Biography
Bruce Jay Friedman (1930–2020) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. He graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism in 1951, served in the US Air Force, and later worked in publishing before publishing his first novel, Stern, in 1962.
Friedman became known for his black humour and explorations of middle-class, often Jewish, protagonists in novels such as A Mother's Kisses (1964) and plays including the Off-Broadway hit Scuba Duba (1967). His short story 'A Change of Plan' was adapted into the 1972 film The Heartbreak Kid. He wrote the screenplay for the 1980 comedy Stir Crazy and contributed to the script for Splash (1984), which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
