Bo Goldman at the Roosevelt Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.Photo:Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Bo Goldman, a two-timeOscar-winning screenwriter best known for co-writingOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,has died. He was 90 years old.
Director Todd Field, Goldman’s son-in-law, confirmed his death toThe New York Timeson Wednesday, though he did not provide a cause or further details.
In a statement to PEOPLE,Danny DeVito— who starred in 1975’sOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which Goldman wrote alongside Lawrence Hauben — said, “Working with Bo was a dream. It was an honor knowing him.”
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Bo Goldman at the 48th Academy Awards on March 29, 1976.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Born Robert Goldman on Sept. 10, 1932, Goldman grew up in New York City and later attended Princeton University, where he was president of theater troupe the Princeton Triangle Club. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Army for three years.
Goldman began his career in entertainment as a lyricist onBroadwayand with work in television, notably serving as a writer and associate producer on the CBS anthology seriesPlayhouse 90from 1956 to 1959.
He took home an Academy Award in 1976 for Best Adapted Screenplay forOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, based onKen Kesey’s novel of the same name and starring DeVito, 78, alongsideJack Nicholson,Louise Fletcher, William Redfield and more.
Goldman received his second Oscar, for Best Original Screenplay, for the 1980 filmMelvin and Howard.
Other notable projects from the screenwriter includeThe Rose(1979),Shoot the Moon(1982),Scent of a Woman(1992) andMeet Joe Black(1998).
Bo Goldman and Brad Pitt attend the 50th Annual Writers Guild of America Awards on Feb. 21, 1998, in Beverly Hills, California.Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
The latter two films' directorMartin Bresttold theTimesof Goldman, “People call him the screenwriter’s screenwriter.”
“Icalled him the man with the X-ray ears, because he had a pitch-perfect recall of the nuances of a comment that someone made to someone 50 years prior — he could reproduce the tone, and the reason he remembered it is because the tone told the whole story," continued Brest, 71.
“He thought of himself as a filmmaker rather than a writer,” the director added. “He was part of the creation of a film.”
source: people.com
