By Oscar-winning screenwriter Robert Towne, who penned the legendary screenplay for 1974 noir classic “Chinatown,” has died. He was 89.
Towne passed away on Monday at his home in Los Angeles according to his publicist Carri McClure.
Towne also scored Oscar nominations for his writing work on the Hal Ashby-comedy “The Last Detail” in 1973 and the Warren Beatty-led “Shampoo” in 1975.
He landed a fourth nomination for his work co-writing with Michael Austin on “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes” but had taken his name off the film, instead using the nom-de-plume P.H. Vazak which came from the name of his sheepdog.
He first broke through with two Roger Corman films – “Last Woman on Earth” and “The Tomb of Ligeia” along with TV work on shows like “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and “The Outer Limits”.
He also tried his hand at directing over the years with films like “Personal Best,” “Tequila Sunrise”, “Without Limits” and “Ask the Dust” – all of which he also penned.
Throughout his career he did a bunch of uncredited writing work as a script doctor on films like “The Godfather,” “Crimson Tide,” “Marathon Man,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Heaven Can Wait ,” “The Parallax View,” “8 Million Ways to Die,” “The Yakuza,” “Orca,” “Reds,” “Drive, He Said,” “The New Centurions,” “Cisco Pike,” “The Missouri Breaks,” “Deal of the Century,” “Swing Shift,” and “Frantic”.
In terms of credited writing he also penned the less well-received “Chinatown” sequel “The Two Jakes,” the remake of “Love Affair,” and the Tom Cruise-led racing drama “Days of Thunder”.
The latter began a long relationship with Cruise with Towne penning the film adaptation of John Grisham’s “The Firm” and the first two “Mission: Impossible” movies.
Our sincerest condolences to his family, friends and fans.
Source: THR
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