Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received three Tony Awards, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for four Academy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. He was awarded a Special Tony Award in 1975, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1995 and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2006. Simon grew up in New York City during the Great Depression. His parents' financial difficulties affected their marriage, giving him a mostly unhappy and unstable childhood. He often took refuge in movie theaters, where he enjoyed watching early comedians like Charlie Chaplin. After graduating from high school and serving a few years in the Army Air Force Reserve, he began writing comedy scripts for radio programs and popular early television shows. Among the latter were Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows (where in 1950 he worked alongside other young writers including Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart and Selma Diamond), and The Phil Silvers Show, which ran from 1955 to 1959. His first produced play was Come Blow Your Horn (1961). It took him three years to complete and ran for 678 performances on Broadway. It was followed by two more successes, Barefoot in the Park (1963) and The Odd Couple (1965). He won a Tony Award for the latter. It made him a national celebrity and "the hottest new playwright on Broadway". From the 1960s to the 1980s he wrote for stage and screen; some of his screenplays were based on his own works for the stage. His style ranged from farce to romantic comedy to more serious dramatic comedy. Overall, he garnered 17 Tony nominations and won three awards. In 1966, he had four successful productions running on Broadway at the same time, and in 1983 he became the only living playwright to have a New York theatre, the Neil Simon Theatre, named in his honor. Description above from the Wikipedia article Neil Simon, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 4, 1927
- August 26, 2018 (aged 91)
- The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
- Writer, also producer and actor
- 35 on MovieCove · 84 credits in all
What are Neil Simon's films like?
Across their 33 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 2 · Earnest 28
Light 28 · Serious 5 · Dark 0
Grounded 25 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 2
Gentle 19 · Charged 14 · Intense 0
Steady 18 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 23
A split, not a type: Slow burn 19 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 1
Casual 26 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 26 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 0
Resolved 32 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy12
- Bittersweet18
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Neil Simon's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 35 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Neil Simon's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
84 credits, 35 with a MovieCove page; 20 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Goodbye Shirazi Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Les Stars : Daniel Prévost & Jacques Balutin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Djemtë Gazmorë (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Rumors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Barefoot in the Park (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
The Heartbreak Kid(2007)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
California Suite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Sweet Charity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
The Goodbye Girl(2004)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all filmsEin seltsames Paar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Хочу сниматься в кино (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The Comics (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Οι ηλίθιοι (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Panier de crabes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
The Out-of-Towners(1999)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
The Odd Couple II(1998)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
London Suite(1996)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
The Sunshine Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Omaka par (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Jake's Women(1996)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Sonny Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Frasier(1993)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Lost in Yonkers(1993)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Broadway Bound (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
The Marrying Man(1991)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Rumeurs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Last of the Red Hot Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Andy & Norman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Biloxi Blues(1988)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Omaka par (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Plaza Suite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Drôle de couple (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Brighton Beach Memoirs(1986)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
My brother and friend I will kill you (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
The Slugger's Wife(1985)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
The Lonely Guy(1984)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Max Dugan Returns(1983)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all filmsSonny Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
The New Odd Couple (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Plaza Suite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Barefoot In the Park (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Pieds nus dans le parc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Only When I Laugh(1981)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Seems Like Old Times(1980)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
The Prisoner of Second Avenue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Felix und Oskar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Chapter Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
They're Playing Our Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
The Good Doctor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Cheap Detective(1978)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
California Suite(1978)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
The Goodbye Girl(1977)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all filmsThe Amazing Miss Cummings: An Actress at Work and Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Murder by Death(1976)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
The Sunshine Boys(1975)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
The Oddball Couple (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
The Heartbreak Kid(1972)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all filmsThe Trouble With People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Star Spangled Girl(1971)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Plaza Suite(1971)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
The Odd Couple(1970)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows
The Out of Towners(1970)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Alta comedia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Love, American Style (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Sweet Charity(1969)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
The Odd Couple(1968)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Barefoot in the Park(1967)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
After the Fox(1966)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Come Blow Your Horn(1963)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Adventures of Marco Polo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Paris in the Springtime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Babes in Toyland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Dearest Enemy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
The Great Waltz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Heidi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
The Desert Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
A Connecticut Yankee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Naughty Marietta (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Babes in Toyland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Career shape
A full career of 84 titles from 1954 to 2019.
Biggest box office
Biloxi Blues (1988)
Highest rated
The Odd Couple (1968)
Most popular right now
The Out-of-Towners (1999)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Neil Simon's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 33; across their 33 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up10
- 50th to 74th14
- 25th to 49th7
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
18 of their 35 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser18
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed11
Reviewers score the dialogue 66/100 and the plot and story 43/100 in their films, across 31 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Neil Simon's work okay for kids?
Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, 2 of the 5 categories sit near the median of all films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Neil Simon work with?
People who share at least 2 of Neil Simon's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ray Stark shares the most, 10.
Directors
- Herbert RossShared titles: Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough (1997), Max Dugan Returns (1983), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982), California Suite (1978), The Goodbye Girl (1977), The Sunshine Boys (1975)See all 6 shared titles with Herbert Ross
- Gene SaksShared titles: Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975), Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972), The Odd Couple (1968), Barefoot in the Park (1967)See all 5 shared titles with Gene Saks
- Arthur HillerShared titles: The Lonely Guy (1984), Plaza Suite (1971), The Out of Towners (1970)See all 3 shared titles with Arthur Hiller
- Richard BenjaminShared titles: The Goodbye Girl (2004), Laughter on the 23rd Floor (2001), The Sunshine Boys (1975)See all 3 shared titles with Richard Benjamin
Writers
- Bruce Jay FriedmanShared titles: The Lonely Guy (1984), The Heartbreak Kid (1972)See all 2 shared titles with Bruce Jay Friedman
Actors
- Walter MatthauShared titles: The Odd Couple II (1998), Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough (1997), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982), California Suite (1978), The Sunshine Boys (1975), Plaza Suite (1971), The Odd Couple (1968)See all 7 shared titles with Walter Matthau
- Jack LemmonShared titles: The Odd Couple II (1998), Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough (1997), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975), The Out of Towners (1970), The Odd Couple (1968)See all 5 shared titles with Jack Lemmon
- Jonathan SilvermanShared titles: The Odd Couple II (1998), London Suite (1996), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986)See all 3 shared titles with Jonathan Silverman
- Charles GrodinShared titles: The Lonely Guy (1984), Seems Like Old Times (1980), The Heartbreak Kid (1972)See all 3 shared titles with Charles Grodin
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- David M. WalshShared titles: Max Dugan Returns (1983), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982), Only When I Laugh (1981), Seems Like Old Times (1980), California Suite (1978), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Murder by Death (1976), The Sunshine Boys (1975)See all 8 shared titles with David M. Walsh
- Margaret BoothShared titles: The Slugger's Wife (1985), Seems Like Old Times (1980), California Suite (1978), The Cheap Detective (1978), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Murder by Death (1976), The Sunshine Boys (1975)See all 7 shared titles with Margaret Booth
- David ShireShared titles: Jake's Women (1996), Max Dugan Returns (1983), Only When I Laugh (1981)See all 3 shared titles with David Shire
- Marvin HamlischShared titles: I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982), Seems Like Old Times (1980), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975)See all 3 shared titles with Marvin Hamlisch
Producers
- Ray StarkShared titles: Lost in Yonkers (1993), Biloxi Blues (1988), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986), The Slugger's Wife (1985), Seems Like Old Times (1980), California Suite (1978), The Cheap Detective (1978), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Murder by Death (1976), The Sunshine Boys (1975)See all 10 shared titles with Ray Stark
- Roger M. RothsteinShared titles: Max Dugan Returns (1983), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982), Only When I Laugh (1981), Seems Like Old Times (1980), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Murder by Death (1976), The Sunshine Boys (1975)See all 7 shared titles with Roger M. Rothstein
- Howard W. KochShared titles: Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972), Plaza Suite (1971), Star Spangled Girl (1971), The Odd Couple (1968), Come Blow Your Horn (1963)See all 5 shared titles with Howard W. Koch
- Joseph M. CaraccioloShared titles: Lost in Yonkers (1993), Biloxi Blues (1988), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986)See all 3 shared titles with Joseph M. Caracciolo
Mixed roles
- Charles MatthauShared titles: Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough (1997), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Matthau
- Elaine MayShared titles: California Suite (1978), The Heartbreak Kid (1972)See all 2 shared titles with Elaine May
