedman.

In addition to short stories and plays, Friedman also has published another seven novels, and has written numerous screenplays, including the Oscar-nominated Splash (1984). He resides in New York City with is second wife, educator Patricia J. O'Donohue.