Won the 1960 Pulitzer prize as a co-author of the Broadway musical "Fiorello!"
about former Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia collaborating with George Abbott, Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick.
The son of Jewish immigrants, he first worked as a clerk, studying law at night. At the age of 24, he scored a hit with his first novel, "I Can Get it for You Wholesale", which became a Broadway musical and was also adapted for the screen.