Nancy Simon is best known as the daughter of legendary Broadway playwright Neil Simon and as the first wife of actor Woody Harrelson. Yet there is much more to her story than one unusual Hollywood marriage. Nancy Simon grew up surrounded by writers, actors, directors, and Broadway productions, and she later worked behind the scenes in theatre herself.
Unlike Woody Harrelson, Nancy never built her life around being famous. She has remained remarkably private, which is one reason people still wonder: Who exactly is Nancy Simon? What happened during her marriage to Woody? And what did she do after their divorce?
Quick Bio of Nancy Simon
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Nancy Simon |
| Born | 1962 |
| Nationality | American |
| Father | Neil Simon |
| Mother | Joan Baim |
| Sister | Ellen Simon |
| Known for | Daughter of Neil Simon, former wife of Woody Harrelson |
| Profession | Theatre director/behind-the-scenes theatre work |
| First husband | Woody Harrelson |
| Marriage | 1985–1986 |
| Current husband | David Florimbi |
| Married to David | Since 1992 |
| Child | One daughter |
| Public lifestyle | Very private |
The Library of Congress records Nancy as having been born in 1962, while official Broadway records identify her as Neil Simon’s daughter and confirm her professional involvement in theatre.
Who Is Nancy Simon?
Nancy Simon comes from one of America’s most famous theatre families.
Her father, Neil Simon, became one of the most successful playwrights in Broadway history. His huge list of works included The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park, Biloxi Blues, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Lost in Yonkers, and many others.
Growing up with a father like that meant theatre was never something distant for Nancy. It was part of everyday family life.
Neil Simon and his first wife, dancer Joan Baim, had two daughters, Ellen and Nancy. The Library of Congress lists Ellen as being born in 1957 and Nancy in 1962.
That made Nancy the younger of the two sisters.
Her childhood was therefore very different from that of someone discovering Broadway for the first time as an adult. Plays, rehearsals, scripts, actors, opening nights, and creative conversations were already part of the world around her.
Nancy Simon’s Mother Joan Baim
Nancy’s mother was Joan Baim, a dancer who had performed with Martha Graham.
Joan married Neil Simon in 1953. Their marriage lasted until her death in 1973, when Nancy was still young. Neil and Joan had their daughters Ellen and Nancy together.
Losing a mother at a young age would be a major event in any child’s life.
Neil Simon later drew from grief, marriage, family relationships, and other deeply personal experiences when writing some of his work.
Nancy, meanwhile, largely kept her own feelings and experiences away from interviews and celebrity media.
That pattern of privacy would continue for decades.
Growing Up as Neil Simon’s Daughter
Imagine your father writing plays that people across America know by name.
That was normal life for Nancy.
Neil Simon was not simply successful. He became one of Broadway’s defining writers, producing an extraordinary number of plays and screenplays during his long career.
He earned major honors, including Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
But Nancy did not appear to chase the same kind of public fame.
Instead, she found a place behind the curtain.
That difference is important. Nancy was connected to entertainment from childhood, but she did not turn herself into a Hollywood celebrity.
Nancy Simon’s Career in Theatre
One of the most interesting parts of Nancy Simon’s life is often overlooked.
She actually worked in theatre.
The Internet Broadway Database lists Nancy as assistant to the director on the 1982 Broadway revival of Little Me. The musical had a particularly personal connection to her family because her father Neil Simon wrote its book.
Her work did not end there.
A 1990 Los Angeles Times profile of Neil Simon described Nancy as a director. Historical information about Peninsula Players also says Nancy was given an opportunity to direct Biloxi Blues in 1986 and later restaged the production at Westport Country Playhouse in 1987.
This gives us a much clearer picture of her.
Nancy was not simply “Woody Harrelson’s ex-wife.” She had genuine experience in the theatre world herself.
Did Nancy Simon Work in Movies?
Her screen credits appear much smaller than her theatre connections.
IMDb lists Nancy in the production department for the 1979 film Chapter Two. Interestingly, that movie was based on one of Neil Simon’s plays.
She also appeared as herself in a 60 Minutes segment involving her father in 1992.
There is little evidence that Nancy ever tried to build a traditional acting career.
Her strongest professional connection appears to have been directing and behind-the-scenes theatre work.
How Did Nancy Simon Meet Woody Harrelson?
This is where Nancy’s story becomes much more famous.
Before Woody Harrelson became a major movie star, he met Nancy Simon.
Harrelson had studied theatre and English at Hanover College and was trying to establish himself professionally. His major television breakthrough came when he joined Cheers as Woody Boyd in 1985.
That same year, he married Nancy.
It sounds like the beginning of a standard Hollywood love story.
It wasn’t.
Nancy Simon and Woody Harrelson’s Unusual Wedding
Nancy Simon and Woody Harrelson married in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1985.
But reports about the marriage describe something extremely unusual.
According to accounts of Harrelson’s personal life, the couple did not originally intend the marriage to become a serious long-term commitment. They reportedly planned to return to the marriage/divorce establishment the next day and end it.
There was just one problem.
The place was closed.
Instead of a marriage lasting only a day, Nancy and Woody remained legally married for roughly another ten months.
It has become one of the strangest stories connected to Harrelson’s personal life.
When Did Nancy Simon and Woody Harrelson Divorce?
The marriage ended in 1986.
Official Broadway records list Nancy as Woody Harrelson’s wife from 1985 to 1986, while Harrelson biographies similarly describe the marriage as brief.
They did not have children together.
Perhaps the most surprising thing is how little public drama followed.
There was no decades-long celebrity feud. Nancy did not build a public career around being Harrelson’s former wife.
Both simply moved forward with their lives.
Woody Harrelson’s Career After Nancy Simon
The timing of the marriage is fascinating because Woody Harrelson was only beginning the period that would make him famous.
He joined Cheers in 1985, playing lovable bartender Woody Boyd.
From there, his career grew dramatically.
He eventually became known for movies and television projects including White Men Can’t Jump, Natural Born Killers, The People vs. Larry Flynt, No Country for Old Men, Zombieland, The Hunger Games, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and True Detective.
His later career made the story of his short marriage to Nancy much more interesting to fans.
But when they married, nobody could have known exactly how huge his career would become.
Did Nancy Simon Remarry?
Yes.
Years after her divorce from Woody Harrelson, Nancy married artist David Florimbi.
IMDb lists their marriage as beginning in 1992 and says the couple have one child together.
Compared with her famous first marriage, Nancy’s relationship with David has received very little media attention.
That appears to fit her personality perfectly.
Rather than making her private life part of celebrity culture, she has largely kept it away from the spotlight.
Who Is David Florimbi?
David Florimbi is an artist.
His relationship with Nancy is far less public than her earlier connection with Harrelson, and reliable sources provide only limited details about their private family life.
That means claims sometimes found online about exactly how they met or every detail of their relationship should be treated carefully unless supported by stronger evidence.
What can be said with reasonable confidence is that Nancy later married David Florimbi and built a family life outside the daily Hollywood spotlight. IMDb continues to list them as married and says they have one child.
Does Nancy Simon Have Children?
Yes.
Nancy and David Florimbi have one daughter, according to IMDb.
Her daughter is listed as Sophia Florimbi.
Nancy and Woody Harrelson did not have any children together.
That distinction sometimes becomes confused online because Harrelson later became a father with Laura Louie.
Nancy Simon’s Sister Ellen Simon
Nancy also has an older sister named Ellen Simon.
Ellen followed the family’s creative path and became a writer and playwright.
Their relationship adds another interesting layer to the Simon family story. Their father wrote some of America’s best-known plays, and both daughters grew up surrounded by storytelling.
Yet each developed her own identity.
Nancy gravitated toward directing and theatre work, while Ellen became known for writing.
What Happened to Nancy’s Father Neil Simon?
Neil Simon died on August 26, 2018, at the age of 91.
By then, his influence on American theatre was enormous.
His career included more than 30 plays and many screenplays, along with major honors including Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Kennedy Center Honors.
A Washington Post obituary listed daughters Ellen and Nancy among his surviving family members. At the time, both were identified as living in Santa Barbara, California.
That information is useful historically, although it should not automatically be treated as Nancy’s present-day address or current residence.
Where Is Nancy Simon Today?
Nancy Simon remains an extremely private person.
There is no strong evidence that she has attempted to return to public celebrity life in 2026.
She does not have the same type of highly visible public career as Woody Harrelson, and reliable sources offer relatively little current information about her everyday activities.
That can make online searches confusing.
When someone famous disappears from entertainment news, people sometimes assume something dramatic happened. In Nancy’s case, however, her low profile is not new.
She has lived privately for many years.
Is Nancy Simon Still Married to David Florimbi?
Current IMDb information lists David Florimbi as Nancy Simon’s husband from 1992 to the present.
Because Nancy rarely discusses her personal life publicly, there are not many recent interviews offering additional details.
It is therefore better to stick to documented information rather than guess about a private relationship.
What Is Nancy Simon’s Net Worth?
There is no reliable, publicly verified figure for Nancy Simon’s net worth.
Several celebrity websites publish estimates, but they often do not explain where their numbers came from.
Nancy is connected to famous and successful people, but that does not allow anyone to accurately calculate her personal wealth.
Her father’s success also does not automatically tell us how much money Nancy personally owns.
For that reason, presenting a specific figure such as “$2 million” or “$5 million” as a fact would be misleading without solid financial evidence.
Why Is Nancy Simon Still Famous?
Nancy remains interesting because three different stories meet in her life.
First, she is the daughter of Neil Simon, one of America’s great playwrights.
Second, she had her own connection to theatre and directing.
Third, she became the first wife of Woody Harrelson, who went on to become one of Hollywood’s best-known actors.
Those three pieces keep bringing new readers to her name.
Someone watching an old Harrelson interview may discover that he was married before Laura Louie and search for Nancy.
Someone reading about Neil Simon may discover he had a daughter who became a director.
Suddenly, the same name appears from two completely different directions.
Nancy Simon Was More Than Woody Harrelson’s First Wife
This is perhaps the biggest point worth remembering.
It would be easy to describe Nancy simply as “Woody Harrelson’s ex-wife.”
But doing so misses much of her story.
She was born into an important American theatre family. She worked behind the scenes on Broadway. She directed theatre. She experienced Hollywood fame from very close range while apparently deciding that she did not want to live permanently inside it.
That makes her story different from many celebrity-family profiles.
Nancy had access to fame from childhood.
She simply did not appear to need it.
Interesting Facts About Nancy Simon
Nancy was born in 1962 and is the younger daughter of Neil Simon and Joan Baim.
She worked as an assistant to the director on the Broadway revival of Little Me in 1982.
She later worked as a theatre director, including directing Biloxi Blues.
Nancy married Woody Harrelson in Tijuana in 1985.
Their unusual marriage continued for roughly ten months after their reported plan to end it the next day was interrupted because the marriage/divorce establishment was closed.
She later married David Florimbi in 1992 and has one daughter.
Despite having a famous father and famous former husband, Nancy has spent most of her adult life outside the celebrity spotlight.
Final Thoughts
Nancy Simon’s life is a fascinating example of how someone can stand right beside fame without allowing fame to become their entire identity.
She was born into the world of Broadway as Neil Simon’s daughter. She developed her own theatre experience, including directing work, and then became part of one of Woody Harrelson’s most unusual personal-life stories.
Yet the biggest part of Nancy’s story may be what happened afterward.
She moved forward.
She remarried, built a family and largely stepped away from celebrity attention. Even decades after her marriage to Woody Harrelson ended, she has never appeared interested in turning that old relationship into a permanent public identity.
For readers discovering her today, that makes Nancy Simon more interesting than the simple label “Woody Harrelson’s ex-wife” suggests.
FAQs About Nancy Simon
Who is Nancy Simon?
Nancy Simon is the daughter of famous American playwright Neil Simon and dancer Joan Baim. She is also known as Woody Harrelson’s first wife and has worked in theatre, including directing and assistant-director roles.
When was Nancy Simon born?
The Library of Congress biographical chronology for Neil Simon records Nancy Simon’s birth in 1962.
Who are Nancy Simon’s parents?
Her parents were playwright Neil Simon and dancer Joan Baim.
Was Nancy Simon married to Woody Harrelson?
Yes. Nancy Simon and Woody Harrelson married in 1985 and divorced in 1986.
Why was their marriage so unusual?
Reports say they initially intended the marriage to be very short, but when they returned to end it, the establishment they had used was closed. They consequently remained legally married for approximately ten months.
Did Nancy Simon and Woody Harrelson have children?
No. There are no reported children from their brief marriage.
Who is Nancy Simon’s husband now?
IMDb lists artist David Florimbi as her husband. They married in 1992.
Does Nancy Simon have a daughter?
Yes. IMDb lists one child, a daughter named Sophia Florimbi.
What does Nancy Simon do?
Nancy has professional theatre credits. Broadway records list her as an assistant to the director of Little Me, and historical theatre sources describe her directing work.
What is Nancy Simon’s net worth?
There is no trustworthy public source confirming Nancy Simon’s personal net worth, so specific estimates found on celebrity websites should not be treated as verified facts.
Where is Nancy Simon in 2026?
She maintains a private life, and reliable public sources provide few details about her current day-to-day activities.
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