An American playwright and director whose work often focuses on contemporary urban people trying to find equilibrium in a crazy world, Herb Gardner has enjoyed more success in the theater than in motion pictures. Only his first work, "A Thousand Clowns", about a TV writer who drops out to care for his nephew, has proven successful on both Broadway (in 1962) and film (1965). For his seamless adaptation of his original comedy, Gardner earned an Academy Award nomination. Like many who enjoy an early success, he struggled for much of the next two decades in an effort to recapture that early glory.