Waldo Miller Salt (October 18, 1914 – March 7, 1987) was an American

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. ...

who won

Academy Awards 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 ...

for both ''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film, based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. The film was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with notable smaller ...

'' and '' Coming Home''.

Early life and career

Salt was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, the son of Winifred (née Porter) and William Haslem Salt, an artist and business executive. He graduated from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

in 1934. The first of the nineteen films he wrote or co-wrote was released in 1937 with the title '' The Bride Wore Red''. Salt's career in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

was interrupted when he was

blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, ...

after refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1951. Like many other blacklisted writers, while he was unable to work in Hollywood, Salt wrote under a pseudonym for the British television series ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia d ...

''. After the collapse of the blacklist, Salt won

for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for his work on ''

'' and '' Coming Home'', as well as earning a nomination for ''

Serpico ''Serpico'' is a 1973 American neo-noir biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the title role. The screenplay was adapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from the book of the same name written by ...

''. Salt is featured in the extras for the Criterion Collection's ''Midnight Cowboy'' blu-ray release, specifically in an audio interview with Michael Childers; many photos of Waldo Salt can be seen here as he was a collaborator for the screenplay. The documentary listed below, '' Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey'', is also featured on the disc.

Personal life and death

Salt was married four times, first to Amber Dana, then to actress Mary Davenport with whom he had two children, actress/writer/producer Jennifer, and Deborah. After his divorce from Davenport, he married Gladys Schwartz and later

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

Eve Merriam Eve Merriam (July 19, 1916 – April 11, 1992) was an American poet and writer. Writing career Merriam's first book was the 1946 '' Family Circle'', which won the Yale Younger Poets Prize. Her book, ''The Inner City Mother Goose'', was describe ...

. He remained married to Merriam until his death in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, aged 72, on March 7, 1987.

Documentary

Waldo Salt was the subject of a 1990 documentary '' Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey'', which featured interviews with

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is th ...

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award from four nominations, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, the Cec ...

Jon Voight Jonathan Vincent Voight (; born December 29, 1938) is an American actor. He came to prominence in the late 1960s with his Academy Award–nominated performance as Joe Buck, a would-be gigolo, in ''Midnight Cowboy'' (1969). During the 1970s, h ...

John Schlesinger John Richard Schlesinger (; 16 February 1926 – 25 July 2003) was an English film and stage director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for ''Midnight Cowboy'', and was nominated for the same award for two other films ('' Darling'' an ...

and other collaborators and friends.

The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award

The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, first presented in 1992, is awarded at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

annually. It is determined by the dramatic jury, and recognizes outstanding screenwriting in a film screened at the festival that year. See

List of Sundance Film Festival award winners This is a list of films that won awards at the American Sundance Film Festival. __NOTOC__ 1980s 1984 in film, 1984 *Grand Jury Prize Dramatic – ''Old Enough'' *Grand Jury Prize Documentary – ''Style Wars'' *Honorable Mention Documentary – ...

for a list of winners.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Waldo Salt
from the ''

American Masters ''American Masters'' is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and those who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the ...

'' website
Waldo Salt Papers
an inventory of papers kept in the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

Library * {{DEFAULTSORT:Salt, Waldo 1914 births 1987 deaths American communists American male screenwriters Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Best Screenplay BAFTA Award winners Hollywood blacklist Writers from Chicago Stanford University alumni Writers Guild of America Award winners Screenwriters from Illinois 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters