George Plimpton

1927–2003 · American writer, editor and journalist, also an occasional actor

Biography

George Plimpton (New York, 1927-2003) was an American writer, editor and journalist, best known for participatory journalism and for helping to found The Paris Review, where he served as its first and only editor. On screen he was an occasional performer, but his name is tied to a style of reporting that took him into very different fields.

Born into a family of lawyers and public servants, he studied at Harvard and at Cambridge. He joined The Paris Review in 1952 and, from the late 1950s, paired editing with books recounting his forays as a football quarterback, golfer or ice hockey goalie. These experiences produced titles such as Out of My League and Paper Lion, the latter adapted for the screen in 1968. His acting work was less regular and centred on supporting parts in films such as Rio Lobo, a Western, and historical and political dramas such as Lawrence of Arabia and Nixon.

His legacy rests mainly on participatory reporting and the wit of his prose, more than on his acting. He died in New York in 2003, leaving behind nearly three dozen books.

Key films

Rio Lobo (1970): a Western in which he had a supporting role.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962): David Lean's epic, in which he appears in a minor part.
The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990): Brian De Palma's adaptation of the Tom Wolfe novel.
Good Will Hunting (1997): Gus Van Sant's drama, with Plimpton in a supporting role.

Trivia

The fictional pitcher

In April 1985, Sports Illustrated ran a piece about an invented pitcher, Sidd Finch, that many readers believed. The prank was so convincing that Plimpton later expanded it into a book.

The gong with Bernstein

During his stint as a percussionist with the New York Philharmonic, a miss-hit on the gong earned him immediate applause from conductor Leonard Bernstein.