George Plimpton, shown in New York, Feb. 9, 1996, died Thursday night, Sept. 25, 2003, at his Manhattan apartment, his longtime friend, restaurateur Elaine Kaufman, said Friday. She had no information on the cause. The self-deprecating author of ``Paper Lion'' and a patron to Philip Roth, Jack Kerouac and countless other writers, has boxed with Archie Moore, pitched to Willie Mays and performed as a trapeze artist for the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus. He acted in numerous films, including``Reds'' and ``Good Will Hunting.'' He even appeared in an episode of ``The Simpsons,'' playing a professor who runs a spelling bee. He was 76.(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan,file)