Ephraim Kishon was an Israeli author, dramatist, screenwriter, and Oscar-nominated film director. He was one of the most widely read contemporary satirists in the world. Born on August 23, 1924 in Budapest, Hungary, Kishon was a middle-class Jewish family. He was married three times and had three children. He passed away on January 29, 2005 in Appenzell, Switzerland at the age of 80.