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William Goldman Biography

Birth Place:
Highland Park, Illinois, United States
Profession
Screenwriter, novelist

Fast Facts

  • Published his first novel, the coming-of-age story Temple of Gold, in 1957
  • Before trying his hand at writing screenplays, he wrote five novels and three Broadway plays
  • Spent eight years working on his debut screenplay, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  • After most of the major studios passed on it, the script eventually sold for a record $400,000 and the film became one of the highest-grossing westerns of all time
  • Published a nonfiction book called The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway in 1969
  • Although he claimed the 1972 novel The Princess Bride is an abridgment of an earlier book by S
  • Morgenstern, it is entirely original and S
  • Morgenstern was actually Goldman's pseudonym
  • His nonfiction book about Hollywood, Adventures in the Screen Trade (1984), introduced a popular quote often used in reference to the movie business: "Nobody knows anything
  • " Won the Writers Guild's Laurel Award in 1985

Awards

  • 1988Writers Guild Awards-Adapted Screenplay: nominated
  • 1977BAFTA Film Awards-Best Screenplay: nominated
  • 1977Golden Globe-Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1977Writers Guild Awards-Adapted Drama: winner
  • 1976Oscar-Best Writing (Screenplay--based on material from another medium): winner
  • 1971BAFTA Film Awards-Best Screenplay: winner
  • 1970Golden Globe-Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1970Writers Guild Awards-Original Drama: winner
  • 1969Oscar-Best Writing (Story and Screenplay--based on material not previously published or produced): winner
  • 1967Writers Guild Awards-Drama: nominated
  • 1966Edgar Allan Poe Awards-Best Screenplay: winner

Relationships

  • Jenny -- Daughter
  • Susanna -- Daughter
  • Ilene Jones -- Ex-wife
  • Maurice Goldman -- Father
  • Marion Goldman -- Mother