Larry Siegel

Larry Siegel was an American comedy writer and satirist best known for his long tenure as a top movie satire writer for *Mad* magazine, where he was a member of the "usual gang of idiots" for nearly 33 years. He was born Lawrence H. Siegel on October 29, 1925, and died on August 20, 2019. Siegel entered the world of humor writing after serving as a World War II veteran, an experience that shaped his sharp, irreverent voice. His path led him to become one of the earliest humor and satire writers for *Playboy* before he became a key contributor to *Mad* and its various specials, including *Mad Special*, *Mad Super Special*, *Mad About Town*, *Mad Clowns Around*, *Mad Spoofs Movie Classics*, and *The Medicine Mad*. Beyond comics, Siegel was a prolific television writer, serving as Head Writer for four seasons of *The Carol Burnett Show*, for which he won three Emmy Awards and a Writers Guild Award, and also wrote for *Laugh-In*. He is noted as the only American comedy writer to have both won an Emmy and received a Purple Heart. His legacy rests on his dual mastery of television sketch comedy and magazine satire, with a career that spanned decades and earned him a dozen Emmy and Writers Guild nominations.