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{{Short description|American playwright, screenwriter and novelist (1923–1981)}}
{{Infobox person
| birthname    = Sidney Aaron Chayefsky
| image        = Paddy_Chayefsky_1956_NBC_publicity.jpg
| caption      = Chayefsky in 1956
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|mf=yes|1923|01|29}}
| birth_place  = New York City, U.S.
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|1981|08|01|1923|01|29}}
| death_place  = New York City, U.S.
| years_active = 1944–1980
| occupation   = {{hlist|Playwright|novelist |screenwriter}} 
| spouse       = {{marriage|Susan Sackler Chayefsky|1949}}
| children     = 1
| alma_mater   = [[City College of New York]] (1943)
| resting_place = [[Kensico Cemetery]], [[Valhalla, New York]]
}}
'''Sidney Aaron''' "'''Paddy'''" '''Chayefsky''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|tʃ|aɪ|ˈ|(|j|)|ɛ|f|s|k|i}}; January 29, 1923&nbsp;– August 1, 1981) was an American playwright, [[screenwriter]] and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo [[Academy Awards]] for writing both [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Adapted]] and [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Original]] screenplays.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Paddy Chayefsky|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/paddy-chayefsky|access-date=2021-07-21|website=Television Academy|language=en}}</ref>

He was one of the most renowned dramatists of the [[Golden Age of Television]]. His intimate, realistic scripts provided a naturalistic style of television drama for the 1950s, dramatizing the lives of ordinary Americans.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|first=Paul|last=Rutherford|url=https://archive.org/details/whentelevisionwa0000ruth|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/whentelevisionwa0000ruth/page/279 279]|title=When Television Was Young|publisher=University of Toronto Press|location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada|date=1990|isbn=978-1401603274}}</ref> [[Martin Gottfried]] wrote in ''All His Jazz'' that Chayefsky was "the most successful graduate of television's [[slice of life]] school of naturalism."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=g3uY59k0XNUC&pg=PA171 Quote re Chayefsky], google.com; accessed June 29, 2015.</ref>

Following his critically acclaimed teleplays, Chayefsky became a noted playwright and novelist. As a screenwriter, he received three [[Academy Awards]] for ''[[Marty (film)|Marty]]'' (1955), ''[[The Hospital]]'' (1971) and ''[[Network (1976 film)|Network]]'' (1976). The movie ''Marty'' was based on his own television drama about two lonely people finding love. ''Network'' was a satire of the television industry and ''The Hospital'' was also satiric. Film historian [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]] called ''The Hospital'' "years ahead of its time.{{Nbs}}… Few films capture the disaster of America's self-destructive idealism so well."<ref name=Thomson>{{cite book|first=David|last=Thomson|title=The New Biographical Dictionary of Film|url=https://archive.org/details/newbiographicald00thom|url-access=registration|publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]]|location=New York City|date=2002|isbn=9780375411281|page=[https://archive.org/details/newbiographicald00thom/page/155 155]}}</ref> His screenplay for ''Network'' is often regarded as his [[masterpiece]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-greatest-screenplays/list |title=101 Greatest Screenplays |publisher=Writers Guild of America, West |access-date=January 13, 2017}}</ref> and has been hailed as "the kind of literate, darkly funny and breathtakingly prescient material that prompts many to claim it as the greatest screenplay of the 20th century."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/books/review/mad-as-hell-by-dave-itzkoff.html?_r=0 |title=Anchorman|last=Lowe |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Lowe|newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 13, 2014 |access-date=January 13, 2017}}</ref>

Chayefsky's early stories were frequently influenced by the author's childhood in [[The Bronx]]. Chayefsky was part of the inaugural class of inductees into the [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]]' [[Television Hall of Fame]]. He received this honor three years after his death, in 1984.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XqoqB6-9EhIC&q=Television%2520Hall%2520of%2520Fame%2520Paddy%2520Chayefsky%25201984&pg=PA59|title=THE COMIC DNA OF LUCILLE BALL: INTERPRETING THE ICON|last=Karol|first=Michael|date=2005-12-15|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=9780595823208|language=en}}</ref>

==Early life==
[[File:Paddy Chayefsky HS Yearbook.jpg|thumb|Chayefsky as a senior in high school, 1939]]
Sidney Aaron Chayefsky was born in [[the Bronx]], [[New York City]], to [[History of the Jews in Russia|Russian-Jewish]] immigrants Harry and Gussie (Stuchevsky) Chayefsky. Harry Chayefsky's father served for twenty-five years in the Russian army so the family was allowed to live in Moscow, while Gussie Stuchevsky lived in a village near [[Odessa]]. Harry and Gussie immigrated to the United States in 1907 and 1909 respectively.<ref>Considine, p. 3</ref>

Harry Chayefsky worked for a New Jersey milk distribution company in which he eventually took a controlling interest and renamed Dellwood Dairies. The family lived in [[Perth Amboy, New Jersey]], and [[Mount Vernon, New York]], moving temporarily to Bailey Avenue in the [[West Bronx]] at the time of Sidney Chayefsky's birth while a larger house in Mount Vernon was being completed.<ref>Considine, p. 5</ref> He had two older brothers, William and Winn.<ref>Considine, pp. 4–5</ref>

As a toddler, Chayefsky showed signs of being gifted, and could "speak intelligently" at two and a half. His father suffered a financial reversal during the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]], and the family moved back to the Bronx. Chayefsky attended a public [[elementary school]]. As a boy, Chayefsky was noted for his verbal ability, which won him friends.<ref>Considine, p. 5-6</ref> He attended [[DeWitt Clinton High School]],<ref>{{cite news|last1=Campbell|first1=Colin|title=PADDY CHAYEFSKY DEAD AT 58; PLAYWRIGHT WON THREE OSCARS|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/02/obituaries/paddy-chayefsky-dead-at-58-playwright-won-three-oscars.html|access-date=16 July 2016|work=The New York Times|date=2 August 1981}}</ref> where he served as editor of the school's literary magazine ''The Magpie''. He graduated from Clinton in 1939 at age 16 and attended the [[City College of New York]], graduating with a degree in social sciences in 1943.<ref>Considine, pp. 16–17</ref> While at City College he played for the semi-professional football team Kingsbridge Trojans. He studied languages at [[Fordham University]] during his Army service.<ref name="Fisher">{{cite book|last1=Fisher|first1=James|title=Historical Dictionary of Contemporary American Theater: 1930–2010|date=June 2011|publisher=Scarecrow Press|location=Lanham, Maryland|isbn=978-0-8108-5532-8|page=146}}</ref><ref>Considine, p. 20</ref>

===Military service===
In 1943, two weeks before his graduation from City College, Chayefsky was drafted into the [[United States Army]],<ref>Considine, p. 17</ref> and served in combat in Europe. While in the Army he adopted the nickname "Paddy." The nickname was given spontaneously when he was awakened at dawn for [[KP duty|kitchen duty]]. Although actually Jewish, he asked to be excused to attend [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]]. "Sure you do, [[List of ethnic slurs#P|Paddy]]," said the officer, and the name stuck.<ref>Considine, p. 18</ref>

Chayefsky was wounded by a [[land mine]] while serving with the [[104th Infantry Division (United States)|104th Infantry Division]] in the [[European theatre of World War II|European Theatre]] near [[Aachen]], [[Germany]]. He was awarded the [[Purple Heart]]. The wound left him badly scarred, contributing to his shyness around women.<ref>Considine 17, 40</ref> While recovering from his injuries in the Army Hospital near [[Cirencester]], England, he wrote the book and lyrics to a musical comedy, ''No T.O. for Love''. First produced in 1945 by the [[Special Services (entertainment)|Special Services Unit]], the show toured European Army bases for two years.<ref name="Fisher"/>

The London opening of ''No T.O. for Love'' at the [[Scala Theatre]] in the [[West End theatre|West End]] was the beginning of Chayefsky's theatrical career. During the London production of this musical, Chayefsky encountered [[Joshua Logan]], a future collaborator, and [[Garson Kanin]], who invited Chayefsky to collaborate with him on a documentary of the Allied invasion, ''[[The True Glory]]''.<ref>Considine, p. 23</ref>

== Career ==

=== 1940s ===
Returning to the United States, Chayefsky worked in his uncle's print shop, Regal Press, an experience which provided a background for his later teleplay, ''Printer's Measure'' (1953), as well as his story for the movie ''As Young as You Feel'' (1951). Kanin enabled Chayefsky to spend time working on his second play, ''Put Them All Together'' (later known as ''M is for Mother''), but it was never produced. Producers Mike Gordon and Jerry Bressler gave him a junior writer's contract. He wrote a story, ''The Great American Hoax'', which sold to ''[[Good Housekeeping]]'' but was never published.

Chayefsky went to Hollywood in 1947 with the aim of becoming a screenwriter. His friends Garson Kanin and [[Ruth Gordon]] found him a job in the accounting office of [[Universal Pictures]]. He studied acting at the Actor's Lab and Kanin got him a bit part in the film ''[[A Double Life (1947 film)|A Double Life]]''. He returned to New York, submitted scripts, and was hired as an apprentice scriptwriter by Universal. His script outlines were not accepted and he was fired after six weeks. After returning to New York, Chayefsky wrote the outline for a play that he submitted to the William Morris Agency. The agency, treating it as a novella, submitted it to Good Housekeeping magazine. Movie rights were purchased by Twentieth Century Fox, Chayefsky was hired to write the script, and he returned to Hollywood in 1948.<ref>Considine, pp. 30–35</ref> But Chayefsky was discouraged by the studio system, which involved rewrites and relegated writers to inferior roles, so he quit and moved back to New York, vowing not to return.<ref>Considine, p. 38</ref>

During the late 1940s, he began working full-time on short stories and radio scripts, and during that period, he was a gagwriter for radio host [[Robert Q. Lewis]]. Chayefsky later recalled, "I sold some plays to men who had an uncanny ability not to raise money."<ref>{{cite book |last=Frank|first=Sam|title=American Screenwriters: Second Series|year=1986 |publisher=Gale|location=[[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]] |isbn=978-0-8103-1722-2}}</ref>

=== Early 1950s ===
During 1951–52, Chayefsky wrote adaptations for radio's ''[[The United States Steel Hour|Theater Guild on the Air]]'': ''The Meanest Man in the World'' (with [[James Stewart]]), ''[[Cavalcade of America]]'', ''Tommy'' (with [[Van Heflin]] and Ruth Gordon) and ''Over 21'' (with [[Wally Cox]]).

His play ''The Man Who Made the Mountain Shake'' was noticed by [[Elia Kazan]], and his wife, [[Molly Kazan]], helped Chayefsky with revisions. It was retitled ''Fifth From Garibaldi'' but was never produced. In 1951, the movie ''[[As Young as You Feel]]'' was adapted from a Chayefsky story.[[File:Paddy Chayefsky NYWTS edited.jpg|thumb|200px|Chayefsky in 1958]]
He moved into television with scripts for ''[[Danger (TV series)|Danger]]'', ''The Gulf Playhouse'' and ''[[Manhunt (1959 TV series)|Manhunt]]''. ''[[The Philco Television Playhouse|Philco Television Playhouse]]'' producer [[Fred Coe]] saw the ''Danger'' and ''Manhunt'' episodes and enlisted Chayefsky to adapt the story ''It Happened on the Brooklyn Subway'' about a photographer on a [[New York City Subway]] train who reunites a concentration camp survivor with his long-lost wife. Chayefsky's first script to be telecast was a 1949 adaptation of [[Budd Schulberg]]'s ''[[What Makes Sammy Run?]]'' for ''[[The Philco Television Playhouse|Philco]]''.

Since he had always wanted to use a synagogue as backdrop, he wrote ''Holiday Song'', telecast in 1952 and also in 1954. He submitted more work to ''[[The Philco Television Playhouse|Philco]]'', including ''[[Printer's Measure]]'', ''[[The Bachelor Party]]'' (1953) and ''The Big Deal'' (1953).

The seventh season of ''Philco Television Playhouse'' began September 19, 1954 with [[E. G. Marshall]] and [[Eva Marie Saint]] in Chayefsky's ''[[Middle of the Night (film)|Middle of the Night]]'', a play which relocated to Broadway theaters 15 months later; In 1956, ''Middle of the Night'' opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] with [[Edward G. Robinson]] and [[Gena Rowlands]], and its success led to a national tour. It was filmed by [[Columbia Pictures]] in 1959 with [[Kim Novak]] and [[Fredric March]].

=== ''Marty'' and fame ===
In 1953, Chayefsky wrote ''[[Marty (teleplay)|Marty]]'', which was premiered on ''[[The Philco Television Playhouse]]'', with [[Rod Steiger]] and [[Nancy Marchand]]. ''Marty'' is about a decent, hard-working Bronx butcher, pining for the company of a woman in his life but despairing of ever finding true love in a relationship. Fate pairs him with a plain, shy schoolteacher named Clara whom he rescues from the embarrassment of being abandoned by her blind date in a local dance hall. The production, the actors and Chayefsky's naturalistic dialogue received much critical acclaim and influenced subsequent live television dramas.

Chayefsky was initially uninterested when producer [[Harold Hecht]] sought to buy film rights for ''Marty'' for [[Hecht-Hill-Lancaster]]. Chayefsky, still upset by his treatment years before, demanded creative control, consultation on casting, and the same director as in the TV version, [[Delbert Mann]]. Surprisingly, Hecht agreed to all of Chayefsky's demands, and named Chayefsky "associate producer" of the film. Chayefsky then requested and was granted "co-director" status, so that he could take over production if Mann were fired.<ref>Considine, p. 70</ref>

The screenplay was little changed from the teleplay, but with Clara's role expanded. Chayefsky was involved in all casting decisions and had a [[Cameo appearance|cameo role]], playing one of Marty's friends, unseen, in a car. Actress [[Betsy Blair]], playing Clara, faced difficulties because of her affiliation with left-wing causes, and United Artists demanded that she be removed. Chayefsky refused, and her husband [[Gene Kelly]] also intervened on her behalf. Blair remained in the cast.<ref>Considine, pp. 72–77</ref>

In September 1954, after most of the movie had been filmed, the studio ceased production due to accounting and financial difficulties.<ref>Considine, pp. 77–80</ref> Producer Harold Hecht encountered resistance to the ''Marty'' project from his partner [[Burt Lancaster]] from the beginning, with Lancaster "only tolerating" it.<ref>Considine, p. 81</ref> The film had a limited publicity budget. But reviews were glowing, and the film won the [[Palme d'Or]] at the 1955 [[Cannes Film Festival]] and the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]], greatly boosting Chayefsky's career.<ref>Considine, pp. 83–87, 99–101</ref>

=== Late 1950s ===

[[File:Ed Wynn Kathleen Crowley Great American Hoax.jpg|thumb|[[Ed Wynn]] and [[Kathleen Crowley]] in "The Great American Hoax" (1957), for ''The 20th Century Fox Hour'']]
After his success with ''Marty'', Chayefsky continued to write for TV and theater as well as films. Chayefsky's ''[[The Great American Hoax]]'' was broadcast May 15, 1957 during the second season of ''[[The 20th Century Fox Hour]]''.<ref>{{IMDb name|0154665}}</ref>

His TV play ''The Bachelor Party'' was bought by United Artists and ''The Catered Affair'' was acquired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. [[Gore Vidal]] was hired to write the screenplay by MGM, while Chayefsky wrote the ''Bachelor Party''. ''[[The Catered Affair|Catered Affair]]'' did well in Europe but poorly in U.S. theaters, and was not a success.<ref>Considine, pp. 101–103</ref>

''[[The Bachelor Party|Bachelor Party]]'' was budgeted at $750,000, twice ''Marty''{{'s}}, but received far less acclaim and was viewed by United Artists as artistically inferior. The studio chose instead to promote another Hecht-Hill-Lancaster film, ''[[Sweet Smell of Success]]'', which it believed to be better. ''Bachelor Party'' was a commercial failure, and never made a profit.<ref>Considine, pp. 107–109</ref>

Chayefsky wrote a film adaptation of his Broadway play ''[[Middle of the Night (film)|Middle of the Night]]'', originally writing the female lead role for [[Marilyn Monroe]]. She passed on the part, which went to [[Kim Novak]]. He also commenced work on ''[[The Goddess (1958 film)|The Goddess]]'', the story of the rise and fall of a movie star resembling Monroe.<ref>Considine, pp. 114–120</ref> The star of ''The Goddess'', [[Kim Stanley]], despised the film and refused to publicize it. He and Stanley clashed during production of the film, in which Chayefsky served as producer as well as screenwriter. Despite her requests, Chayefsky refused to change any aspect of the script. Monroe's husband, [[Arthur Miller]] believed that the film was based on his wife's life and protested to Chayefsky. The film received positive reviews, and Chayefsky received an Academy Award nomination for his script.<ref>Considine, p. 142, 144, 147</ref> A New York Herald Tribune reviewer called the film "a substantial advance in the work of Chayefsky."<ref>Considine, p. 144</ref>

Chayefsky denied for years that the film was based on Monroe, but Chayefsky's biographer Shaun Considine observes that not only was she the prototype but the film "captured her longing and despair" accurately.<ref>Considine p. 119</ref>

In 1958 Chayefsky began adapting ''Middle of the Night'' as a film, and he decided not to use the star of the Broadway version, Edward G. Robinson, with whom he had clashed, choosing instead Fredric March. [[Elizabeth Taylor]] initially agreed to appear in the female lead, but dropped out. Kim Novak was ultimately cast in the part. The film was chosen as the American entry at the Cannes Film Festival, but reviews were mixed and the film had only a short run in theaters.<ref>Considine, pp. 166–177</ref>

''[[The Tenth Man (Chayefsky play)|The Tenth Man]]'' (1959) marked Chayefsky's second Broadway theatrical success, garnering 1960 [[Tony Award]] nominations for Best Play, Best Director ([[Tyrone Guthrie]]) and Best Scenic Design. Guthrie received another nomination for Chayefsky's ''[[Gideon (play)|Gideon]]'', as did actor [[Fredric March]]. Chayefsky's final Broadway theatrical production, a play based on the life of [[Joseph Stalin]], [[The Passion of Josef D.|''The Passion of Josef D'']], received unfavorable reviews and ran for only 15 performances.<ref name="ibdb">[http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=2818 Internet Broadway Database]; accessed June 29, 2015.</ref>

Although Chayefsky was an early writer for the television medium, he eventually abandoned it, "decrying the lack of interest the networks demonstrated toward quality programming". As a result, during the course of his career, he constantly toyed with the idea of lampooning the television industry, which he succeeded in doing with ''Network''.<ref name=Guide>''Guide to the Paddy Chayefsky Papers, 1907–1998'', New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 2006 completion</ref>

=== ''The Americanization of Emily'' ===
Although Chayefsky wished only to do original screenplays, he was persuaded by producer [[Martin Ransohoff]] to adapt [[William Bradford Huie]]'s 1959 novel that was eventually filmed with the book's title ''[[The Americanization of Emily]]'' (1964).<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=B0IEAAAAMBAJ&dq=William+Bradford+Huie+%2B+d+day&pg=PA47 Life Magazine, 9 October 1944, article by Huie: ''SeaBees – They Build the Roads to Victory''] Linked 2013-08-09</ref> The novel dealt with interservice rivalries prior to the [[Normandy landings]] during [[World War II]], with a love story at the center of the plot. Chayefsky agreed to adapting the novel but only if he could fundamentally change the story. He made the titular character more sophisticated, but refusing to be "Americanized" by accepting material goods.<ref>Considine, pp. 215–218</ref>

[[William Wyler]] was initially brought in as the director, but his relationship with Chayefsky deteriorated when he sought to change the script. [[William Holden]] was initially cast in the male lead, but that led to conflict when he asked that [[Julie Andrews]] be replaced by his then-girlfriend, [[Capucine]]. [[James Garner]], adept at comedy with sophisticated dialogue but originally slated to play a supporting role, replaced Holden and delivered a critically acclaimed performance while [[James Coburn]] took over the part originally meant for Garner.<ref>Garner, James & Winokur, Jon ''The Garner Files: A Memoir'' Simon & Schuster; First Edition (November 1, 2011)</ref> Both James Garner and Julie Andrews always maintained that ''The Americanization of Emily'' was their favorite film of their own work.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ORLB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0ED904064C0FA190&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=11ECDBF131F44C689BB0EDBA11D99EE0 |title=Easygoing Garner Gets Nice Salute: Turner Classic Movies Honors the Star with a Review of His Career and by Showing 18 of His Movies|work=The Orlando Sentinel |first=Hal |last=Boedeke |date=July 29, 2001}}</ref><ref name="Charlie Rose">[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8844857220560459276 James Garner of Charlie Rose, ~6' from beginning]</ref><ref>Blank, Ed. [http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:PTRB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=10DF57ABA3241800&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=11ECDBF131F44C689BB0EDBA11D99EE0 ''Andrews as Maria a result of 'happy circumstances' '']. ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review''. 17 November 2005.</ref> The film opened in August 1964 to superlative reviews but was a box office failure, possibly due to its extremely controversial anti-war stance at the dawn of the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>Considine p. 222-223, 236–237</ref> The studio changed the title in the middle of its release, calling it ''Emily...she's super!'' to avoid confusing part of the public with a seven-syllable word in the title.  The film has since been praised as a "[[Avant-garde|vanguard]] anti-war film."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/1184|title=The Americanization of Emily|last=Feaster|first=Felicia|publisher=Turner Classic Movies, Inc.|access-date=February 26, 2017}}</ref>

=== 1960s 'fallow period' ===
The failure of ''Americanization of Emily'' and ''Josef D''. on Broadway shook Chayefsky's confidence, and was the beginning of a what his biographer Shaun Considine calls a "fallow period." He agreed to do novel adaptations, which he had previously shunned, and was hired to adapt the [[Richard Jessup]] novel ''The Cincinnati Kid.'' Director [[Sam Peckinpah]] rejected the script, and Chayefsky was fired.<ref>Considine pp. 236–241</ref> Peckinpah was replaced by [[Norman Jewison]] shortly after the [[The Cincinnati Kid|film]] began production.

Chayefsky worked for a time on adapting Huie's book ''Three Lives for Mississippi,'' about the murders of three civil rights workers in 1964, and in 1967 was hired to adapt the Broadway musical [[Paint Your Wagon (musical)|''Paint Your Wagon'']]. He was fired from the film after producing a script that [[Alan Jay Lerner]], the playwright and producer, felt lacked "a musical structure." Chayefsky had his name removed as screenwriter but remained as adapter.<ref>Considine, pp. 247–250</ref>

=== Comeback with ''The Hospital'' ===
In 1969 and 1970. Chayefsky began to consider a film that would be set among the civil unrest taking place at the time. When his wife Susan received poor care at a hospital, he pitched to United Artists a story based at a hospital. To ensure that he had the same kind of creative control given to playwrights, he formed Simcha Productions, named after the Hebrew version of his given name, Sidney. He then commenced research, reading medical books and visiting hospitals.<ref>Considine, pp. 271–274</ref>

The leading character in the film, Dr. Herbert Bock, included many of Chayefsky's personal traits. Bock had been a "boy genius" who felt bitter and that his life was over. One of the monologues of [[George C. Scott]] as Bock in the film, in which Bock says he is miserable and considering suicide, was repeated verbatim from a conversation that Chayefsky had with a business associate during that time.<ref>Considine, pp. 274–275</ref>

The long speeches written for Bock and other characters by Chayefsky, later praised by critics, met resistance from United Artists executives during the making of the film. The script was described as "too talky" and containing excessive medical terminology. But Chayefsky, as producer, prevailed. He also vetoed the studio's suggestion that [[Walter Matthau]] or [[Burt Lancaster]] be hired for the lead role, insisting on Scott. Chayefsky worked on the dialogue with [[Diana Rigg]], the female lead, but Scott rejected his input.<ref>Considine, pp. 274–283</ref>

After filming, Chayefsky spoke the opening narration after several actors were rejected for the job. It was supposed to be temporary, but became the one that was used in the film.<ref>Considine, pp. 284–285</ref> Although some initial reviews were negative, the film received rave reviews from leading critics, and was a box office hit. Chayefsky won an Academy Award for his script, and his career was revived.<ref>Considine, pp. 286–288</ref>

=== ''Network'' ===
Creating a story about a TV network had interested Chayefsky for a while. In 1968, he worked on a pilot script for a comedic TV series he called ''The Impostors'' or ''There's No Business'', about "subversives who infiltrate a television network and undermine it from within."<ref name=Itzkoff_article>{{cite news |last=Itzkoff |first=Dave |title=Notes of a Screenwriter, Mad as Hell |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/movies/paddy-chayefskys-notes-for-network-film.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 19, 2011}}</ref> In a script note, he wrote: "We are not dealing with a human institution. We are dealing with an enormous profit-making machine."<ref name=Itzkoff_article /> But the TV series was not pursued. Shaun Considine says the "opening hook" for the ''Network'' script came "when Chayefsky was watching a respected, supposedly learned TV anchor rattle off some scripted inanities on the evening news. 'Jesus, how can these guys live with themselves?'"<ref>Considine, p. 306</ref> Chayefsky believed that TV news was desensitizing viewers to violence and murder, and that it was affecting the broadcasters. In 1974, a local [[Florida]] news anchor, [[Christine Chubbuck]], committed suicide during a broadcast.<ref name="Teeman" /> Chayefsky asked his friend, [[NBC News]] anchor [[John Chancellor]], if it was possible for an anchorman to go crazy on the air, and Chancellor replied, "Every day."<ref>Considine, pp. 305–306</ref> Within a week of that conversation, Chayefsky had written the rough draft of a script, centering on Howard Beale, an elderly, disillusioned anchor who announces he will commit suicide on the air.

Chayefsky researched the project by watching hours of television and consulting with NBC executive [[David Tebet]], who allowed the writer to attend programming meetings. Chayefsky also gathered information at [[CBS]] and met with [[Walter Cronkite]]. The completed script reflected the writer's research and his political opinion, prevalent at the time, that Arabs were "buying up" U.S. corporations.<ref>Considine, pp. 306–309</ref> The "mad as hell" speech was a deeply personal statement encapsulating the core of Chayefsky's beliefs during the early 1970s. He later called it an easy speech to write as it expressed his view that people had a right to get mad.<ref>Considine, pp. 309–310</ref>

The script encountered difficulties because of film industry concerns that it was too tough on television. Ultimately it was decided, in a deal announced in July 1975, that ''Network'' would be a co-production of MGM and United Artists (UA), with Chayefsky having complete creative control. [[George C. Scott]] was offered the supporting role of Max Schumacher (Beale's friend and a traditional journalist representing integrity in the media) but rejected it, and the role went to [[William Holden]].<ref>Considine, pp. 312–316</ref> Chayefsky refused requests by MGM and UA to give the film a "softer" ending; the studios feared that the actual ending{{Snd}}with the Beale character assassinated at the order of network executives{{Snd}}would alienate audiences.<ref>Considine, pp 325–326</ref>

Outside the expected negative reviews from TV network-based film critics, ''Network'' was a critical and box office success, winning ten Academy Award nominations, and Chayefsky won his third Academy Award, making him the only three-time solo recipient of a screenwriting Oscar (all the other three-time winners—[[Francis Ford Coppola]], [[Charles Brackett]], [[Woody Allen]], and [[Billy Wilder]]—shared at least one of their awards with co-writers). When [[Peter Finch]] [[List of posthumous Academy Award winners and nominees|posthumously]] won [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] for playing Beale, Chayefsky was chosen by prior arrangement to accept on the late actor's behalf. But on the night of the awards, Chayefsky defied the show's producer, [[William Friedkin]], and called Finch's wife Eletha to the stage to receive the Oscar.<ref>Considine, p. 331</ref>

''Network'' is said to have "presaged the advent of [[reality television]] by twenty years" and was a "sardonic satire" of the television industry, dealing with the "dehumanization of modern life."<ref name="Thomson2">Thompson, David. ''The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood'', Alfred A. Knopf (2005), p. 328</ref>

=== ''Altered States'' ===
After ''Network'', Chayefsky explored an offer from [[Warren Beatty]] to write a film based on the life of [[John Reed (journalist)|John Reed]] and his book ''[[Ten Days That Shook the World]]''. He agreed to do research, and spent three months exploring the subject of what eventually became the Beatty film ''[[Reds (film)|Reds]]''. Negotiations with Beatty's lawyers failed.<ref>Considine, pp. 348–350</ref>

In the spring of 1977, Chayefsky began work on a project delving into "man's search of his true self." The genesis of the idea was a joke with his friends [[Bob Fosse]] and [[Herb Gardner]]. The three cooked up a joke project to remake [[King Kong (1933 film)|''King Kong'']], in which Kong becomes a movie star. The comic project got Chayefsky interested in exploring the origins of the human spirit. That evolved into a project updating the theme of ''[[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]''.<ref>Considine, pp. 349–352</ref>

Chayefsky conducted research on [[Genetics|genetic]] regression, speaking to doctors and professors of anthropology and human genetics. He then began a rough outline of a story in which the lead character immerses himself in an [[isolation tank]], and with the aid of [[hallucinogen]]s regresses to become a [[Homo|prehuman]] creature. Chayefsky wrote an eighty-seven page treatment and, at the suggestion of Columbia executive [[Daniel Melnick]], he adapted it into a novel.<ref>Considine pp 352–354</ref>

Film rights were bought by Columbia Pictures for nearly $1 million, and with the same creative control and financial terms as for ''Network''. Chayefsky suffered greatly from stress while working on the novel, resulting in a heart attack in 1977. The heart attack resulted in strict dietary and lifestyle restrictions.<ref name="Guide" /><ref>Considine, pp 355–356</ref> The novel, titled ''Altered States,'' was published by HarperCollins in June 1978 and received mixed reviews. Chayefsky did not promote the book, which he viewed only as a blueprint for the screenplay.<ref>Considine, p. 359</ref>

Since his contract gave him creative control, Chayefsky participated in the selection of William Hurt and Blair Brown as the leads. [[Arthur Penn]] was initially hired as director, but left after disagreements with Chayefsky. He was replaced by [[Ken Russell]].<ref>{{cite web|last=McDonald|first=Brian|date=2010-11-01|url=https://invisibleinkblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/lesson-from-paddy-chayefsky.html|title=A Lesson from Paddy Cheyefsky|access-date=2010-11-06}}</ref><ref>Considine pp 358–365</ref>

Chayefsky made it clear that he would allow no input into the dialogue or narrative, which Russell felt was too "soppy." Russell was confident that he could get rid of Chayefsky, but found that "the monkey on my back was always there and wouldn't let go." Russell was polite and deferential prior to production but after rehearsals began in 1979 "began to treat Paddy as a nonentity" and was "mean and sarcastic," according to the film's producer [[Howard Gottfried]].<ref>Considine, pp 366–370</ref>

Chayefsky had the power to fire Russell, but was told by Gottfried that he could only do so if he took over direction himself. He left for New York and continued to monitor production. The actors were not permitted to alter the dialogue. Chayefsky later said that in retaliation the actors were instructed to speak their lines while eating or talking too fast. Russell stated that the fast pace and overlapping dialogue was Chayefsky's idea.<ref>Considine, pp 370–374</ref>

Upset by the filming of his screenplay, Chayefsky withdrew from the production of ''[[Altered States]]'' and took his name off the credits, substituting the pseudonym Sidney Aaron.<ref>Considine, pp 376–379</ref>

==Personality and characteristics==

In his book ''[[Mad as Hell: The Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies]]'', journalist [[Dave Itzkoff]] wrote that the Howard Beale character in ''Network'' was a product of Chayefsky's many frustrations. Itzkoff wrote: "Where others avoided conflict, he cultivated it and embraced it. His fury nourished him, making him intense and unpredictable, but also keeping him focused and productive." Itzkoff describes Chayefsky as "intensely troubled, a huge egomaniac and control freak, dispirited about the world, wryly comic, and a both present and absent family man."<ref name="Teeman" />

In his biography of Chayefsky's friend Bob Fosse, drama critic [[Martin Gottfried]] said Chayefsky was <blockquote>compact and burly in the bulky way of a schoolyard athlete, with thick dark hair and a bent nose that could pass for a streetfighter's. He was a grown-up with one foot in the boys' clubs of his city youth, a street snob who would not allow the loss of his nostalgia. He was an intellectual competitor, always spoiling for a political argument or a philosophical argument, or any exchange over any issue, changing sides for the fun of the fray. A liberal, he was annoyed by liberals; a proud Jew, he wouldn't let anyone call him a "Jewish writer".<ref>Gottfried, Martin. ''All His Jazz: The Life and Death of Bob Fosse'', Da Capo Press (1990) pp. 170–171</ref></blockquote>In his biography ''Mad as Hell'', author Shaun Considine says that Chayefsky had a "dual personality". Chayefsky's "Paddy" persona had "character, caprice; it appealed to his sense of swagger" and gave him confidence to stand up for his rights. "Sidney" was the "silent creator" who had the talent and genius.<ref>Considine p. 18-19</ref>

Chayefsky was under psychoanalysis for years, beginning in the late 1950s, to deal with his volatile behavior and rage, which at times was difficult to control.<ref>Considine, pp. 149–159</ref>

==Political activism==
===Opposition to McCarthyism===

Early in his career, Chayefsky was an opponent of [[McCarthyism]]. He signed a telegram signed by other writers and performers protesting federal inaction after a [[Peekskill riots|concert]] featuring [[Paul Robeson]] in [[Peekskill, New York]], prompted violence in which 150 persons were injured. As a result, his name appeared in the anti-Communist vigilante publication ''The Firing Line'', published by the [[American Legion]]. Although Chayefsky feared being subpoeanaed and his career ruined, that never happened. Actress [[Betsy Blair]] described Chayefsky as a [[Social Democrat]] and as an anti-Marxist.<ref>Considine p. 385-390</ref>

He opposed the [[Vietnam War]] as a "stupid and utterly unnecessary war whose principal victim would be the United States" and sent a letter to President [[Richard Nixon]] decrying the [[My Lai Massacre]], saying Americans were in danger of turning into "a nation of bad Germans."<ref name=":0" />

===Soviet Jews and Israel===

In the 1970s Chayefsky worked for the cause of [[Soviet Jews]], and in 1971 went to Brussels as part of an U.S. delegation to the International Conference on Soviet Jewry. Believing that the conference was insufficiently aggressive, he founded a new activist organization in New York, Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East. Co-founders included [[Colleen Dewhurst]], [[Frank Gervasi]], [[Leon Uris]], [[Gerold Frank]] and [[Elie Wiesel]].<ref>Considine, p. 299</ref> Chayefsky believed that "Zionists" was a code word for "Jews" by Marxist [[antisemites]].<ref>Considine, p. 341</ref>

Chayefsky was increasingly interested in Israel at that time. In an interview with ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]'' in 1971, he said that he believed that Jews around the world were in imminent danger of genocide. Journalist Dave Itzkoff writes that in the 1970s his views on Israel possessed a "more aggressive and admittedly paranoid streak."<ref name=":0">Itzkoff, p. 30</ref> He believed that antisemitism was rife in the U.S., especially in the [[New Left]], and once physically confronted a heckler who used an antisemitic slur during a [[David Steinberg]] performance.<ref>Itzkoff, p. 31</ref> While filming ''The Hospital'', Chayefsky commenced work on a film project called "The Habbakuk Conspiracy," which he described as a "study of life within an Arab guerrilla cell on the [[West Bank]] of the Jordan." The project was sold to [[United Artists]] but never filmed, which resulted in lingering resentment toward the studio.<ref>Considine, p.300, 301–302</ref>

Chayefsky composed, without credit, pro-Israel ads for the [[Anti-Defamation League]] at the time of the [[Yom Kippur War]] in 1973.<ref>Considine, p. 301</ref> In the late 1970s Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East placed full-page newspaper ads written by Chayefsky attacking the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] for the [[Munich massacre|massacre of Israeli athletes]] at the [[1972 Summer Olympics]].<ref>p. 142</ref>

He rejected [[Jane Fonda]] and [[Vanessa Redgrave]] for the role of the female lead in ''Network'' because of what he alleged were their "anti-Israel leanings," even though Redgrave was director [[Sidney Lumet]]'s first choice. Redgrave, accepting the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for ''[[Julia (1977 film)|Julia]]'' at the 1978 Academy Awards, made a statement during her award acceptance speech denouncing protestors who were members of the Jewish Defense League (JDL), led by Rabbi [[Meir Kahane]], who burned an effigy of Redgrave outside the Awards site, picketed the Academy Awards ceremony to protest against her, and had earlier called on 20th Century Fox to denounce Redgrave and promise never to hire her again, saying, "You should be very proud that in the last few weeks you have stood firm and you have refused to be intimidated by the threats of a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums whose behavior is an insult to the stature of Jews all over the world, and to their great and heroic record of struggle against fascism and oppression." Chayefsky, appearing later, upbraided Redgrave and said "a simple 'Thank you' would have sufficed." The Redgrave and Chayefsky remarks prompted controversy.<ref>Considine, p. 343-346</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Fretts|first=Bruce|date=2019-01-11|title=Oscars Rewind: The Most Political Ceremony in Academy History|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/movies/oscars-1978-politics-vanessa-redgrave.html|access-date=2020-05-17|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Family==
Chayefsky met his future wife Susan Sackler during his 1940s stay in Hollywood. The couple married in February 1949. Their son Dan was born in 1955.

Chayefsky's relationship with his wife was strained for much of their marriage, and she became withdrawn and unwilling to appear with him as he became more prominent. [[Gwen Verdon]], wife of his friend Bob Fosse, only saw Susan Chayefsky five times in her life.<ref>Itskoff, p. 60</ref><ref>Considine, p. 158, 177</ref>

Susan Chayefsky suffered from [[muscular dystrophy]], and Dan Chayefsky described himself to author Dave Itzkoff as "a self-destructive teen who brought more pressure to the family home."<ref name="Teeman">{{cite news |last1=Teeman |first1=Tim |title=Paddy Chayefsky: The Dark Prophet of 'Network' News |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/paddy-chayefsky-the-dark-prophet-of-network-news |url-access=limited |access-date=2 September 2019 |work=The Daily Beast |date=16 February 2014 |language=en}}</ref> Despite an alleged affair with [[Kim Novak]], which resulted in his asking his wife for a divorce,<ref>Considine, pp. 174–177</ref> Paddy Chayefsky remained married to Susan Chayefsky until his death,<ref>Considine, p. 395</ref> and sought her opinion on his screenplays, including ''Network''.<ref>Itzkoff, pp. 61–62</ref> She died in 2000.<ref name="Susan Chayefsky death notice">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/05/classified/paid-notice-deaths-chayefsky-susan.html|title=Paid Notice: Deaths CHAYEFSKY, SUSAN|date=5 July 2000|work=The New York Times|access-date=13 August 2019}}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:Paddy Chayefsky Monument November 2011.JPG|thumb|225px|Paddy Chayefsky's grave in [[Kensico Cemetery]]]]
Chayefsky contracted [[pleurisy]] in 1980 and again in 1981. Tests revealed cancer, but he refused surgery out of fear that surgeons would "cut me up because of that movie I wrote about them," referring to ''The Hospital''. He opted for [[chemotherapy]].<ref>Considine, pp. 392–395</ref> He died in a New York hospital on August 1, 1981, aged 58, and was interred in the Sharon Gardens Division of [[Kensico Cemetery]] in [[Valhalla, New York|Valhalla]], [[Westchester County, New York]].{{Citation needed |date=June 2021}}

Longtime friend [[Bob Fosse]] performed a tap dance at the funeral,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Teachout|first1=Terry|title=Sad as Hell|url=https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/sad-as-hell/|access-date=24 May 2018|work=Commentary Magazine|date=1 April 2014}}</ref> as part of a deal he and Chayefsky had made when Fosse was in the hospital for [[Cardiac surgery|open-heart surgery]]. If Fosse died first, Chayefsky promised to deliver a tedious eulogy or Fosse would dance at Chayefsky's memorial if he were the one to die first.<ref>Wassson, Sam. ''Fosse'', Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2013) p. 399</ref> Fosse would dedicate his final film ''[[Star 80]]'' to Chayefsky in 1983. Chayefsky's personal papers are at the [[Wisconsin Historical Society]] and the [[New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]], Billy Rose Theatre Division.<ref>[http://archives.nypl.org/the/21778 Paddy Chayefsky papers, 1907–1998 (bulk 1952–1981)], held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, [[New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]]</ref>

==Filmography==
*''[[The True Glory]]''  (1945) (uncredited) 
*''[[As Young as You Feel]]'' (1951) (story)
*''[[Marty (film)|Marty]]'' (1955)
*''[[The Catered Affair]]'' (1956)
*''[[The Bachelor Party]]'' (1957)
*''[[The Goddess (1958 film)|The Goddess]]'' (1958)
*''[[Middle of the Night (film)|Middle of the Night]]'' (1959)
*''[[The Americanization of Emily]]'' (1964)
*''[[Paint Your Wagon (film)|Paint Your Wagon]]'' (1969) (adaptation) 
*''[[The Hospital]]'' (1971)
*''[[Network (1976 film)|Network]]'' (1976)
*''[[Altered States]]'' (1980) (as "Sidney Aaron")

==Television and stage plays==
;Television (selection)
*1950–1955 ''Danger''
*1951–1952 ''Manhunt''
*1951–1960 ''Goodyear Playhouse''
*1952–1954 ''Philco Television Playhouse''
*1952 ''Holiday Song ''
*1952 ''The Reluctant Citizen ''
*1953 ''Printer's Measure ''
*1953 ''[[Marty (teleplay)|Marty]]''
*1953 ''The Big Deal ''
*1953 ''The Bachelor Party''
*1953 ''[[The Sixth Year]]''
*1953 ''Catch My Boy On Sunday''
*1954 ''The Mother''
*1954 ''[[Middle of the Night (play)|Middle of the Night]]''
*1955 ''[[The Catered Affair]]''
*1956 ''[[The Great American Hoax]] ''

;Stage
*''No T.O. for Love'' (1945)
*''[[Middle of the Night (play)|Middle of the Night]]'' (1956)
*''[[The Tenth Man (Chayefsky play)|The Tenth Man]]'' (1959)
*''[[Gideon (play)|Gideon]]'' (1961)
*''[[The Passion of Josef D.]]'' (1964)
*''[[The Latent Heterosexual]]'' (originally titled ''The Accountant's Tale'' or ''The Case of the Latent Heterosexual'') (1968)

==Novels==
*''Altered States: A Novel'' (1978)

==Accolades==
=== Academy Awards ===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result
! Ref.
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[28th Academy Awards|1956]] || [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] || ''[[Marty (film)|Marty]]'' || {{Won}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1956|title= 28th Academy Awards|website= [[Academy Awards|Oscars.org]]|date= 19 February 2015|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[31st Academy Awards|1959]] || [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] || ''[[The Goddess (1958 film)|The Goddess]]'' || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1959|title= 31st Academy Awards|website= [[Academy Awards|Oscars.org]]|date= 19 March 2024|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[44th Academy Awards|1972]] || [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] || ''[[The Hospital]]'' || {{Won}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1972|title= 44th Academy Awards|website= [[Academy Awards|Oscars.org]]|date= 5 October 2014|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[49th Academy Awards|1977]] || [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] || ''[[Network (1976 film)|Network]]'' || {{Won}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1977|title= 49th Academy Awards|website= [[Academy Awards|Oscars.org]]|date= 5 October 2014|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|}

=== BAFTA Awards ===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result
! Ref.
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[26th British Academy Film Awards|1973]] || [[BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] || ''[[The Hospital]]'' || {{Won}}{{efn|Tied with [[Larry McMurtry]] and [[Peter Bogdanovich]] for ''[[The Last Picture Show]]''}}
|| <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bafta.org/awards/film/screenplay|title= BAFTA Awards Film/Screenplay|website= [[BAFTA Awards|awards.bafta.org]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[31st British Academy Film Awards|1978]] || [[BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] || ''[[Network (1976 film)|Network]]'' || {{nom}}
|| <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bafta.org/awards/film/screenplay|title= BAFTA Awards Film/Screenplay|website= [[BAFTA Awards|awards.bafta.org]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|}

=== Golden Globe Awards ===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result
! Ref.
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[29th Golden Globe Awards|1972]] || [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] || ''[[The Hospital]]'' || {{Won}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://goldenglobes.com/film/the-hospital/|title= Golden Globe Awards - The Hospital|website= [[Golden Globe Awards]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[34th Golden Globe Awards|1977]] || [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] || ''[[Network (1976 film)|Network]]'' || {{Won}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://goldenglobes.com/film/network/|title= Golden Globe Awards - Network|website= [[Golden Globe Awards]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|}

=== Tony Awards ===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result
! Ref.
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[14th Tony Awards|1960]] || [[Tony Award for Best Play|Best Play]] || ''[[The Tenth Man (Chayefsky play)|The Tenth Man]]'' || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1960/category/any/show/any/|title= Tony Awards 1960|website= [[Tony Awards]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[16th Tony Awards|1962]] || [[Tony Award for Best Play|Best Play]] || ''[[Gideon (play)|Gideon]]'' || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1962/category/any/show/any/|title= Tony Awards 1962|website= [[Tony Awards]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|}

=== Primetime Emmy Awards ===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result
! Ref.
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[7th Primetime Emmy Awards|1955]] || [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series|Best Written Dramatic Material]] || ''[[The Philco Television Playhouse]]'' || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.televisionacademy.com/awards/nominees-winners/1955/outstanding-writing-for-a-drama-series|title= 7th Primetime Emmy Awards|website= [[Emmy Awards]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[8th Primetime Emmy Awards|1956]] || [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series|Best Original Teleplay Writing]] || ''[[The Catered Affair (Goodyear Television Playhouse)]]'' || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.televisionacademy.com/awards/nominees-winners/1956/best-original-teleplay-writing|title= 8th Primetime Emmy Awards|website= [[Emmy Awards]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|}
=== Writers Guild of America Awards ===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result
! Ref.
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[8th Writers Guild of America Awards|1956]] || [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written Drama|Best Written Drama]] || ''[[Marty (film)|Marty]]'' || {{Won}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000710/1956/1/|title= 8th Writers Guild of America Awards|website= [[IMDb]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|[[24th Writers Guild of America Awards|1972]] || [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screenplay]] || ''[[The Hospital]]'' || {{Won}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000710/1972/1/|title= 24th Writers Guild of America Awards|website= [[IMDb]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[29th Writers Guild of America Awards|1977]] || [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Drama Written Directly for the Screenplay]] || ''[[Network (1976 film)|Network]]'' || {{Won}} || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000710/1977/1/|title= 29th Writers Guild of America Awards|website= [[IMDb]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|}

=== Big Four (American film critics awards) ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:26em;" | Association
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Year
! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:25em;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result
! Ref.
|-
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]] 
| [[1976 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards|1976]]
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] 
| rowspan="3" | ''[[Network (1976 film)|Network]]'' 
| {{Won}}
|| <ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.lafca.net/Years/1976.php|title= Awards for 1976 - LAFCA|website= [[LAFCA]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
| [[National Society of Film Critics]] 
| [[1976 National Society of Film Critics Awards|1976]]
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] 
| {{draw|2nd Place}}
|| <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000471/1976/1/?ref_=ev_tl_yr_3|title= 1976 NSFC Awards|website= [[IMDb]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|- 
| [[New York Film Critics Circle]] 
| [[1976 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|1976]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] 
| {{Won}}
|| <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.nyfcc.com/awards/|title= Awards Database - NYFCC|website= [[NYFCC]]|accessdate= June 6, 2025}}</ref>
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[List of Russian Academy Award winners and nominees]]
==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last1=Considine |first1=Shaun |title=Mad as hell: the life and work of Paddy Chayefsky |date=1994 |publisher=Random House |location=New York |isbn=0679408924 |edition=1st}}
* {{cite book |last1=Itzkoff |first1=Dave |author-link1=Dave Itzkoff |title=Mad as hell : the making of Network and the fateful vision of the angriest man in movies |date=2014 |publisher=Times Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0805095692}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* [http://www.wnyc.org/story/128546-the-angry-man/ ''The Angry Man''] WNYC: ''On The Media'' audio profile of Paddy Chayefsky, October 27, 2006
* [http://archives.nypl.org/the/21778 Paddy Chayefsky papers] at the [[New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]]
*[http://arcat.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=191/ Paddy Chayefsky Papers] at the [[Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research]].
* {{The Interviews about|paddy-chayefsky}}
* [http://www.museum.tv/eotv/chayefskypa.htm Museum of Broadcast Communications: Paddy Chayefsky] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923155420/http://www.museum.tv/eotv/chayefskypa.htm |date=2016-09-23 }}
* ''[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paddy-Chayefsky Paddy Chayefsky]'', on ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica|Enciclopedia Britannica]]'', Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc
* ''[https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/chayefsky_paddy Paddy Chayefsky]'', on ''[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]]''
* ''[https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL582596A/Paddy_Chayefsky Paddy Chayefsky]'', on ''[[Open Library]]'', [[Internet Archive]]
* ''[https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?2400 Paddy Chayefsky]'', on ''[[Internet Speculative Fiction Database]]'', Al von Ruff
* ''[https://musicbrainz.org/artist/fc637124-22f9-484d-aa3b-8f337fac5ffd Paddy Chayefsky]'', on ''[[MusicBrainz]]'', MetaBrainz Foundation

{{Paddy Chayefsky}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Paddy Chayefsky
|list =
{{Academy Award Best Original Screenplay}}
{{Academy Award Best Adapted Screenplay}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Golden Globe Award Best Screenplay}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{1984 Television Hall of Fame}}
{{Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay}}
{{Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chayefsky, Paddy}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:City College of New York alumni]]
[[Category:DeWitt Clinton High School alumni]]
[[Category:Fordham University alumni]]
[[Category:Writers from the Bronx]]
[[Category:Novelists from New York City]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from New York City]]
[[Category:Jewish American dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Burials at Kensico Cemetery]]
[[Category:Jewish American military personnel]]
[[Category:Jewish American screenwriters]]
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Best Screenplay Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Best Screenplay BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:20th-century American dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:American male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:American satirists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American screenwriters]]
[[Category:Landmine victims]]
[[Category:Military personnel from New York City]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:Soviet Jewry movement activists]]
[[Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners]]