Bo Goldman: Oscar Winning Screenwriter Of ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ Dead Aged 90

Bo Goldman, who collected two Oscars during a glittering Hollywood career, passed away on Tuesday, July 25, at the age of 90.

His death in Helendale, California, was confirmed to the New York Times by Todd Field, his son-in-law, who directed ‘Tar’, according to The Hollywood Reporter this Thursday 27.

Before becoming a television writer, the New York City-born writer began his career as a Broadway lyricist. He penned his first script called ‘Shoot The Moon’ but it was never picked up until many years later.

His work became a hit film in 1982, starring Albert Finney and Diane Keaton, directed by the legendary Alan Parker and produced by Alan Marshall. It featured the two iconic stars in a seriocomic drama about a disintegrating marriage.

The film won an Oscar in 1975

As a result of reading his original script, he was asked by the director Milos Forman to look at a novel by Ken Kesey. Goldman subsequently adapted the book ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ into one of the all-time cinema greats.

Starring Jack Nicholson, in 1975 it won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and also received several other Oscars, including Best Picture.

This established Goldman as a serious force in Hollywood and he went on to produce the scripts for other successful films. He co-wrote another Oscar-nominated movie in 1979, ‘The Rose’.

Directed by Mark Rydell, the epic film based on the life of Janis Joplin starred the legendary singer and actress Bette Midler. Her co-star in this epic film, Frederic Forrest, recently passed away aged 86.

‘Melvin And Howrd’ earned him a second Academy Award

Goldman collected a second Best Original Screenplay Oscar in 1981 for the comedy-drama ‘Melvin And Howard’. Directed by Jonathan Demme, the film also won an Academy Award for actress Mary Steenburgen.

A third Oscar nomination came in 1992 for ‘Scent of a Woman’. The Martin Brest movie also earned Al Pacino a Best Actor nomination. Goldman was involved with the 1996 films, City Hall, and 1999’s ‘Meet Joe Black’, starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins.