My Heroes
As I reflect on my own writing, I am reminded of the great writers and artists who came before me; they have inspired, and continue to inspire, me and my writing. This page is a token of my appreciation for their major contributions to this great industry.
Honorable Mentions: Planes, Trains and Automobiles; Some Like It Hot, You’ve Got Mail, Something’s Got To Give, My Favorite Wife (1940 version), The Odd Couple, Fred & Ginger movies, and pretty much all of Chuck Lorre's work.
Filmmaker & Screenwriter
Billy Wilder
"Eighty percent of a picture is writing, the other twenty percent is the execution, such as having the camera on the right spot and being able to afford to have good actors in all parts"
Writer & Filmaker
Nora Ephron
"The hardest thing about writing is writing."
Filmaker
John Hughes
"I so desperately hate to end these movies that the first thing I do when I'm done is write another one. Then I don't feel sad about having to leave and everybody going away."
Filmaker
Nancy Meyers
"My first movie, ‘Private Benjamin,’ got turned down by every studio until the very last one."
Screenwriter & Producer
Richard Curtis
"Good writing is essential, but in today’s market, it’s not enough — writers must also understand the industry’s realities and navigate its unpredictable forces"
TV writer, Producer, Director, & Composer
Chuck Lorre
"According to the rules of comedy, your suffering will be funny after an undetermined length of time. Maybe not while you’re having your gangrenous leg sawed off ... but, in the big scheme of things, soon."
Dancers, Actors, & Singers
Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers
A quote from Michael Jackson's 1988 autobiography, Moonwalk:
"Fred Astaire was the greatest dancer of all time. I wanted to be like him."
Playwright, Screenwriter, & Author
Neil Simon
"Writing is an escape from a world that crowds me. I like being alone in a room. It’s almost a form of meditation—an investigation of my own life"