I. A. L. Diamond (born Ițec (Itzek) Domnici; June 27, 1920 – April 21, 1988) was a Moldovan–American screenwriter, best known for his collaborations with

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holly ...

Life and career

Diamond was born in

Ungheni Ungheni () is a municipality in Moldova. With a population of 35,157, it is the seventh largest town in Moldova and the seat of Ungheni District. There is a bridge across the Prut and a border checkpoint to Romania. There is another border ...

Iași County Iași County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia, with the administrative seat at Iași. It is the most populous county in Romania, after the Municipality of Bucharest (which has the same administrative level as that of a c ...

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds o ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, i.e. present day

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistri ...

. He emigrated with his mother and sister, following his father to the Crown Heights area of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

in the United States. There, he studied at the Boy's High School, showing ability in mathematics, competing in the state Mathematics Olympiads in 1936–37 and winning several medals therein. Diamond was referred to as "Iz" in Hollywood, and was known to quip that his initials stood for "Interscholastic Algebra League", a prize he also won while attending Boys' High School. Diamond completed his undergraduate studies at

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

in 1941. There he studied journalism, publishing in the ''

Columbia Daily Spectator The ''Columbia Daily Spectator'' (known colloquially as the ''Spec'') is the student newspaper of Columbia University. Founded in 1877, it is the oldest continuously operating college news daily in the nation after '' The Harvard Crimson'', and ha ...

'' under the pseudonym "I. A. L. Diamond". He was editor of the humor magazine ''

Jester of Columbia The ''Jester of Columbia'', or simply the ''Jester'', is a humor magazine at Columbia University in New York City. Founded on April Fool's Day, 1901, it is one of the oldest such publications in the United States. Printed continuously at least ...

'' and a member of the

Philolexian Society The Philolexian Society of Columbia University is one of the oldest college literary and debate societies in the United States, and the oldest student group at Columbia. Founded in 1802, the Society aims to "improve its members in Oratory, Compo ...

. He became the only person to single-handedly write four consecutive productions of the annual revue, the

Varsity Show The Varsity Show is one of the oldest traditions at Columbia University and its oldest performing arts presentation. Founded in 1894 as a fundraiser for the university's fledgling athletic teams, the Varsity Show now draws together the entire Col ...

and a spare should they need one. After graduating, he abandoned the plan to pursue his master's in engineering at Columbia and accepted a short-term contract in Hollywood. A succession of limited-term contracts ensued, notably at Paramount, where Diamond worked on projects without receiving a writing credit. He moved to

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, where he made his first film ''Murder in the Blue Room''. It was a year later at Warner Bros., that he achieved his first real success and consequent recognition with ''Never Say Goodbye''. He worked at

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

for four years. In 1957, he began collaborating with

, working on the film '' Love in the Afternoon''. They later wrote the classic films, ''

Some Like It Hot ''Some Like It Hot'' is a 1959 American crime comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, with George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee, Grace Lee Whitne ...

'', ''

The Apartment ''The Apartment'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond. It stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, Dav ...

'' (which won an

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with th ...

), ''

One, Two, Three ''One, Two, Three'' is a 1961 American political comedy film directed by Billy Wilder and written by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond. It is based on the 1929 Hungarian one-act play ''Egy, kettő, három'' by Ferenc Molnár, with a "plot borrowed par ...

'', '' Irma la Douce'', ''

Kiss Me, Stupid ''Kiss Me, Stupid'' is a 1964 American sex comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder and starring Dean Martin, Kim Novak, and Ray Walston. The screenplay by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond is based on the play ''L'ora della fantasia'' (' ...

'' and '' The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes''. In 1969, Diamond wrote the play '' Cactus Flower'' and the screenplay for the

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

. In total, Diamond and Wilder wrote the script for twelve films. Some featured characters engaging in an endless but friendly squabbling, such as Joe and Jerry in ''Some Like it Hot'' and Holmes and Watson in ''The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes''. Diamond's widow claims that these characters were based on her husband's relationship with Wilder. In 1980, Diamond and Wilder received the Writers Guild of America's Laurel Award for career achievement in screenwriting. Wilder had previously received the Laurel Award in 1957 for his partnership with

Charles Brackett Charles William Brackett (November 26, 1892 – March 9, 1969) was an American screenwriter and film producer. He collaborated with Billy Wilder on sixteen films. Life and career Brackett was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, the son of ...

. Diamond died of

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, ...

on April 21, 1988.

Filmography

As writer

* ''

Buddy Buddy ''Buddy Buddy'' is a 1981 American comedy film based on Francis Veber's play ''Le contrat'' and Édouard Molinaro's film '' L'emmerdeur''. It was the final film directed and written by Billy Wilder. Plot Hitman Trabucco eliminates two witnesses ...

'' (1981) * ''

Fedora A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both side ...

'' (1978) * '' The Front Page'' (1974) * ''

Avanti! ''Avanti!'' is a 1972 American/Italian international co-production comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills. The screenplay by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond is based on Samuel A. Taylor's play, ...

'' (1972) * '' The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' (1970) * '' Cactus Flower'' (1969) * ''

The Fortune Cookie ''The Fortune Cookie'' (alternative UK title: ''Meet Whiplash Willie'') is a 1966 American black comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It was the first film in which Jack Lemmon collaborated with Walter Matthau. Matthau ...

'' (1966) * ''

'' (1964) * '' Irma la Douce'' (1963) * ''

'' (1961) * ''

'' (1960) * ''

'' (1959) (screenplay) * '' Merry Andrew'' (1958) * '' Love in the Afternoon'' (1957) * '' That Certain Feeling'' (1956) * '' Something for the Birds'' (1952) * '' Monkey Business'' (1952) * ''

Let's Make It Legal ''Let's Make It Legal'' is a 1951 American comedy film made by Twentieth Century-Fox, directed by Richard Sale (director), Richard Sale and produced by Robert Bassler from a screenplay by I.A.L. Diamond and Hugh Herbert, F. Hugh Herbert, based on ...

'' (1951) * ''

Love Nest ''Love Nest'' is a 1951 American comedy-drama film directed by Joseph Newman and starring June Haver, William Lundigan, Frank Fay, and Marilyn Monroe. The post- World War II comedy features an early supporting role for Monroe. It is one of t ...

'' (1951) * '' It's a Great Feeling'' (1949) (story) * ''

The Girl from Jones Beach ''The Girl from Jones Beach'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by I. A. L. Diamond. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Virginia Mayo, Eddie Bracken, Dona Drake, Henry Travers and Lois Wilson. The film was releas ...

'' (1949) * ''

Two Guys from Texas ''Two Guys from Texas'' is a 1948 American comedy musical western film directed by David Butler and starring Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, and Dorothy Malone. The film was written by Allen Boretz and I.A.L. Diamond, produced by Alex Gottlieb, ...

'' (1948) * '' Romance on the High Seas'' (1948) (additional dialogue) * ''

Always Together ''Always Together'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Frederick de Cordova and written by I. A. L. Diamond, Henry Ephron and Phoebe Ephron. The film stars Robert Hutton, Joyce Reynolds, Cecil Kellaway, Ernest Truex, Don McGuire and ...

'' (1948) * '' Love and Learn'' (1947) * '' Never Say Goodbye'' (1946) * ''

Two Guys from Milwaukee ''Two Guys from Milwaukee'' (UK title: ''Royal Flush'') is a 1946 American comedy film directed by David Butler and starring Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, and Joan Leslie. It was distributed by Warner Bros. The film is about a Balkan prince who ...

'' (1946) * ''

Murder in the Blue Room ''Murder in the Blue Room'' is a 1944 American film directed by Leslie Goodwins. Plot A musical mystery about a young couple's attempt to solve a mysterious murder that occurred at their house. Cast * Anne Gwynne as Nan * John Litel as Frank Ba ...

'' (1944)

As associate producer

* ''Fedora'' (1978) * ''The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' (1970) * ''The Fortune Cookie'' (1966) * ''Kiss Me, Stupid'' (1964) * ''Irma la Douce'' (1963) * ''One, Two, Three'' (1961) * ''The Apartment'' (1960) * ''Some Like It Hot'' (1959)

Award and honors

Academy Awards

Golden Globe Awards

WGA Awards

*1957: '' Love in the Afternoon'' – American Comedy *1959: ''

'' – American Comedy *1960: ''

'' – American Comedy *1961: ''

'' – American Comedy *1963: '' Irma la Douce'' – American Comedy *1966: ''

'' – American Comedy *1969: '' Cactus Flower'' – Adapted Screenplay (Comedy) *1970: '' The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' – Original Screenplay (Comedy) *1972: ''

'' – Adapted Screenplay (Comedy) *1974: '' The Front Page'' – Adapted Screenplay (Comedy) *1980:

Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement The Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement (also known as the Screen Laurel Award) is a lifetime achievement award given by the Writers Guild of America. It is given "to that member of the Guild who, in the opinion of the current Board of Dir ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diamond, I. A. L. 1920 births 1988 deaths Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Romanian Jews Romanian emigrants to the United States American male screenwriters Jewish American writers Columbia College (New York) alumni People from Ungheni Boys High School (Brooklyn) alumni Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Crown Heights, Brooklyn Deaths from multiple myeloma Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American Jews