Dave Barry
A Pulitzer-winning humorist who found the sublime absurdity in everyday American life, from exploding toilets to parenting.
Born 1947 (age 79)·American author and columnist·Birthday: July 3·Baby Boomers
Biography
For over two decades, Dave Barry’s syndicated column was a weekly dose of controlled chaos, a reminder that the world is fundamentally ridiculous. His humor, rooted in keen observation and a masterful deployment of hyperbole, turned mundane subjects—taxes, bad hotels, household chores—into epic comic sagas. He won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary not for political insight, but for making readers snort with laughter at the sheer ineptitude of male grooming habits or the existential horror of a homeowner’s association. Barry’s voice, that of a perpetually bewildered everyman, translated seamlessly into dozens of bestselling books, from parody guides to novels. He co-created the cult film 'Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys' and inspired a short-lived TV sitcom. Beyond the punchlines, Barry’s work functioned as a unifying force, a shared cultural joke that cut across divides, suggesting that if we can all laugh at the same stupid stuff, maybe we’re not so different after all.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Dave was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dave Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Dave's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1988 for his consistently effective humor column.
- Authored more than 30 bestselling books of humor and fiction, including 'Dave Barry Turns 40' and 'Big Trouble.'
- Wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the Miami Herald for over 20 years.
- Co-wrote the 'Peter and the Starcatchers' series, a prequel to Peter Pan, which became a New York Times bestseller.
Did You Know?
He was the lead guitarist for the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock band made up of authors including Stephen King and Amy Tan.
His book 'Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys' was adapted into a film called 'The Guide to Guys' starring Jerry O'Connell.
He briefly had his own television sitcom, 'Dave's World,' which aired for four seasons on CBS and was based on his life and writings.
“While the computer has opened up a whole new frontier in human incompetence, it cannot be blamed for the common cold.”
