Born in Chicago, IL. Son of the celebrated humorist, he dropped out of Princeton to work briefly as a reporter with the New York Daily Mirror. Shortly after, he set out for Hollywood, where he worked in Selznick's publicity department. Gradually he moved into screenwriting, becoming first an uncredited script doctor for A STAR IS BORN and NOTHING SACRED (both 1937). Lardner's subsequent screenwriting credits include WOMAN OF THE YEAR (1942), THE CROSS OF LORRAINE (1943), LAURA (uncredited) and TOMORROW, THE WORLD! (both 1944), FOREVER AMBER (1947), THE CARDINAL (1963, uncredited), THE CINCINNATI KID (1965), and THE GREATEST and SEMI-TOUGH (uncredited) (both 1977). A member of the Hollywood Ten, he was sentenced in the late 40s to a year's imprisonment for contempt of Congress for refusing to co-operate with the House Un-American Activities Committee. Blacklisted after his release, he was forced to work "underground" or abroad, using various pseudonyms. His official on-screen rehabilitation did not come until the mid-60s. In 1970 he provided the script (which was very rarely followed) for the highly successful black-comedy film M*A*S*H. In 1976 he published a book of memoirs about his illustrious family, The Lardners. He wrote the novels The Ecstacy of Owen Muir and All for Love. In 1988 he received the Writers Guild's Laurel Award.  Writing (Original Screenplay) 1942: WOMAN OF THE YEAR (w. Michael Kanin)  Writing (Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium) 1970: M*A*S*H 2 nominations, 2 Awards