Nora Ephron was an Academy Award-nominated writer of "Heartburn," "When Harry Met Sally" and "Sleepless in Seattle", who brought her wit and intelligence to projects in a variety of writing fields.

Ephron grew up in a cultured, erudite household, the daughter of the husband-and-wife playwriting and screenwriting team of Henry and Phoebe Ephron.

Educated at Wellesley, she first gained success as a witty essayist at the New York Post. Publisher Dorothy Schiff had noticed parodies of Post columnists Ms. Ephon had written during a newspaper strike, and hired her when the strike was over. She also wrote for the New York Times Magazine, New York magazine and Esquire, becoming a force in the "New Journalism" movement.

Following in the footsteps of her parents, Ms. Ephron wrote for the stage as well as film. On Broadway, she authored the short-lived 2002 play Imaginary Friends, exploring her interest in her literary predecessors through an examination of the long-simmering rivalry between playwright Lillian Hellman and novelist and critic Mary McCarthy.

Her most recent theatrical venture was the long-running Off-Broadway production of Love, Loss, and What I Wore, based on the book by Ilene Beckerman, and co-authored for the stage with her sister Delia Ephron. The show, which ran from 2009 until last March, featured a rotating cast of famous actresses.

Source: Playbill.com