Nora Ephron was a highly accomplished and celebrated individual who received her education at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She is renowned for her exceptional skills as an essayist, novelist, and screenwriter, with a remarkable ability to craft strong and complex female characters. Her impressive portfolio includes the critically acclaimed screenplay for the film Silkwood, co-written with Alice Arlen, which tells the powerful story of anti-nuclear activist Karen Silkwood. Additionally, she co-wrote the screenplay for the film Cookie, which explores the life of a feisty and independent daughter of a mobster.
Ephron's expertise in crafting compelling stories and characters was also evident in her work on the film When Harry Met Sally..., which she co-wrote with Rob Reiner. Her screenplay for this film, which offers a clear-eyed view of modern romance, earned her an Oscar nomination. She also made significant contributions to the development of the romantic comedy genre, with her directorial debut being the comedy This Is My Life, which she co-scripted with her sister Delia Ephron. The film follows the journey of a single mother who struggles to establish herself as a stand-up comedienne.
Ephron's subsequent film, Sleepless in Seattle, is a romantic comedy that explores the theme of love and its representation in movies. The film, which stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, draws inspiration from the classic shipboard romance An Affair to Remember, starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. This film showcases Ephron's ability to craft engaging stories that resonate with audiences.
Born in New York City, Ephron was the daughter of a stage and screen writing team, Henry and Phoebe Ephron. Her parents used her infancy as the subject of their play "Three's a Family" and based their comedy Take Her, She's Mine on letters their daughter wrote them from college. Her parents' screenplays include the classic musicals There's No Business Like Show Business, Carousel, and Desk Set.
Ephron was previously married to novelist Dan Greenburg and investigative journalist Carl Bernstein, before marrying crime journalist and screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote the film Goodfellas. She was of Russian Jewish descent and left behind a legacy of remarkable work in the film industry.
