Stephen M. Silverman | |
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| Born | (1951-11-22)November 22, 1951 West Covina, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 2023(2023-07-06) (aged 71) New York City, U.S. |
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| Education | University of California, Irvine (BA) Columbia University (MS) |
| Subjects | Popular culture |
Stephen Meredith Silverman (November 22, 1951 – July 6, 2023) was an American biographer, journalist, and editor. He was chief entertainment correspondent for theNew York Post from 1977 to 1988,[1] and was a news editor atTime Inc. from 1995 to 2015,[2] where he founded the People Online Daily. He is also the author of a dozen books of cultural criticism.[3]The Wall Street Journal called him "a veteran journalist and historian of popular culture [who] writes with verve and mischief,"[4] whileKirkus Reviews dubbed him "a deft manipulator of the devastating deadpan non-sequitur".[5]
Stephen Meredith Silverman was born and raised inWest Covina, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.[6][7] He graduated in 1969 fromWest Covina High School,[8] where he was editor of the school newspaper. His first job was selling ice cream inDisneyland.[9]
Silverman received a Bachelor of Arts degree from theUniversity of California, Irvine, and a Master of Science from theColumbia University Graduate School of Journalism.[6]
As a writer, critic, and editor, Silverman contributed toEsquire,[1]Harper’s Bazaar,[2]New York,[1]The New York Times,[1] theChicago Tribune,[10]Newsweek,[11]The Times of London,[2]Smithsonian,[1]Vogue,[1]The Wall Street Journal,[12] andThe Washington Post.[2]
Silverman's first book,Public Spectacles, was a series of "mostly unvarnished and frequently amusing vignettes" of his personal run-ins with celebrity culture.[13] HisDavid Lean is a biography of the acclaimed director ofLawrence of Arabia and features an introduction byKatharine Hepburn.[14] HisDancing on the Ceiling:Stanley Donenand His Movies, with an introduction byAudrey Hepburn, examines the life and career of the master director of such musicals asSingin' in the Rain andFunny Face.[15] He has written numerous other books,[16] includingMacy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: A New York City Holiday Tradition, a history of the annual parade showcasing "vintage prints from the Macy’s archives,"[17]The Catskills: Its History and How It Changed America, published byAlfred A. Knopf,[18] andThe Amusement Park: 900 Years of Thrills and Spills, and the Dreamers and Schemers Who Built Them, published byBlack Dog & Leventhal Publishers.[19] His last work,Sondheim: His Life, His Shows, His Legacy, was published posthumously on September 19, 2023 by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers.[20]
For television, he wrote theTBS specialHot on the Trail: The Search for Sex, Love and Romance in the Old West.[21]
Silverman taught cultural affairs reporting and writing from 1995 to 2004[22] as an adjunct professor at theColumbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.[23]
Silverman lived inManhattan. He died fromkidney disease at a hospital there on July 6, 2023, at the age of 71.[6][24]
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