Paddy Chayefsky

The playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky was born Sidney Aaron Chayefsky in the Bronx; he was given the nickname “Paddy” during his military service in World War II, when he asked to be excused from kitchen duty in order to attend mass. As the author of teleplays during the 1950s, he helped to establish the small screen as a venue for serious dramatic performance. Across the screen and stage, his work was marked by naturalistic dialogue and a satiric edge that blurred comedy and drama. The Tenth Man ran for 623 performances on Broadway and was nominated for three Tony Awards. Chayefsky is also the only person to have been awarded, as the sole author, three Academy Awards for Best Screenplay: for Marty (1955), The Hospital (1971), and Network (1976).