Muriel Resnik (August 15, 1915 – March 6, 1995) was an American playwright and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

. She was known for her comedy play ''Any Wednesday'', performed for the first time on Broadway in 1964 and starring

Sandy Dennis Sandra Dale Dennis (April 27, 1937 – March 2, 1992) was an American actress. She made her film debut in the drama ''Splendor in the Grass'' (1961). For her performance in the comedy-drama film ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1966), she rec ...

Don Porter Donald Cecil Porter (September 24, 1912 – February 11, 1997) was an American stage, film and television actor. On television, he played Peter Sands, the boss of Ann Sothern's character on ''Private Secretary'', and Russell Lawrence, the wi ...

, Gene Hackman, and

Rosemary Murphy Rosemary Murphy (January 13, 1925 – July 5, 2014) was a German- American actress of stage, film, and television. She was nominated for three Tony Awards for her stage work, as well as two Emmy Awards for television work, winning once, for h ...

. Its success took Resnik by surprise, and in 1966 a film of the same name was made, starring Jane Fonda and

Jason Robards Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill, Robards received two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Cannes ...

as the main characters. Resnik wrote such novels as ''Life Without Father'', ''House Happy'' and ''The Girl in the Turquoise Bikini'', which was also adapted to film with the title, ''

How Sweet It Is! ''How Sweet It Is!'' is a 1968 comedy film starring James Garner and Debbie Reynolds, with a supporting cast including Terry-Thomas and Paul Lynde. Garner plays a photographer who accompanies his wife and teenage son on an assignment in Paris, w ...

'' (1968). She later wrote ''Son of Any Wednesday'' and, in 1992, ''The Garden Club'', her first murder mystery. She was working on a sequel to ''The Garden Club'' at the time of her death on March 6, 1995, in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

of heart failure after a long illness. In addition to her husband, she was survived by two sons, Michael and Henry; two sisters, Lillian Stamler and Jean Krosner; three grandchildren; and a great-grandson.Muriel Resnik's Obituary
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', March 11, 1995.

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* 1915 births 1995 deaths American women novelists American women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Novelists from Connecticut Novelists from New York (state) {{US-novelist-1910s-stub