Ephron, Nora (1941–)
Ephron, Nora (1941–)
American writer and director. Born May 19, 1941, in New York, NY; dau. of Henry (screenwriter) and Phoebe Ephron (screenwriter); sister of Delia Ephron, Hallie Ephron and Amy Ephron; Wellesley College, BA, 1962; m. Dan Greenburg (novelist, div.); m. Carl Bernstein (journalist), 1976 (div. 1980); m. Nicholas Pileggi (journalist, screenwriter), 1987; children: Jacob and Max Bernstein.
Witty, erudite director-screenwriter, began career as a reporter with New York Post;established reputation with caustic comic pieces for Esquire, New York Magazine, and New York Times Magazine, publishing bestselling collections of essays Crazy Salad (1975) and Scribble Scribble (1978); made screenplay debut with Silkwood (1983), which earned her an Academy Award nomination; wrote novel Heartburn (1984), about failed marriage to investigative journalist Carl Bernstein, then adapted the novel for a film starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson (1986); as screenwriter, enjoyed tremendous success with When Harry Met Sally (1989), for which she was nominated for a 2nd Academy Award; made directorial debut with This Is My Life (1992), co-written with sister Delia, which received critical acclaim but reaped little financial reward; wrote and directed the hits Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You've Got Mail (1998); additional works include Cookie (1989), My Blue Heaven (1990), Mixed Nuts (1994), Michael (1996) and Bewitched (2005).