Bruce Jay Friedman was an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and actor.

The author of more than a dozen books, Friedman was known for his dark humor in novels such as About Harry Towns and Stern and for his screenwriting efforts seen in the films Stir Crazy (1980), The Lonely Guy (1984), and Splash (1984), for which he shared an Oscar nomination for Best Writing.

His comedic short story, A Change of Plan, was adapted by Neil Simon into the film The Heartbreak Kid (1972), starring Charles Grodin, and then remade in 2007, starring Ben Stiller.

As an actor, he notably appeared in Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives (1992) and Nora Ephron's You've Got Mail (1998).

In 1974, Friedman earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Best Writing in Drama – Adaptation for his work on the television series Steambath.

Friedman died June 3, 2020, in Brooklyn, New York. He was 90.