Summary Writer, humorist, author and public speaker Fran Lebowitz was born and raised in Morristown, N.J. Lebowitz was thrown out of high school, skipped college and moved to Manhattan where she first worked odd jobs to make ends meet. At the age of 21, Lebowitz was hired by Andy Warhol as a columnist for Interview magazine and began a column, "I Cover the Waterfront." Following that, she worked for Mademoiselle magazine. In 1978, she wrote her first book titled "Metropolitan" and in 1981, she released the best-selling collection of comedic essays, "Social Studies." Both essays can be found in "The Fran Lebowitz Reader," which was released in 1994. She is also known for the unpublished novel, "Exterior Signs of Wealth," about rich people who want to be artists and artists who want to be rich people. The cultural satirist regularly appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, and played a reoccurring role as Judge Janice Goldberg on Law and Order from 2001 to 2007. Lebowitz is a heavy smoker who is known for advocating for smokers' rights. An excerpt of her forthcoming novel "Progress" was published in Vanity Fair in 2004. According to The New York Times, the novel will be published within the century.

• Biography