You can make the case that George Plimpton was one of the more interesting men of the 20th Century. A true East Coast Blue-Blood who could trace his lineage back to the Mayflower, George had the kind of prep lineage that seemed straight out of The Official Preppy Handbook.
Educated in the most exclusive and elite prep schools of New England, Plimpton benefitted from a privileged youth that most could only imagine.
A writer for the Harvard Lampoon and a reported original founder of the Paris Review, Plimpton’s main profession (if forced to pick one) would be journalist and writer. However, his list of side-gigs would be hard to count on two hands. Having appeared in numerous movies and commercials, George was a person many knew they knew, but often didn’t know from where. Knowing who George was like being in on a private joke.
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George pioneered a style of journalism called “participatory journalism”, which was the act of putting himself into the activity being covered. Plimpton boxed, played quarterback in an NFL scrimmage, pitched in an MLB exhibition among many other notable events.
George Plimpton passed away in 2003.