Biography for
George Plimpton (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

18 March 1927, New York City, New York, USA

Date of Death

26 September 2003, New York City, New York, USA (natural causes)

Birth Name

George Ames Plimpton

Nickname

Prince of Cameos

Height

6' 4" (1.93 m)

Spouse

Sara Whitehead Dudley	(31 December 1991 - 26 September 2003) (his death)
Freddy Medora Espy	(28 March 1968 - 1988) (divorced) 4 children

Trivia

Born at 10:00pm-EST

Present at the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy

As a "participatory journalist", quarterbacked in a preseason NFL game, pitched to several all-stars (retiring Willie Mays & Richie Ashburn) in an exhibition prior to Baseball's 1959 All-Star game, performed as a trapeze artist for the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus, and fought boxers Archie Moore and Sugar Ray Robinson.

Plimpton was the long-time Editor, and one of the founders, of "The Paris Review". He interviewed Ernest Hemingway for the magazine.

As of the most recent calculation by The Oracle of Bacon, Plimpton is no. 1000 on the list of the top 1000 actors and actresses with low "center of the film universe" numbers. His "Plimpton Number" average is 2.911. Not bad for a journalist who has appeared in fewer than 25 theatrical films.

Played five minutes in goal for the Boston Bruins against the Philadelphia Flyers in 1977. The Flyers scored only once against him. At the end of the five minutes, the Bruins deliberately threw their sticks on the ice, causing the referee to call for a penalty shot. To the delight of both teams and the Philadelphia fans, Plimpton stopped the shot.

Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Vol. 133, pp. 359-366. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 429-432. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.

Personal Quotes

(Regarding his acting career): "I don't think I'd ever get anything more than a very small role. 'The Prince of the Cameos,' they might call me."

The worst thing that can happen to your career is to be shot out in an open field. You've got to be in the right position to die dramatically, against a wall, near something to hang onto. Never close your eyes. Glaze them. You can't go wrong bringing something down with you when you fall. A tablecloth is excellent. Preferably with a meal on it.