Harold Meyerowitz

Living… in New York in an old town house which he can barely afford anymore due to the high costs. Harold lives with Maureen, his fourth wife. Harold has two children (Jean and Danny) with his first wife and one other child (Matthew) with his second. Although his children are grown and living elsewhere, they continue to bring drama into Harold’s life.

Profession… sculptor. Harold enjoyed success in his younger years, often appearing in shows and selling a lot of his sculptures. Now, Harold is in denial, as his work no longer garners respect or demand from the art world. He believes he is just starting to make his best work and feels disrespected that no one acknowledges him anymore. He struggles to find shows for his work and has many sculptures just laying around at his home.

Interests… basketball, baseball, eating, watching TV, and his son Matthew. Harold is an avid Knicks and Mets fan as he is constantly watching their games and talking about them to anyone who will listen. He loves New York restaurants and goes out to eat whenever he can. Harold also doesn’t hide the fact that Matthew, his youngest, is his favorite; he always gloats about him and shows no interest in his other kids.

Relationship Status… in love with Maureen. Maureen may have a drinking problem and is very eccentric, but she is the one person who makes Harold happy.

Challenge… getting the art world to acknowledge him once again. Harold is obsessed with getting back into the spotlight as he feels his work is good enough to compete with anyone. He desperately tries to get back into shows but he doesn’t want to be part of a group showing; he finds this insulting, claiming that he is headliner material. He often talks trash about other artists (even some who he calls his friends) and is very disconnected from modern art. Harold’s artistic career has (and continues to) interfere with his family, who take a backseat (much to their dismay) as Harold is in denial.

Personality… prideful, dismissive, and emotional. Harold is not a good father by any stretch of the imagination, often putting his own needs and desires before the well-being of his kids. He neglected them when they were young and pretends like he cares, alienating both Danny and Jean. He likes to talk about himself and his art to anyone who will listen; his social skills are lacking greatly. Harold is also susceptible to emotional outbursts, as he gets very defensive when someone questions his artistic career.