George Plimpton
George Plimpton
Born	March 18, 1927 New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Died	September 26, 2003 New York City, New York, U.S.A.

George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. Image File history File links George_Plimpton. ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Official language(s) None Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Official language(s) None Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Biography

Plimpton was born in New York. He attended St. Bernard's School, Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University, where he was an editor of the Harvard Lampoon. Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... St. ... Phillips Exeter Academy (also called Exeter, Phillips Exeter, or PEA) is a co-educational independent boarding school for grades 9-12, located on 619 acres in Exeter, New Hampshire, USA, fifty miles north of Boston. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... The Harvard Lampoon building with its characteristic rooftop ibis and its purple and yellow door The Harvard Lampoon is an undergraduate humor organization and publication founded in 1876 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ...

From 1945 to 1948, he served as a tank driver in Italy for the U.S. Army. Later, he attended King's College at Cambridge University in England. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Full name The Kings College of Our Lady and St Nicholas in Cambridge Motto Veritas Et Utilitas Truth and usefulness Named after Henry VI Previous names - Established 1441 Sister College(s) New College Provost Prof. ... The University of Cambridge, located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ...

In 1953, Plimpton joined the influential literary journal The Paris Review, founded by Peter Matthiessen, Thomas H. Guinzburg, and Harold L. Humes, becoming its first editor in chief. This periodical carries great weight in the literary world but has never been financially strong; for its first half-century, it was largely financed by its publishers and by Plimpton. The Paris Review, which is actually based in New York, is a literary magazine started in 1953 by Peter Matthiessen, Thomas H. Guinzburg, and Harold L. Humes, and edited until his death in 2003 by George Plimpton. ... Peter Matthiessen (born May 22, 1927 in New York City) is an American author of historical fiction and non-fiction. ... Harold L. Humes, also known as Doc, was born in Douglas, Arizona in 1926, and died at St. ...

At Harvard, Plimpton was a classmate and close personal friend of Robert Kennedy. Plimpton, along with former decathlete Rafer Johnson, was credited with helping wrestle Sirhan Sirhan to the ground when Kennedy was assassinated following his victory in the 1968 California Democratic primary at the former The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Robert Kennedy Robert Francis Bobby Kennedy, also called RFK (November 20, 1925–June 6, 1968) was the younger brother of President John F. Kennedy, and was appointed by his brother as Attorney General for his administration. ... // The Decathlon Day 1: 100 m long jump shot put High Jump 400 m Day 2: 110m hurdles discus throw pole vault javelin throw 1500 m Decathlon sprouted from the ancient game pentathlon. ... Rafer Lewis Johnson (born August 18, 1935) is a former American decathlete. ... Sirhan Sirhan Sirhan Bishara Sirhan (born March 19, 1944) was convicted of murdering Senator Robert F. Kennedy. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... The Ambassador Hotels nightclub, the Cocoanut Grove, circa the late 1950s. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

Outside the literary world, Plimpton was famous for competing in professional sporting events and then recording the experience from the point of view of an amateur. In 1960, prior to the second of baseball's two All-Star games, Plimpton pitched against the National League. His experience was captured in the book Out of My League. (He intended to face both line-ups, but tired badly and was relieved by Ralph Houk.) Plimpton sparred for three rounds with boxing greats Archie Moore and Sugar Ray Robinson, while on assignment for Sports Illustrated. In 1963, Plimpton attended pre-season training with the Detroit Lions as a backup quarterback and ran a few plays from scrimmage in an exhibition game. These events were recalled in his best-known book Paper Lion which was later adapted into a feature film starring Alan Alda. Another book, Open Net, saw him train as an ice hockey goalie with the Boston Bruins. His classic The Bogey Man chronicles his attempt to play professional golf on the PGA Tour during the Nicklaus and Palmer era of the 60s. Among other challenges for Sports Illustrated, he attempted to play top-level bridge and spent some time as a high-wire circus performer. Some of these events, such as another attempt at professional football, and an attempt at stand-up comedy, were presented on the ABC television network as a series of specials. After being demolished at tennis by Pancho Gonzales he wrote that he considered himself to be a fairly accomplished tennis player and that the drubbing by Gonzales was the most surprising of his ventures against the great athletes of his time. A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II St. ... All-star (also, Allstar or All Star) is a term with meanings in both the worlds of sports and entertainment. ... The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, or simply the National League, is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada and the worlds oldest extant professional team sports league. ... Ralph George Houk (born August 9, 1919 in Lawrence, Kansas), nicknamed The Major, is a former catcher, coach, manager, and front office executive in Major League Baseball. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left) versus Rafael Ortíz Boxing, also called pugilism, prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science (a common nickname among fans), is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with their fists... Archie Moore whose birth name was Archibald Wright (December 13, 1913 or 1916 – December 9, 1998) was a light heavyweight world boxing champion who set many records in boxing. ... Sugar Ray Robinson, born Walker Smith Jr. ... The first issue of Sports Illustrated, August 16, 1954, showing Milwaukee Braves star Eddie Mathews at bat in Milwaukee County Stadium. ... City Detroit, Michigan Team colors Honolulu Blue, Silver, and Black Head Coach Rod Marinelli Owner William Clay Ford, Sr. ... A quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. ... Paper Lion is a famous non-fiction book by prominent American writer George Plimpton. ... Alan Alda (born Alfonso Joseph DAbruzzo on January 28, 1936) is an Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning American actor, writer, director and sometime political activist. ... Ice hockey, known simply as hockey in areas where it is more common than field hockey, is a team sport played on ice. ... The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. ... The PGA Tour is an organization headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA that operates the USAs main professional golf tours for men. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Ricardo Alonso González (May 9, 1928 – July 3, 1995), who was generally known as Pancho Gonzales, was the World No. ...

A 6 November 1971 cartoon in The New Yorker by Whitney Darrow, Jr. shows a cleaning lady on her hands and knees scrubbing an office floor while saying to another one: "I'd like to see George Plimpton do this sometime." A feature in Mad Magazine titled "Some Really Dangerous Jobs for George Plimpton" spotlighted him trying to swim across Lake Erie, strolling through New York's Times Square in the middle of the night, and spending a day with Jerry Lewis. The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ... Harvey Kurtzmans cover for the first issue of the comic book Mad Mad is an American humor magazine founded by publisher William Gaines and editor Harvey Kurtzman in 1952. ...

Plimpton also appeared in a number of feature films, as an extra and in cameo appearances. He was also notable for his appearance in television commercials during the early 1980s. Among the most memorable are his role as spokesperson for Mattel's Intellivision in a blunt and aggressive ad campaign that advocated the superiority of their video games over those of their competitor, Atari 2600. He was also the host of the Disney Channel's Mouseterpiece Theatre (a Masterpiece Theatre spoof which featured classic Disney cartoon shorts). He appeared in an episode of The Simpsons, I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can, as host of the "Spellympics." He also had a recurring role as the grandfather of the Dr. Carter character on the long-running NBC medical television series, ER. Mattel Inc. ... The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1980; development of the console began in 1978 (less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the legendary Atari 2600). ... The Atari 2600, released in October 1977, was the first successful video game console to use plug-in cartridges instead of having one or more games built in. ... Masterpiece Theatre is a long-running television series produced by WGBH which premiered on PBS on January 10, 1971. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Im Spelling as Fast as I Can is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. ... It has been suggested that NBC Radio City Studios, NBC Studios be merged into this article or section. ... ER is a long-running American serial medical drama created by novelist Michael Crichton and set primarily in the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. ...

Plimpton died of natural causes at his apartment in New York City at the age of 76. Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ...

Books (selected)

• Out Of My League
• Paper Lion about his experience playing professional football
• The Bogey Man about his experiences travelling with the PGA TOUR
• Open Net
• Above New York's introduction, the book by Robert Cameron
• Mad Ducks and Bears
• One More July about the last NFL training camp of former Packer and future coach Bill Curry
• The Curious Case of Sidd Finch; a novel that was an extension of a Sports Illustrated April fool piece about a fictitious baseball pitcher who could throw over 160 mph (250 km/h)
• Truman Capote

Paper Lion is a famous non-fiction book by prominent American writer George Plimpton. ... The PGA Tour is an organization headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA that operates the USAs main professional golf tours for men. ... Above New York is a 1988 aerial travel pictorial of New York City, and the five boroughs by Robert Cameron. ... A famed photographer and author of numerous books featuring aerial photographs of numerous cities throughout the globe. ... Bill Curry is a sports analyst with ESPN. Prior to ESPN, Curry spent 17 years (1980-96) as a head coach in the college ranks, accumulating a 79-98-4 record at Georgia Tech (1980-86), Alabama (1987-89) and Kentucky (1990-96). ... Sidd Finch was the subject of a notorious article by George Plimpton in the April 1, 1985 issue of Sports Illustrated. ... The first issue of Sports Illustrated, August 16, 1954, showing Milwaukee Braves star Eddie Mathews at bat in Milwaukee County Stadium. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Truman García Capote ( 30 September 1924 – 25 August 1984) was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories, novels and plays are recognized literary classics. ...

Film appearances (selected)

• The Detective (1968)
• Rio Lobo (1970)
• Reds (1981)
• Volunteers (1985)
• "Boner Academy" (1987)
• The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
• Little Man Tate (1991)
• L.A. Story (1991)
• Ken Burns' Baseball (1994)
• Just Cause (1995)
• Nixon (1995)
• Good Will Hunting (1997) as Dr. Henry Lipkin, Psychologist
• When We Were Kings (1997) as himself, Reporter
• The Last Days of Disco (1998)
• Edtv (1999)

This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Rio Lobo is a 1970 western movie. ... See also Cincinnati Reds Reds is a 1981 movie starring Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton. ... The Volunteers is a 1985 comedy directed by Nicholas Meyer. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Little Man Tate is a 1991 motion picture that tells a story of a seven-year-old genius, Fred Tate, who has difficulty having friendship with peers. ... L.A. Story is a 1991 movie directed by Mick Jackson and written by Steve Martin. ... Baseball was an Emmy Award-winning 1994 documentary series by Ken Burns about the game of baseball. ... Movie: Just Cause is a 1995 movie starring Blair Underwood, Ed Harris, and Sean Connery, among others. ... Nixon is a 1995 film which tells the story of the political and personal life of former President Richard Nixon. ... Good Will Hunting is a 1997 film directed by Gus Van Sant, set in greater Boston, Massachusetts. ... A psychologist is a scientist and/or clinician who studies psychology, the systematic investigation of the human mind, including behavior and cognition. ... When We Were Kings is a 1996 documentary film by Leon Gast about the famous Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman held in Zaire on October 30, 1974 and the lead-up to the fight. ... A television reporter A reporter is a type of journalist who researches and presents information in certain types of mass media. ... The Last Days of Disco is a 1998 movie directed by Whit Stillman. ... Enhanced definition television, extended definition television, or EDTV is a shorthand term for certain television formats. ...

Television guest appearances (selected)

• The Simpsons, playing himself in the episode "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can," originally aired February 16, 2003.
• ER, playing "John Truman Carter, Sr.," 1998 and 2001
• Saturday Night Live, as himself, uncredited, 1999 and 2002
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery, playing various roles in 10 episodes, 2001-2002

Simpsons redirects here. ... Im Spelling as Fast as I Can is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ER is a long-running American serial medical drama created by novelist Michael Crichton and set primarily in the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... This article is about the year 2001. ... Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late night 90-minute American comedy-variety show based in New York City which has been broadcast by NBC on Saturday nights since October 11, 1975. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... A Nero Wolfe Mystery, also known simply as Nero Wolfe, aired for two seasons on A&E Network, starting in 2001. ... This article is about the year 2001. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

External links and printed references

• Swetz, Frank, J. 1987. Capitalism and Arithmetic. La Salle: Open Court.
• George Plimpton at the Internet Movie Database
• 1986 audio interview of George Plimpton by Don Swaim
• The Plimpton Project
• Walter, Eugene; Katherine Clark (2002). Milking the Moon: A Southerner's Story of Life on This Planet. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-609-80965-2. The author describes his years of working with Plimpton in Paris.