Patricia Neal (born September 21, 1944), known professionally as
Fannie Flagg, is an American actress, comedienne and author. She is perhaps best-known for the 1988 novel
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which was adapted into the 1991 movie
Fried Green Tomatoes; Flagg was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay adaptation.
Biography
Early life
Flagg, born in
Birmingham, Alabama, is the daughter of Marion Leona (
née LeGore) and William Hurbert Neal, Jr., who was a small-business owner and projectionist.
As her acting career began, Flagg could not professionally use her birthname, as there was already a well-known Oscar-winning actress named
Patricia Neal.
Writing career
During the 1960s, Flagg co-hosted the locally produced "Morning Show" on
WBRC-TV in Birmingham, Alabama. Following this, she was hired as a staff writer for
Allen Funt's
Candid Camera, and she later became Funt's co-host on the syndicated 1970s weekly version of the show. After a lull in her writing career, she returned her focus to writing in the 1980s. Among her novels are
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man (originally titled
Coming Attractions),
Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! (1998) and perhaps her best known book,
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. She subsequently wrote the screenplay based on that book which became the film
Fried Green Tomatoes. The 1991 movie garnered her a nomination for an
Academy......
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