Robert Towne, Hollywood screenwriter behind the masterpiece Chinatown (1974), often described as the best screenplay ever written and for which he received an Oscar, died on Monday, May 1is July, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 89. He died “peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving family”confirmed his agent, Carri McClure, in a statement to Agence France-Presse.
Robert Towne had established himself as a figure of the New Hollywood of the 1970s and was also known for having written the first two parts of the saga Mission Impossible.
Several classic films have benefited from his contribution, although his name does not appear in the credits. Among them, Bonnie and Clyde (1967) et The Godfather (1972). He worked on the first as a “creative consultant” early in his career in the 1960s. For The GodfatherMr. Towne was greeted on the Oscar stage by Francis Ford Coppola, who was awarded the statuette for best screenplay. The director paid tribute to him for “the very beautiful scene between Marlon [Brando] and Al Pacino in the garden”.
Partnered with Tom Cruise on “Days of Thunder”
That mention propelled Mr. Towne to the firmament of New Hollywood. At his peak, he was nominated for the Oscar for best screenplay three years in a row in the mid-1970s, and won the award for Chinatown.
The film stars Jack Nicholson as a 1930s private detective whose investigation of a cheating husband uncovers a world of corruption in Los Angeles. Its intricate plot, wise-but-dark dialogue, and bold themes make Chinatown a script revered in film schools, even if its director, Roman Polanski, opted for a much more terrifying ending than the one initially envisaged by Robert Towne.
He also directed a few films during his career. As a screenwriter, he teamed up with Tom Cruise on Days of Thunderreleased in 1990. A collaboration that the duo had renewed on the first two Mission Impossible. Robert Towne also served as a consulting producer on the popular television series Mad Men.
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