Occupation Novelist Name Olivia Goldsmith Nationality American Role Author | Period 1950–2005 Education New York University Genre Comedy Movies The First Wives Club | |
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Born Randy Goldfield
January 1, 1949
Dumont, New Jersey ( 1949-01-01 ) Died January 15, 2004, New York City, New York, United States Spouse John T. Reid (m. 1978–1990), Paul Smith (m. ?–2004) Books The First Wives Club, The bestseller, Dumping Billy, Marrying Mom, Young Wives Similar People Hugh Wilson, Robert Harling, Bette Midler, Marc Shaiman, Sarah Jessica Parker | ||
First Wives Club Pre-Broadway World Premiere
Olivia Goldsmith (January 1, 1949 – January 15, 2004) was an American author, best known for her first novel The First Wives Club (1992), which was adapted into the movie The First Wives Club (1996).
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Biography
She was born Randy Goldfield and grew up in Dumont, New Jersey, but changed her name to Justine Goldfield and later to Justine Rendal. She took up writing following a divorce in which she said her husband got almost everything (including her Jaguar and the country house).
A graduate of New York University, she was a partner at the management consultants Booz Allen Hamilton in New York prior to becoming a writer. Controversially, in late 1996 Goldsmith said, in response to an Entertainment Weekly reporter's question, that her favorite event of 1996 was when Bob Dole fell off a stage during a campaign function. She also wrote several books for children, which were published under the name Justine Rendal.
Death
Goldsmith died as a result of complications (heart attack) from cosmetic surgery. Her final two books were published posthumously. The song "Edith Wharton's Figurines" from Suzanne Vega's 2007 studio album Beauty & Crime is dedicated to Goldsmith.