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Sidney Sheldon Facts

Sidney Sheldon Facts
Sidney Sheldon was a bestselling American crime fiction and thriller writer, who began his (successful) career in Hollywood before trying his hand at novels. He was born Sidney Schechtel on February 11th, 1917, in Chicago, Illinois, to Ascher Schechtel, a jewelry store manager, and Natalie Marcus. Sidney sold his first piece of writing, a poem, for $5 when he was only 10 years old. Sidney worked a variety of jobs during the Great Depression and after graduation from high school he attended Northwestern University. Sidney moved to Hollywood in 1937 and his career began, collaborating on films and reviewing scripts.
Interesting Sidney Sheldon Facts:
In his early years in Hollywood Sidney Sheldon wrote screenplays including his first successfully sold screenplay South of Panama. He earned $250 for the screenplay in 1941.
Sidney Sheldon joined the army during World War II but was disabled before seeing any action. He moved to New York City and began writing Broadway musicals. He continued to write for Paramount Pictures and MGM Studios.
Sidney Sheldon once had three musicals on Broadway at the same time: The Merry Widow, Jackpot, and Dream with Music.
Sidney Sheldon married Jane Kaufman Harding in 1945. They realized soon after that it had been a mistake and tried to make it work. The marriage ended in 1948.
Sidney Sheldon wrote The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, which won him an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, in 1947.
Sidney Sheldon wrote almost every episode of The Patty Duke Show for seven years.
Sidney Sheldon married Jorja Curtright in 1951. They remained married until her death in 1985. They had one child Mary who went on to become a writer as well.
While working with Screen Gems Sidney Sheldon created, produced, and wrote I Dream of Jeannie.
Sidney Sheldon's first novel was The Naked Face. He wrote it in 1969. He was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for the novel.
Sidney Sheldon's second novel The Other Side of Midnight (1973) became #1 on The New York Times bestsellers list.
Sidney Sheldon went on to write several more novels including A Stranger in the Mirror, Bloodline, Rage of Angels, Master of the Game, If Tomorrow Comes, Windmills of the Gods, The Sands of Time, Memories of Midnight, The Doomsday Conspiracy, The Stars Shine Down, Nothing Lasts Forever, Morning, Noon, and Night, The Best Laid Plans, Tell Me Your Dreams, The Sky is Falling, and Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Sidney Sheldon wrote several Broadway Plays including The Merry Widow, Jackpot, Dream with Music, Alice in Arms, Redhead, and Roman Candle.
Sidney Sheldon's films included Three Guys Named Mike, Annie Get Your Gun, Dream Wife, You're Never Too Young, Anything Goes, Billy Rose's Jumbo, The Other Side of Midnight, Bloodline, and Easter Parade.
In addition to his 1947 Oscar, Sidney Sheldon won a Tony Award in 1959, and had a Golden Palm Star dedicated to him in 1994 on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
Sidney Sheldon died on January 30th, 2007 at the age of 89, following a bout with pneumonia, in Rancho Mirage, California.


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