Kurt Luedtke (; September 28, 1939August 9, 2020) was an American screenwriter and executive editor of the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

''. He wrote ''

Out of Africa ''Out of Africa'' is a memoir by the Danish author Karen Blixen. The book, first published in 1937, recounts events of the seventeen years when Blixen made her home in Kenya, then called British East Africa. The book is a lyrical meditation on ...

'' (1985), for which he won the

Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay Film adaptation, adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include st ...

. He also wrote '' Absence of Malice'' (1981), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, as well as ''

Random Hearts ''Random Hearts'' is a 1999 American romantic drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas. Based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Warren Adler, the film is about a police officer and a Congr ...

'' (1999). All three films were directed by Sydney Pollack.

Early life

Luedtke was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on September 28, 1939. His father, Herman, worked as a lumber broker; his mother was named Virginia. He obtained a bachelor's degree from Brown University, then joined the fast-track summer law program at the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparative Law (MCL ...

. However, he switched career paths after traveling to the Southern United States to observe the unfolding

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

and penned several articles on the subject as a freelancer. He then studied at the Medill School of Journalism of Northwestern University.

Career

Luedtke became a newspaper reporter, first in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and then at the ''Miami Herald''. Luedtke moved to the ''

'' in 1965. He started off as general assignment reporter, then rose to executive editor at age 33. Luedtke left the Free Press and quit journalism altogether in 1978. He moved to Hollywood to break into the film business, where his only entry was as a screenwriter. His intention was to write a book, but his idea for a book about reporting came to the attention of Orion Pictures, which optioned it before it was written for $20,000 and pitched it to director

George Roy Hill George Roy Hill (December 20, 1921 – December 27, 2002) was an American film director. He is most noted for directing such films as ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969) and ''The Sting'' (1973), both starring Paul Newman and Robert Re ...

, who liked it but was unavailable to help on the screenplay. Luedtke offered to write the screenplay for free providing that he could have his idea back if Orion didn't proceed with the movie. Ultimately, Sydney Pollack was available to direct the movie, which became '' Absence of Malice'', beginning the working relationship between the two men. Luedtke received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, a rare accomplishment for a first-time screenwriter. He again collaborated with Pollack in ''

'' (1985). The film won seven Oscars (from 11 nominations), including Luedtke's award for Best Adapted Screenplay. His final partnership with Pollack came in ''

'', released in 1999.

Personal life

Luedtke was married to Eleanor for 55 years until his death. The two met while they were working at the ''Miami Herald''. He recovered from cancer on two occasions. On August 9, 2020, Luedtke died from multiple organ failure at Beaumont Hospital in

Royal Oak, Michigan Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Royal Oak is about north of Detroit's city limits. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236. Royal Oak is located along t ...

, at the age of 80.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Luedtke, Kurt 1939 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American newspaper editors 20th-century American screenwriters American male journalists American male screenwriters Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award winners Brown University alumni Deaths from multiple organ failure Detroit Free Press people Journalists from Michigan Medill School of Journalism alumni Screenwriters from Michigan University of Michigan Law School alumni Writers from Grand Rapids, Michigan