---
name: "Bruce Jay Friedman"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/bruce-jay-friedman"
fi1m_id: "bruce-jay-friedman"
imdb_id: "nm0295171"
tmdb_id: 26511
wikidata_id: "Q4977733"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "26 April 1930"
died: "3 June 2020"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 73
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-10-04T18:31:32.593544+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Bruce Jay Friedman

## Identity

Bruce Jay Friedman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/bruce-jay-friedman
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** bruce-jay-friedman
- **IMDb ID:** nm0295171
- **TMDB ID:** 26511
- **Wikidata ID:** Q4977733
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Jay_Friedman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4977733, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0295171/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/26511

Writer. Born 26 April 1930 in Нью-Йорк, США. Died 3 June 2020.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 26 April 1930, Нью-Йорк, США
- **Died:** 3 June 2020
- **Active:** 1972–1992
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 4: 1 acting, 3 writing
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Average Fi1m score:** 73, as writer, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 78 (1), 1980s 70 (2), 1990s 83 (1)
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Comedy 3, Romance 2, Crime 1, Fantasy 1
- **Screen time:** 5 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $177m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Jay_Friedman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4977733, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0295171/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/26511

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*Splash*](https://film.one/film/splash.md) (80)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Stir Crazy*](https://film.one/film/stir-crazy.md) (60)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## 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.

*Sources: nytimes.com, en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

### Performed in (1)

- *Husbands and Wives* (1992), Fi1m 83, as Peter Styles — [page](https://film.one/film/husbands-and-wives.md)

### Wrote (3) — the average rests on these

- *Splash* (1984), Fi1m 80, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/splash.md)
- *Stir Crazy* (1980), Fi1m 60, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/stir-crazy.md)
- *The Heartbreak Kid* (1972), Fi1m 78, Story — [page](https://film.one/film/the-heartbreak-kid.md)

## Complete filmography (14)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Brazzaville Teen-Ager* (2013), Writer, Story
- *You've Got Mail* (1998), as Vince Mancini
- *Celebrity* (1998), as Elaine's Book Party Guest
- *54* (1998), as Elaine's Patron
- *Husbands and Wives* (1992), as Peter Styles — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/husbands-and-wives.md)
- *Another Woman* (1988), as Mark
- *Splash, Too* (1988), Characters
- *Splash* (1984), Screenplay — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/splash.md)
- *The Lonely Guy* (1984), Novel
- *Doctor Detroit* (1983), Story, Writer
- *Stir Crazy* (1980), Writer — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/stir-crazy.md)
- *Fore Play* (1975), Story
- *Steambath* (1973), Writer
- *The Heartbreak Kid* (1972), Story — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/the-heartbreak-kid.md)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1985: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *Splash*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/bruce-jay-friedman