Robert Benton
Encyclopedia
Robert Douglas Benton is an American screenwriter
and film director
.
Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas
, the son of Dorothy (née Spaulding) and Ellery Douglass Benton, a telephone company employee. He attended the University of Texas and Columbia University
. Benton has won numerous awards for both writing and directing in film. 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
magazine in the early 1960s. In 2006 he appeared in the documentary Wanderlust.
Benton's family originally came from Northumberland
in Great Britain
, where the Bentons held a seat long before the Norman Conquest of 1066. Many family members settled in America, including Abigail and Isabel Benton, who settled in Virginia in 1642; George Benton, who settled in Barbados in 1669; and Robert Benton, who settled in Virginia in 1635. Benton was once a noble family, but they were deprived of their title by the Normans after the Conquest. Robert Benton still has relatives living in England who trace their origins to the seventeenth century. Other prominent Bentons include: Thomas Hart Benton and William Burnett Benton.
Benton has appeared as a guest on Barefoot Contessa, a Food Network television show.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas
Waxahachie, Texas
Waxahachie is a city in Ellis County, Texas, United States, and a southern suburb of Dallas. The population was 21,426 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ellis County....
, the son of Dorothy (née Spaulding) and Ellery Douglass Benton, a telephone company employee. He attended the University of Texas and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Benton has won numerous awards for both writing and directing in film. In 1959, he co-wrote the book "The IN and OUT Book" with Harvey Schmidt
Harvey Schmidt
Harvey Lester Schmidt is an American composer for musical theatre. He is best known for composing the music for the longest running musical in history, The Fantasticks, which ran off-Broadway from 1960 - 2002.-Biography:...
, published by The Viking Press. He was the art director at Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
magazine in the early 1960s. In 2006 he appeared in the documentary Wanderlust.
Benton's family originally came from Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, where the Bentons held a seat long before the Norman Conquest of 1066. Many family members settled in America, including Abigail and Isabel Benton, who settled in Virginia in 1642; George Benton, who settled in Barbados in 1669; and Robert Benton, who settled in Virginia in 1635. Benton was once a noble family, but they were deprived of their title by the Normans after the Conquest. Robert Benton still has relatives living in England who trace their origins to the seventeenth century. Other prominent Bentons include: Thomas Hart Benton and William Burnett Benton.
Benton has appeared as a guest on Barefoot Contessa, a Food Network television show.
Directing
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 1972 | Bad Company Bad Company (1972 film) Bad Company is a 1972 American Western film directed by Robert Benton, who also co-wrote the film with David Newman. It stars Barry Brown and Jeff Bridges as two of a group of young men that flee the draft during the American Civil War to seek their fortune and freedom on the unforgiving American... |
| 1977 | The Late Show The Late Show (film) The Late Show is a 1977 comedy, neo-noir, romance, mystery film written and directed by Robert Benton and produced by Robert Altman. It stars Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy, Eugene Roche, and Joanna Cassidy... |
| 1979 | Kramer vs. Kramer Kramer vs. Kramer Kramer vs. Kramer is a 1979 American drama film adapted by Robert Benton from the novel by Avery Corman, and directed by Benton. The film tells the story of a married couple's divorce and its impact on everyone involved, including the couple's young son... |
| 1982 | Still of the Night |
| 1984 | Places in the Heart Places in the Heart Places in the Heart is a 1984 drama film that tells the story of a Texas widow who tries to keep her farm together with the help of a blind white man and an African-American man during the Great Depression... |
| 1987 | Nadine Nadine (1987 film) Nadine is a 1987 comedy film directed by Robert Benton that stars Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger.It is the story of a woman living in 1950's Austin, Texas who persuades her ex-husband into helping her break into a photographer's studio to retrieve embarrassing cheesecake pictures... |
| 1991 | Billy Bathgate Billy Bathgate (film) Billy Bathgate is a 1991 American crime film directed by Robert Benton, starring Loren Dean as the titular character and Dustin Hoffman as gangster Dutch Schultz. The film co-stars Nicole Kidman, Steven Hill, Steve Buscemi, and Bruce Willis. It is based on the novel of the same name by E.L.... |
| 1994 | Nobody's Fool, based on the novel by Richard Russo Richard Russo Richard Russo is an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and teacher.-Early life and education:Russo was born in Johnstown, New York, and raised in nearby Gloversville... |
| 1998 | Twilight Twilight (1998 film) Twilight is a 1998 thriller/Neo-noir film directed by Robert Benton. It stars Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, Reese Witherspoon, Stockard Channing, and James Garner... |
| 2003 | The Human Stain The Human Stain (film) The Human Stain is a 2003 American romantic thriller film directed by Robert Benton. The screenplay by Nicholas Meyer is based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Philip Roth... |
| 2007 | Feast of Love Feast of Love Feast of Love is a 2007 American drama film directed by Robert Benton, starring Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, Radha Mitchell, Billy Burke and Selma Blair... , based on the novel by Charles Baxter |
Writing
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman | Charles Strouse Charles Strouse Charles Strouse is an American composer and lyricist.-Life and career:Strouse was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ira and Ethel Strouse... |
| 1967 | Bonnie and Clyde Bonnie and Clyde (film) The film was originally offered to François Truffaut, the best-known director of the New Wave movement, who made contributions to the script. He passed on the project to make Fahrenheit 451. The producers approached Jean-Luc Godard next... |
Arthur Penn Arthur Penn Arthur Hiller Penn was an American film director and producer with a career as a theater director as well. Penn amassed a critically acclaimed body of work throughout the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:... |
| 1970 | There Was a Crooked Man... There Was a Crooked Man... There Was a Crooked Man... is a 1970 western comedy starring Kirk Douglas and Henry Fonda and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The film follows Paris Pitman , a charismatic criminal who ends up in jail, and his attempts to escape the prison of warden Lopeman... |
Joseph L. Mankiewicz Joseph L. Mankiewicz Joseph Leo Mankiewicz was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz had a long Hollywood career and is best known as the writer-director of All About Eve , which was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won six. He was brother to screenwriter and drama critic Herman J... |
| 1972 | What's Up, Doc? What's Up, Doc? (1972 film) What's Up, Doc? is a 1972 screwball comedy film released by Warner Bros., directed by Peter Bogdanovich and starring Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, and Madeline Kahn... |
Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich is an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic. He was part of the wave of "New Hollywood" directors, which included William Friedkin, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Michael Cimino, and Francis Ford Coppola... |
| Oh! Calcutta! Oh! Calcutta! Oh! Calcutta! is an avant-garde theatrical revue, created by British drama critic Kenneth Tynan. The show, consisting of sketches on sex-related topics, debuted Off-Broadway in 1969 and then in London in 1970. It ran in London for over 3,900 performances, and in New York initially for 1,314... , contribution |
Jacques Levy Jacques Levy Jacques Levy was an American songwriter, theatre director, and clinical psychologist.Levy was born in New York City in 1935, and attended its City College. He received a doctorate in psychology from Michigan State University. Levy was a trained psychoanalyst, certified by the Menninger Institute... |
|
| Bad Company | Benton | |
| 1977 | The Late Show | Benton |
| 1978 | Superman | Richard Donner Richard Donner Richard Donner is an American film director, film producer, and comic book writer.The production company The Donners' Company is owned by Donner and his wife, producer Lauren Shuler Donner. After directing the horror film The Omen, Donner became famous for the hailed creation of the first modern... |
| 1979 | Kramer vs. Kramer | Benton |
| 1982 | Still of the Night | Benton |
| 1984 | Places in the Heart | Benton |
| 1987 | Nadine | Benton |
| 1994 | Nobody's Fool | Benton |
| 1998 | Twilight | Benton |
| 2005 | Ice Harvest | Harold Ramis Harold Ramis Harold Allen Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Russell Ziskey in Stripes , both of which he also co-wrote... |
Wins
- 1978 - Edgar AwardEdgar AwardThe Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
for Best Motion Picture Screenplay for The Late Show - 1980 - Academy Award for Writing Adapted ScreenplayAcademy Award for Writing Adapted ScreenplayThe Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. It is awarded each year to the writer of a screenplay adapted from another source...
for Kramer vs. Kramer - 1980 - Academy Award for DirectingAcademy Award for DirectingThe Academy Award for Achievement in Directing , usually known as the Best Director Oscar, is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to directors working in the motion picture industry...
for Kramer vs. Kramer - 1980 - Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture for Kramer vs. Kramer
- 1980 - Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion PicturesDirectors Guild of AmericaDirectors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
for Kramer vs. Kramer - 1984 - People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film FestivalThe Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
- 1985 - Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Places in the Heart
- 1985 - Silver Bear for Best DirectorSilver Bear for Best DirectorThe Silver Bear for Best Director is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for best achievement in direction.-Awards:-Repeated winners:*Mario Monicelli *Satyajit Ray *Carlos Saura -External links:*...
at the 35th Berlin International Film Festival35th Berlin International Film FestivalThe 35th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 15 to February 26, 1985.-Jury:* Jean Marais * Max von Sydow* Alberto Sordi* Regimantas Adomaitis* Sheila Benson* Wolfgang Kohlhaase* Onat Kutlar* Luis Megino...
for Places in the Heart
Nominations
- 1968 - Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Bonnie and Clyde
- 1968 - Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for Bonnie and Clyde
- 1977 - Golden BearGolden BearAccording to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
at Berlin27th Berlin International Film FestivalThe 27th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 24 to July 5, 1977.-Jury:* Senta Berger * Ellen Burstyn* Helène Vager* Rainer Werner Fassbinder* Derek Malcolm* Andrej Michaolkow-Kontschalowski* Ousmane Sembène...
for The Late Show - 1978 - Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for The Late Show
- 1980 - Golden Globe for Best Director - Motion Picture for Kramer vs. Kramer
- 1981 - César Award for Best Foreign FilmCésar Award for Best Foreign FilmThis is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Foreign Film .-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
for Kramer vs. Kramer - 1985 - Academy Award for Directing for Places in the Heart
- 1980 - Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Places in the Heart
- 1985 - Golden Globe for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture for Places in the Heart
- 1995 - Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for Nobody's Fool