Jimmy Breslin
Encyclopedia : J : JI : JIM : Jimmy Breslin
Jimmy Breslin (born October 17, 1930) is an American columnist and author who has written numerous novels and appeared regularly in various newspapers in New York City, where he lives. On November 2, 2004 he retired as a regular columnist from Newsday but stated his intention to continue writing. In his final Newsday column, Breslin incorrectly predicted a Kerry victory in the 2004 election.
Breslin was born in Jamaica, New York. In 1969, he ran unsuccessfully as an independent for New York City Council President allied with writer Norman Mailer running for Mayor, with the agenda of New York City secession as the 51st state.
According to director William Friedkin, Breslin was originally hired to play "Popeye" Doyle in the 1971 film The French Connection, and completed three weeks of rehearsals with co-star Roy Scheider before Friedkin decided to recast the role.
He won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.
In 1977, the Son of Sam killer, David Berkowitz, addressed a letter to Breslin at the height of the Son of Sam scare in New York City.
Among his notable columns, perhaps the best known was published the day after John F. Kennedy's funeral, focusing on the man who had dug the President's grave.[link] The column was indicative of Breslin's style, which often highlights how major events or the actions of those considered "newsworthy" affect the "common man."
In The Gift of A Water Buffalo, an article written in December 2003, he describes purchasing a Water Buffalo for an impovershed family through the nonprofit charitable organization Heifer International. He claims that Heifer International is the only charity he has ever endorsed.
Breslin is married to Ronnie Eldridge. His daughter Rosemary died June 14, 2004 from a rare blood disease.
Works include
- 1962 ASIN B0007DY5XS
- 1963 Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?
- 1969 World of Jimmy Breslin ISBN 0345216512
- 1969
- 1970 The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight ISBN 0316111740
- 1973 World without End, Amen ISBN 0670790206
- 1976 How the Good Guys Finally Won ISBN 034525001X
- 1978 .44 ISBN 0670324329
- 1983 Forsaking All Others ISBN 044920250X
- 1986 Table Money ISBN 0899193129
- 1988 He Got Hungry and Forgot His Manners ISBN 0899193110
- 1991 ISBN 0899199844
- 1997 ISBN 0316118796
- 2002 ISBN 0940159775
- 2002 ISBN 0316120324
- 2002 The Short Sweet Dream of Eduardo Gutierrez ISBN 0609608274
- 2004 The Church That Forgot Christ ISBN 0743266471
External links
- [Jimmy Breslin Quotes]
- [Jimmy Breslin's 1991 Audio Interview] by Don Swaim
- [Jimmy Breslin at IMDB]
- [Online profile of Breslin]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.