Jay Presson Allen

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Jay Presson Allen (March 3, 1922 – May 1, 2006) was an American writer.

Serving her creative apprenticeship in live television, Jay Presson Allen wrote her first film script, Wives and Lovers, in 1963, though most chroniclers prefer to list her multifaceted screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964) as her inaugural movie effort.

She scored her biggest success in 1966, when she adapted Muriel Spark's novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie for the stage; three years later, her screenplay adaptation of the same property gained her an Academy Award nomination. Her subsequent Broadway efforts included Forty Carats and Tru, while her screen credits included such projects as Cabaret (1972), Funny Lady (1975) and Just Tell Me What You Want (1980, from her own novel).

She served as executive producer for It's My Turn (film) (1980), Prince of the City (1981), Deathtrap (1982) and Travels With My Aunt. Her last film work was her screenplay for the 1990 remake of Lord of the Flies, though she disliked the finished product and insisted that her name be removed from the credits.

In television, Jay Presson Allen created the long-running series Family.