Norma Barzman
American screenwriter (1920–2023)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Norma Levor Barzman (September 15, 1920 – December 17, 2023) was an American journalist, screenwriter, actress and novelist[1] who was active in the film industry in the Golden Age of Hollywood.[2][3][4]
September 15, 1920
- Screenwriter
- actress
Norma Barzman | |
|---|---|
![]() Publicity Photo of Norma Barzman | |
| Born | Norma Levor September 15, 1920 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 2023 (aged 103) |
| Alma mater | Radcliffe College |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1946–2000 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 7, including Paolo |
Life and career
Barzman was born into a Jewish family on September 15, 1920, in Manhattan, New York City.[5] She attended Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[6] She started her career in 1946 writing the original story for Never Say Goodbye and The Locket. Later, she also wrote Finishing School (1952) and Il triangolo rosso (1967).[7]
Barzman also appeared as an actress[8] in Theatre 70 (1970) and Pajama Party (2000) as the Groovy Grandma guest.[9]
Personal life
Barzman married mathematician Claude Shannon,[10] known as the "father of information theory",[11] and lived with him in Princeton, New Jersey. When they divorced, Barzman moved to Los Angeles with her mother and took classes at the School for Writers, the members of which were leftist. She met and married screenwriter Ben Barzman.[12] Having been blacklisted from Hollywood between the years 1949 and 1976, they lived in London, Paris, and on the French Riviera at Mougins. They had seven children.[13]
Barzman died at her home in Beverly Hills, California, on December 17, 2023, at the age of 103.[14]
Filmography
Writer
- Il triangolo rosso (1967)
- Finishing School (1952)
- The Locket (1946)
- Never Say Goodbye (1946)
Actress
- Pajama Party (2000) – Groovy Grandma guest
- Theatre 70 (1960) – narrator
Documentary
- Les exilés d'Hollywood (2006)
- Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust (2004)
