S. N. Behrman

S. N. Behrman (1893-1973), American playwright, born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and educated at Clark College and Harvard and Columbia universities. At Harvard he was a member of the 47 Workshop, a playwriting class conducted by George Pierce Baker. Behrman wrote 21 Broadway plays. Almost all of them, from The Second Man (1927) through But for Whom Charlie (1964), are comedies of manners, noted for the sophistication and wit of their dialogue and the incisiveness of their characterizations. Within these comedies, however, Behrman also incorporated his concerns about the serious social and political matters of his time. Among his most popular dramatic works are Biography (1933) and No Time for Comedy (1939). Behrman also wrote numerous screenplays.