Paul D. Zimmerman



Paul D. Zimmerman (1938-1993) was a writer and political activist who wrote for Sesame Street from 1974 to 1976.

Zimmerman is best known for writing the screenplay for the film The King of Comedy (1982), directed by Martin Scorcese and starring Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis, for which Zimmerman won a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay. Zimmerman was also a film critic for Newsweek from 1967 to 1975, and author of several books including The Marx Brothers at the Movies (1968, with Burt Goldblatt).

In the early 1980s, Zimmerman founded the Bucks Alliance for Nuclear Disarmament (BAND). In a memorable stunt, the politically progressive Zimmerman managed to win a seat as a Pennsylvania delegate to the 1984 Republican Convention &mdash; but only so he could be the only member at the convention to vote against Ronald Reagan.