S. J. Perelman

American screenwriter

Born: February 1, 1904 · Died: October 17, 1979

Famous Persons

Who was S. J. Perelman?

Sidney Joseph Perelman (February 1, 1904 – October 17, 1979) was an American humorist and screenwriter. Perelman was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the only son of Joseph and Sophie Perelman, who moved from one failed business to another until they found themselves raising chickens on a farm and running a dry goods store in Providence, Rhode Island. He attended the Candace Street Grammar School and Classical High School in Providence. He entered Brown University in 1921, where he became editor of the campus humor magazine The Brown Jug in 1924. He also wrote for several other magazines, including Judge, as well as books, scripts, and screenplays. Perelman dropped out of Brown and moved to Greenwich Village in Manhattan, New York City. Perelman wrote many brief, humorous descriptions of his travels for various magazines, and of his travails on his Pennsylvania farm, all of which were collected into books.

S. J. Perelman's typewriter (New York Public Library)

Historical significance

He is best known for his humorous short pieces written over many years for The New Yorker. Perelman received an Academy Award for screenwriting in 1956.

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“S. J. Perelman.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/s-j-perelman/. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

APA

S. J. Perelman. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/s-j-perelman/

Chicago

“S. J. Perelman.” thisDay. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/s-j-perelman/.

Found an error? Let us know.