Robert Douglas Benton (born September 29, 1932) is an American screenwriter and film director. A seven-time Academy Award nominee and three-time winner, he is best known as the writer and director of the film Kramer vs. Kramer, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He later won a third Academy Award in the category of Best Original Screenplay for Places in the Heart (1984). His first script as a writer was written with David Newman for the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde.
Robert Benton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Douglas Benton September 29, 1932 Waxahachie, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter, producer |
| Years active | 1967–2007 |
| Spouse | Sallie Rendig (after 1964) |
Early life
Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Dorothy (née Spaulding) and Ellery Douglass Benton, a telephone company employee.[1] He attended the University of Texas and Columbia University.[1]
Career
In 1959, he co-wrote the book The IN and OUT Book with Harvey Schmidt, published by The Viking Press. He was the art director at Esquire in the early 1960s.[2]
Benton won the Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Best Original Screenplay for Places in the Heart (1984).
Benton garnered three additional Oscar nominations: two for Best Original Screenplay for both Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and The Late Show (1977) and one for Best Adapted Screenplay for Nobody's Fool (1994).
He also directed Twilight (1998) and Feast of Love (2007), and co-wrote the screenplays for Superman (1978) and The Ice Harvest (2005).
In 2006, he appeared in the documentary Wanderlust.
Personal life
Films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Bonnie and Clyde | No | Yes | No |
| 1970 | There Was a Crooked Man... | No | Yes | No |
| 1972 | What's Up, Doc? | No | Yes | No |
| Bad Company | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1977 | The Late Show | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1978 | Superman | No | Yes | No |
| 1979 | Kramer vs. Kramer | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1982 | Still of the Night | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1984 | Places in the Heart | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1987 | Nadine | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1988 | The House on Carroll Street | No | No | Yes |
| 1991 | Billy Bathgate | Yes | No | No |
| 1994 | Nobody's Fool | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1998 | Twilight | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2003 | The Human Stain | Yes | No | No |
| 2005 | The Ice Harvest | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2007 | Feast of Love | Yes | No | No |
Producer
- A Texas Romance, 1909[5] (1964) (Short film)
Theatre
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman | Libretto; adaptation in television film (1975) |
| 1969 | Oh! Calcutta! | Contribution in libretto; adaptation in theatrical film (1972) |
Awards and nominations
Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Best Original Screenplay | Bonnie and Clyde | Nominated |
| 1978 | The Late Show | Nominated | |
| 1980 | Best Director | Kramer vs. Kramer | Won |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Won | ||
| 1985 | Best Director | Places in the Heart | Nominated |
| Best Original Screenplay | Won | ||
| 1995 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Nobody's Fool | Nominated |
BAFTA Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Best Direction | Kramer vs. Kramer | Nominated |
Golden Globe Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Best Screenplay | Bonnie and Clyde | Nominated |
| 1980 | Best Director | Kramer vs. Kramer | Nominated |
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||
| 1985 | Places in the Heart | Nominated |
Directors Guild of America
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Outstanding Directing | Kramer vs. Kramer | Won |
| 1985 | Places in the Heart | Nominated |
Berlin International Film Festival
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Golden Bear | The Late Show | Nominated |
| 1985 | Silver Bear for Best Director[6] | Places in the Heart | Won |
Other awards
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Edgar Awards | Best Motion Picture Screenplay | The Late Show | Won |
| 1981 | César Awards | Best Foreign Film | Kramer vs. Kramer | Nominated |
| 1984 | Toronto International Film Festival | People's Choice Award | Won | |
| 2007 | Writers Guild of America | Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement[7] | Won | |
References
Archival sources
- The Robert Benton Papers 1969–1994 (24 linear feet) are housed at the Wittliff Collections, Texas State University in San Marcos.
