James Goldman (June 30, 1927 – October 28, 1998) was an American playwright and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay '' The Lion in Winter'' (1968). His younger brother was novelist and screenwriter

William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. He won Academy Awards for his screenplays '' ...

Biography

The first son of a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, Goldman grew up primarily in Highland Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He is most noted as the author of the screenplay for '' The Lion in Winter'' (1968), for which he received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. He also wrote the book for the Broadway musical '' Follies'' (1971), which was nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

. Goldman died in 1998 from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He had lived there for many years.

Works

Plays

* '' Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole'' (1961), with

* ''They Might Be Giants'' (1961), LondonThe New York Times: "They Might Be Giants"
/ref> * '' A Family Affair'' (1962), musical, book only (lyrics by

, music by John Kander) * '' The Lion in Winter'' (1966, revived 1999) * '' Follies'' (1971, revived 2001 and 2011), musical, book only (lyrics and music by

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

), Tony Nomination for Best Book of a Musical * '' Oliver Twist'' (1982) * '' Anna Karenina'' (1985) * '' Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna'' (1986) * ''Follies in Concert'' (1986), musical * ''Tolstoy'' (1996)

Screenplays

* '' The Lion in Winter'' (1968) * ''

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a dr ...

'' (1971) * ''

Nicholas and Alexandra ''Nicholas and Alexandra'' is a 1971 British epic historical drama film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, from a screenplay written by James Goldman and Edward Bond, based on Robert K. Massie's 1967 book of the same name, which is a partial ...

'' (1971) * '' Robin and Marian'' (1976) * '' White Nights'' (1985)

Television

* '' Evening Primrose'' (1966), book only (music and lyrics by

)

Novels

* ''Waldorf'' (1965) * ''The Man From Greek and Roman'' (1974) * ''Myself as Witness'' (1979) * '' Fulton County'' (1989)

References

External links

* 1927 births 1998 deaths American male screenwriters American musical theatre librettists People from Highland Park, Illinois Writers from Chicago Jewish American screenwriters 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners American male novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages American male dramatists and playwrights Novelists from Illinois Screenwriters from Illinois 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters Columbia University alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni 20th-century American Jews {{US-screen-writer-stub