Wilson Mizner

Wilson Mizner (1876–1933) was an American playwright, raconteur, and notorious con man celebrated for his sharp, quotable wit. Born in California, he drifted through a string of ventures and schemes that fed the larger-than-life persona he later cultivated in New York. Mizner became a fixture of Broadway and café society, trading stories and one-liners that circulated widely in the Algonquin-era literary scene. He co-wrote the play *The Deep Purple* (with Raoul Walsh), which helped secure his reputation as a stage writer. His life mixed show business, hustling, and self-mythmaking, leaving a legacy of aphorisms as famous as his exploits.