Wilson Mizner American playwright, storyteller, and entrepreneur. Date of Birth: 19.05.1876 Country: USA

Biography of Wilson Mizner

Wilson ("Bill") Mizner was an American playwright, storyteller, and entrepreneur. He was born in 1876 in Benicia, California, and was one of eight children in a large family. His famous ancestor was Sir Joshua Reynolds, a renowned British portrait painter. Mizner's father, Lansing Bond Mizner, later became an ambassador and minister in Central America, and the whole family moved to Guatemala, where Wilson spent his teenage years with his brothers.

During their time in Guatemala, the Mizner brothers were known for their rebellious behavior, often engaging in robberies and theft. Later, during the Gold Rush, Wilson, along with his brothers Addison, William, and Edgar, traveled to Klondike in search of gold. However, instead of mining for gold, the Mizner brothers ended up working in a mine. This period of Wilson's life was also marked by their continued involvement in criminal activities.

Eventually, Wilson and Addison moved to New York, where Addison opened a shop on Fifth Avenue, and Wilson began writing plays for Broadway theaters. One of Mizner's most significant achievements during his time in New York was co-authoring plays. One play that gained critical acclaim and popularity was "Deep Purple." Mizner went on to write other plays such as "The Only Law," "The Greyhound," "The Discord of Harmony," "The Cock-Eyed World," and "You're Dead!"

Although Mizner had evident talents, his career as a playwright never fully materialized due to his extreme laziness and his addiction to opium, which he developed after being given morphine following a severe beating. Mizner and his brothers later moved to Florida, where they became some of the wealthiest people in America due to their involvement in land speculation. However, their land schemes were eventually halted.

This period of Wilson's life is considered the most unfavorable. He abandoned his brother Addison to deal with the problems in Florida while he headed to California to pursue his writing career. Wilson gained fame for his sharp tongue and wit, and his famous phrases such as "I respect faith, but doubt is what gets us an education" and "The only thing you can say about luck with any certainty is that it will change" remain popular to this day.

In the early 1930s, Mizner began working for Warner Bros, and although it proved to be challenging, he proved to be a valuable asset to the studio. It was Mizner who famously said, "Hollywood is a trip down the sewer in a glass-bottomed boat."

Despite a tumultuous and scandalous life filled with schemes and fraud, Wilson Mizner was undeniably talented. His quick wit and literary prowess could not be denied. Mizner once said, "If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research." He is also known for the quote, "I knew many people who had vast knowledge and not a single original thought." Wilson Mizner's own thoughts and ideas were enough to make him one of the most popular authors of his time.

Today, the Mizner brothers are considered some of the most brilliant con artists. Wilson Mizner passed away on April 3, 1933, in Los Angeles, California.