William Goldman

One of the most celebrated writers to make a name for himself in both literature and film, William Goldman was born in Highland Park, Illinois. He would enroll at Oberlin College, where a creative writing class awakened his desire to become an author, and soon began submitting short stories for publication. Shortly after obtaining an MFA from Columbia University in 1956, Goldman published his first novel, the coming of age tale The Golden Temple. Soon he was off and running, publishing books like Soldier in the Rain and Boys and Girls Together. In 1965, Goldman was tapped to rewrite the script for the film "Masquerade" (1965), and soon, screenwriting became an integral component of his career. After his screenplay for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969) became a huge success, Goldman published the highly unusual and highly praised fantasy novel The Princess Bride in 1973. He would go on to publish the thriller Marathon Man, adapting it into a hit film in 1976 before penning another lauded script, adapting Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's All the President's Men into a landmark feature film. Goldman's 1983 memoir Adventures in the Screen Trade would become a de facto guidebook for young writers in the industry, and his reputation only became stronger when he adapted The Princess Bride into a blockbuster hit in 1987. Goldman would concentrate on screenwriting for the following decades, notably adapting a number of Stephen King novels for the screen including Misery and Dreamcatcher. William Goldman died in November 2018. He was 87 years old.