William Goldman, Oscar-Winning Screenwriter & Iconic Author of Broadway Tome The Season, Dies at 87

William Goldman, an award-winning screenwriter whose contributions as an author and playwright made a lasting mark in the theater world, died on November 16 from complications related to colon cancer and pneumonia, according to Variety. He was 87.

Born in Highland Park, Illinois, Goldman graduated from Oberlin College in 1952, later going into the army, then receiving his MA from Columbia University in 1956. His career began in 1957 as a novelist, later transitioning into screenwriting with the film Masquerade (1965). Not long after, he won an Academy Award for his screenplay of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).

The same year, Goldman published the nonfiction book The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway (1969), an account of the 1967-1968 season, now considered to be one of the best books written on the musical theater. Goldman spent a year and a half crafting the book, seeing every Broadway show that season, as well as out-of-town tryouts in Boston, New Haven and Washington, D.C.

In 1976, Goldman netted another Oscar for All the President's Men. His screenplay for Marathon Man, adapted from his own novel, also premiered in 1976, earning him a Golden Globe nomination. Goldman also adapted his novel The Princess Bride into an acclaimed film (1987); a stage musical version was announced in 2013.

In 2015, Goldman's stage play based on his 1990 film Misery debuted on Broadway starring Laurie Metcalf and Bruce Willis. Goldman's other Broadway credits include the play Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole (1961) and the musical A Family Affair (1962).

Goldman was married to Ilene Jones from 1961 until their divorce in 1991. He is survived by their daughters, Jenny and Susanna.