Olivia Goldsmith (January 1, 1949 – January 15, 2004) was an American author, known for her first novel The First Wives Club (1992), which was adapted into the 1996 film of the same name.
Olivia Goldsmith | |
---|---|
Born | Randy Goldfield January 1, 1949 Dumont, New Jersey |
Died | January 15, 2004 New York City, New York, U.S. | (aged 55)
Pen name |
|
Occupation | Novelist |
Period | 1992–2004 |
Genre | Comedy |
Spouse |
John T. Reid
(m. 1978; div. 1990) |
She was born Randy Goldfield and grew up in Dumont, New Jersey, but changed her name to Justine Goldfield and later to Justine Rendal.[2][3] She took up writing following a divorce in which she said her husband got almost everything (including her Jaguar and the country house).[4]
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.[citation needed]
Goldsmith died as a result of complications (heart attack) from cosmetic surgery.[5] 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. [citation needed]