Trivia

Was introduced to his wife by Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

After his right leg was amputated in February 2006 as the result of diabetes, he made the decision to accept the inevitability of his declining health over the prospect of dialysis for the rest of his life. As his kidneys started to fail, he entered a hospice in Washington. It was supposed to be a short stay--perhaps two or three weeks--his doctors said. As word of his condition emerged, however, Buchwald began playing host to scores of politicians and celebrities that he had known over his decades as a writer. Visitors included members of the Kennedy family, former CBS newsman Walter Cronkite, singer Carly Simon, former Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and television host Phil Donahue.

The New York Times wrote that Buchwald's deathbed had become the "hottest salon" in Washington.

With Alain Bernheim, he sued Paramount Pictures for using their concept for Un prince à New York (1988). They were awarded $900,000 in 1992, but the studio appealed. Buchwald and Bernheim eventually settled for $825,000 in 1999.

Wrote 45 books mostly lampooning American politicians, with some foreigners thrown in for good measure.

Buchwald won the Pulitzer Prize for outstanding commentary in 1982. Suffered a major stroke on 16 June 2000 in Washington and was hospitalised at the Georgetown University Medical Center.

Wrote "Too Soon to Say Goodbye" after deciding to stop kidney dialysis and moving into a hospice, expecting to die within weeks. After the visits of many big-name visitors and friends, he put his experiences into the book, released in November 2006.

Won the 2006 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.

Was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1986.

Served in the US Marine Corps during World War II from 1942-45 with the 4th Marine Air Wing.

Dropped out of Forest Hills High School in Forest Hills, Queens, New York to enlist in the US military during World War II.

Born at 10:0am-EST

Had three older sisters, Alice, Edith and Dorothy.

Father Joseph Wucher (Immigration official changed his name to Joe Harry Buchwald when he arrived on 3 January 1912) ran a curtain business that failed during the Great Depression. He later became a successful interior decorator.

Mother Helen Kleinberg married his father on 23 June 2018. She was later hospitalized on Ward's Island for 35 years with severe depression. Buchwald never saw his mother again.

Adopted three children from orphanages in Ireland, Spain and France.

With his three sisters was placed in foster homes when mother was hospitalized for severe depression.