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Will Shortz, who llives in Pleasantville, turns 64 on Friday. The puzzle creator and editor was born Aug. 26, 1952, in Crawfordsville, Ind.
Shortz began his career at Penny Press Magazines, then moved to Games magazine for 15 years, serving as its editor from 1989 to 1993. He has been the crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times since 1993, and has been the puzzle master on NPR's "Weekend Edition Sunday" since the program was started in 1987.
He is the founder of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament and has served as its director since its start in 1978. He founded the World Puzzle Championship in 1992 and is a director of the U.S. Puzzle Team.
He is the author or editor of more than 100 books and owns more than 20,000 puzzle books and magazines dating back to 1545, reportedly the world's largest private library on the subject.
He is a member of the National Puzzlers' League. He is currently the league historian.
He received a personal note from former President Bill Clinton, who is a fan of The New York Times crossword puzzle.
He has been a guest on a number of television shows, including "Martha Stewart Living," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Daily Show," and "The Colbert Report." He has also appeared on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" as an expert for the "Ask the Expert" lifeline.
He appeared on an episode of "The Simpsons" titled "Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words," which first aired on Nov. 16, 2008.
He appeared in "Dinner: Impossible" as himself, challenging the chef to create dishes that mimic common English idioms at the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.
He also appeared on an episode of "How I Met Your Mother" titled "Robots Versus Wrestlers," which first aired on 10 May 2010 during season 5.
Shortz is an avid table tennis player. In May 2011, with Barbadian champion and longtime friend Robert Roberts, he opened one of the largest table tennis clubs in the Northeast in Pleasantville.
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