Robert Towne , who won an Oscar for his Chinatown original screenplay and was nominated for his The Last Detail, Shampoo and Greystoke scripts, died Monday at his home. He was 89. PR firm McClure & Associates announced the news on the part of Towne’s family.
Related Stories News Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2024: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Commentary Peter Bart: Book About Writer’s Angst Creating ‘Chinatown’ Climbs Bestseller Lists Towne also earned BAFTA, Golden Globe and WGA awards for Chinatown, the L.A.-set 1974 thriller starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway.
It was one of three Writers Guild Awards he won during his career, along with Shampoo and the drama series Mad Men. He also was nominated for The Last Detail (1973) and Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1985). He was honored with teh guild’s Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement in 1997.
RELATED: Anthea Sylbert Dies: Oscar-Nominated ‘Chinatown’ Costume Designer Who Worked On ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, ‘King Kong’ & Many More Was 84 November 23, 1934, Towne got his start with his screenplay for 1960’s Last Woman on Earth before writing for early-’60s TV series including The Outer Limits, The Man from U.N.C.
L.E. and The Lloyd Bridges Show.
He went on to work with Roger Corman on films including The Tomb of Ligeia (1964) and later co-penned with Sam Peckinpah the 1968 Mexican Revolution film Villa Rides, starring Yul Brenner, Robert Mitchum and Charles Bronson. His breakthroug.