Oscar-winning screenwriter of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest dies aged 90

Robert ‘Bo’ Goldman has died aged 90, his son-in-law Todd Field confirmed.

The cause of death is currently unknown for the New York-born screenwriter.

After starting his career in Hollywood in 1958, Goldman went on to win numerous accolades for his screenplays.

In 1976 he won the Best Adapted Screenplay for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and bagged the Best Original Screenplay for Melvin and Howard five years later.

Cuckoo’s Nest was his first major film credit after writing for numerous TV shows before Milos Forman chose him to adapt Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel.

He was later nominated for an Oscar for writing the Al Pacino-starring drama Scent of a Woman, for which he won a Golden Globe.

In 1998, the Writers Guild of America awarded Goldman the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement.

After news of his death was confirmed, Danny DeVito, who played Martini in the Jack Nicholson film, told ET: “Working with Bo was a dream. It was an honor knowing him.”

Goldman reflected on his work as a screenwriter in a 1982 interview with The Washington Post.

“If there is a train of thought that runs through my work it is a yearning,” he said.

“A longing to make the people real and capture their lives on the screen.

“I think there is nothing more fulfilling in the world than to see your view of life realized in art.

“For me, film is unique; it has a peculiar quality for re-creating life. I find life so wonderful, that to try to capture it in art is like trying to catch starlight.”

Goldman is survived by his son Justin Ashforth and four daughters, Mia Goldman, Amy Goldman, Diana Rathbun and Serena Rathbun.

He was married to his wife Mab Ashforth for 63 years until her death in 2017.

His other film credits include Shoot the Moon, Little Nikita and Meet Joe Black.