A Hollywood publicist and New York reporter who turned script doctor before having his own screenplays produced in the 1940s, Ring Lardner Jr.'s notable contributions include the acid satire, "Nothing Sacred" (1937), the effervescent comedy, "Woman of the Year" (1942), which earned him his first Oscar, and the noir classic, "Laura" (1944). One of the "Hollywood Ten", Lardner served a term in prison before circumventing his blacklisting by using fronts or writing under the pseudonym Philip Rush. He resurfaced under his own name with Norman Jewison's excellent drama "The Cincinnati Kid" (1965). Lardner won a second Oscar for his script for Robert Altman's brilliant black comedy "M*A*S*H" (1970). His last produced script was the 1977 biopic of boxer Muhammad Ali, "The Greatest".

He is the son of humorist Ring Lardner and brother of writers John, James and David Lardner.