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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 19 noveMber 2018
William Goldman, Oscar winner for ‘Butch Cassidy,’ has died

By JAKE COYLE failed on Broadway.
Associated Press James Goldman would
NEW YORK (AP) — Wil- later write the historical
liam Goldman, the Oscar- play “The Lion in Winter,”
winning screenwriter and which he converted to film,
Hollywood wise man who winning the 1968 Oscar for
won Academy Awards for best adapted screenplay.
“Butch Cassidy and the William Goldman had
Sundance Kid” and “All come to screenwriting by
the President’s Men” and accident after actor Cliff
summed up the mystery of Robertson read one of his
making a box office hit by books, “No Way to Treat a
declaring “Nobody knows Lady,” and thought it was
anything,” has died. He a film treatment. After he
was 87. Goldman’s daugh- hired the young writer to
ter Jenny said her father fashion a script from a short
died early Friday in New story, Goldman rushed out
York due to complications to buy a book on screen
from colon cancer and writing. Robertson rejected
pneumonia. “So much of the script but found Gold-
what’s he’s written can man a job working on a
express who he was and screenplay for a British thrill-
what he was about,” she er. After that he adapted
said, adding that the last In this March 28, 1977 file photo, William Goldman accepts his Oscar at Academy Awards in Los his novel “Harper” for a
few weeks, while Goldman Angeles, for screenplay from other medium for “All The President’s Men.” 1966 film starring Paul New-
was ailing, revealed just Associated Press man as a private eye.q
how many people consid- ion a script, which he did
ered him family. with amazing speed. In his
Goldman, who also con- 1985 book, “Adventures in
verted his novels “Mara- the Screen Trade,” he ex-
thon Man,” ‘’Magic,” ‘’The pressed disdain for an in-
Princess Bride” and “Heat” dustry that elaborately pro-
into screenplays, clearly duced and tested a movie,
knew more than most only to see it dismissed by
about what the audience the public during its first
wanted. He was not only weekend in theaters.
a successful film writer but “Nobody knows anything,”
a top script doctor, the in- he remarked.
dustry title for an uncred- Screenwriter and filmmaker
ited writer brought in to im- Aaron Sorkin called Gold-
prove or “punch up” weak man a mentor.
screenplays. “He was the dean of Amer-
Goldman also made po- ican screenwriters and
litical history by coining the generations of filmmakers
phrase “follow the money” will continue to walk in the
in his script for “All the Presi- footprints he laid,” Sorkin
dent’s Men,” adapted from said in a statement. “He
the book by Washington wrote so many unforgetta-
Post reporters Bob Wood- ble movies, so many thun-
ward and Carl Bernstein derous novels and works of
on the Watergate political non-fiction, and while I’ll al-
scandal. The film starred ways wish he’d written one
Robert Redford as Wood- more, I’ll always be grateful
ward and Dustin Hoffman for what he’s left us.”
as Bernstein. Standing in Goldman launched his writ-
the shadows, Hal Holbrook ing career after receiving a
was the mystery man code- master’s degree in English
named Deep Throat who from Columbia University in
helped the reporters pur- 1956. Weary of academia,
sue the evidence. His ad- he declined the chance
vice, “Follow the money,” to earn a Ph.D., choosing
became so widely quoted instead to write the novel
that few people realized it “The Temple of Gold” in
was never said during the 10 days. Knopf agreed to
actual scandal. publish it. Instead, he wrote
A confirmed New Yorker, other novels, including
Goldman declined to work “Soldier in the Rain,” which
in Hollywood. Instead, he became a movie starring
would fly to Los Angeles for Steve McQueen. Goldman
two-day conferences with also co-authored a play
directors and producers, and a musical with his old-
then return home to fash- er brother, James, but both