Gardner was educated at New York's High School of Performing Arts, Carnegie-Mellon University and Antioch College. While a student at Antioch, he began drawing The Nebbishes. The comic strip was picked up by the Chicago Tribune and syndicated to 60-75 major newspapers from 1959 to 1961. Even before syndication, the Gardner characters were a national craze, marketed on statuettes, studio cards, barware (including cocktail napkins), wall decorations and posters. In 1960, after "the balloons were getting larger and larger, and there was hardly any drawing left", he dropped it and began writing plays.
Plays and films
Gardner is best known for his 1962 play A Thousand Clowns, which ran for 428 performances. He received an Oscar nomination for the screenplay for the successful 1965 movie adaptation. The play was revived in 1996 and 2001. Both the 1962 play and the movie starred Jason Robards, Jr. as Murray Burns, a charming, unemployed children's show writer, who is forced to choose between social conformity and the probable loss of custody of his 11-year-old nephew to the Child Welfare Bureau. The Robards character was in part based on Gardner's friend at that time, humorist Jean Shepherd. In 2000, Robards wrote:
I feel A Thousand Clowns is his masterpiece. It is a real human comedy of poignancy and laughter, with all of humanity's foibles and eccentricities. There is a great depth of love and understanding for all in this play. There are great life lessons to learn daily, which I find myself still doing. For Herb Gardner to have written this play in his early twenties is a miracle.
Gardner's biggest commercial success was the 1985 play I'm Not Rappaport, which ran for two years, won the Tony Award for Best Play and became the basis for a 1996 movie.
Gardner's first wife was actress Rita Gardner; the union ended in divorce. He later married Barbara Sproul, with whom he raised two adopted sons, Jake Gardner and Rafferty Gardner.[4] In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was the boyfriend of actress Marlo Thomas.[5]
Death
Gardner died in his Manhattan apartment from complications of lung disease on September 25, 2003, aged 68.[citation needed]
References
^Herb Gardner profile, FilmReference.com; accessed June 13, 2017.
^R. Allen Gardner, 91, Dies; Taught Sign Language to a Chimp Named Washoe, NYTimes.com; accessed October 10, 2021.
^Washoe, a Chimp of Many Words, Dies at 42, NYTimes.com; accessed October 10, 2021.
^"Obituary: Herb Gardner 1934-2003". The Comics Reporter. October 30, 2003. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
^Katie Kelly, "Marlo Thomas: 'All My Life I've Had My Dukes Up'"], New York Times, March 11, 1973.
herb, gardner, british, politician, herbert, gardner, baron, burghclere, confused, with, herb, gardiner, herbert, george, gardner, december, 1934, september, 2003, american, commercial, artist, cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, bornherbert, george, gardner. For the British politician see Herbert Gardner 1st Baron Burghclere Not to be confused with Herb Gardiner Herbert George Gardner December 28 1934 September 25 2003 was an American commercial artist cartoonist playwright and screenwriter Herb GardnerBornHerbert George Gardner 1934 12 28 December 28 1934New York City USDiedSeptember 25 2003 2003 09 25 aged 68 New York City USSpouse s Rita Gardner divorced Barbara C Sproul 2003 his death Children2 Contents 1 Early life 2 Comic strip 3 Plays and films 4 Novel 5 Personal life 6 Death 7 References 8 External linksEarly life EditBorn in Brooklyn New York Gardner was the son of a bar owner 1 His late brother Robert Allen Gardner 2 was a professor of comparative psychology at the University of Nevada Reno and is famous for teaming with his wife Beatrix Gardner on Project Washoe the attempt to teach American Sign Language to a chimpanzee named Washoe 3 Comic strip EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Herb Gardner news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Gardner was educated at New York s High School of Performing Arts Carnegie Mellon University and Antioch College While a student at Antioch he began drawing The Nebbishes The comic strip was picked up by the Chicago Tribune and syndicated to 60 75 major newspapers from 1959 to 1961 Even before syndication the Gardner characters were a national craze marketed on statuettes studio cards barware including cocktail napkins wall decorations and posters In 1960 after the balloons were getting larger and larger and there was hardly any drawing left he dropped it and began writing plays Plays and films EditGardner is best known for his 1962 play A Thousand Clowns which ran for 428 performances He received an Oscar nomination for the screenplay for the successful 1965 movie adaptation The play was revived in 1996 and 2001 Both the 1962 play and the movie starred Jason Robards Jr as Murray Burns a charming unemployed children s show writer who is forced to choose between social conformity and the probable loss of custody of his 11 year old nephew to the Child Welfare Bureau The Robards character was in part based on Gardner s friend at that time humorist Jean Shepherd In 2000 Robards wrote I feel A Thousand Clowns is his masterpiece It is a real human comedy of poignancy and laughter with all of humanity s foibles and eccentricities There is a great depth of love and understanding for all in this play There are great life lessons to learn daily which I find myself still doing For Herb Gardner to have written this play in his early twenties is a miracle Gardner s biggest commercial success was the 1985 play I m Not Rappaport which ran for two years won the Tony Award for Best Play and became the basis for a 1996 movie Other Broadway credits include The Goodbye People 1968 Thieves 1974 and Conversations with My Father 1992 He collaborated with Jule Styne on the ill fated 1980 musical One Night Stand citation needed Novel EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Herb Gardner news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Gardner s autobiographical novel A Piece of the Action was published in 1958 Gardner was the screenwriter and co producer of the 1971 motion picture Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me which starred Dustin Hoffman Gardner made a brief screen appearance as Rabbi Pierce in the 1987 motion picture Ishtar Personal life EditGardner s first wife was actress Rita Gardner the union ended in divorce He later married Barbara Sproul with whom he raised two adopted sons Jake Gardner and Rafferty Gardner 4 In the late 1960s and early 1970s he was the boyfriend of actress Marlo Thomas 5 Death EditGardner died in his Manhattan apartment from complications of lung disease on September 25 2003 aged 68 citation needed References Edit Herb Gardner profile FilmReference com accessed June 13 2017 R Allen Gardner 91 Dies Taught Sign Language to a Chimp Named Washoe NYTimes com accessed October 10 2021 Washoe a Chimp of Many Words Dies at 42 NYTimes com accessed October 10 2021 Obituary Herb Gardner 1934 2003 The Comics Reporter October 30 2003 Retrieved June 14 2017 Katie Kelly Marlo Thomas All My Life I ve Had My Dukes Up New York Times March 11 1973 External links EditHerb Gardner at IMDb Herb Gardner at the Internet Broadway Database Tribute to Herb Gardner by Alan Waldman Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Herb Gardner amp oldid 1114293284, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
