Neil Simon (born July 4, 1927) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that were made into movies. He also has written the books for several musicals, including Sweet Charity.

Barefoot in the Park is a romantic comedy by Simon. The original Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, opened October 23, 1963, with the four lead roles taken by actors Elizabeth Ashley (Corie), Robert Redford (Paul), Mildred Natwick (Mrs. Banks), and Kurt Kasznar (Victor Velasco). The play was nominated for three 1964 Tony Awards, and Mike Nichols won the trophy for Best Director (Dramatic). The show ran for 1530 performances, closing on June 25, 1967, making it Neil Simon's longest-running hit, and the tenth longest-running non-musical play in Broadway history.

A New York revival production of Barefoot in the Park ran for 109 performances, February 16, 2006, through May 21, 2006, with a cast led by Amanda Peet (Corie), Patrick Wilson (Paul), Jill Clayburgh (Mrs. Banks), and Tony Roberts (Victor). The revival was directed by Scott Elliott.

Simon adapted his play for a 1967 feature film, starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, directed by Gene Saks.

n September 1970, ABC launched a television series based on the play. Barefoot in the Park was one of two television series based on Neil Simon plays to debut on the network that month, the other being The Odd Couple.