His identical twin died in 1952, a loss that he felt for the rest of his life. He continued writing, receiving two more Oscar nominations. In 1998, he received a Los Angeles Film Critics Association career achievement award. His credits included Four Daughters (1938) for which he received his first Oscar nomination, The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942), Mr. Skeffington (1944), The Tender Trap (1955), Light in the Piazza (1962), Send Me No Flowers (1964), Pete 'n' Tillie (1972), Cross of Iron (1977) and Reuben, Reuben (1983).
Epstein had a less successful result as a playwright in Broadway theatre. His play, But, Seriously (starring Richard Dreyfuss and Tom Poston) would prove to be the last to be staged at Henry Miller's Theatre for more than 30 years, opening on February 27, 1969, and closing after only four performances.
Epstein was born Julius Epstein as a twin to his brother Philip to a Jewish family on August 22, 1909 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York. Their parents owned a livery stable at a time when horses were widely used in the city. He and Philip both graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 1931, where they were champions in boxing; Julius became an NCAA Bantamweight Champion. He graduated with a BA in Arts and Letters. He maintained close ties with Penn State throughout his life (often as a guest lecturer at the film school). At his request, he was buried in a Penn State polo shirt.

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