Alvin Sargent (April 12, 1927 – May 9, 2019) was an American screenwriter. He won two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, for '' Julia'' (1977), and '' Ordinary People'' (1980). Sargent's other works include screenplays of the films '' The Sterile Cuckoo'' (1969), '' The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds'' (1970), '' Paper Moon'' (1973), '' Nuts'' (1987), '' White Palace'' (1990), '' What About Bob?'' (1991), '' Unfaithful'' (2002), '' Spider-Man 2'' (2004), ''

Spider-Man 3 ''Spider-Man 3'' is a 2007 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, and Laura Ziskin Productions, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it was directe ...

'' (2007), and ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...

'' (2012).

Early life

Alvin Sargent was born Alvin Supowitz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Esther (née Kadansky) and Isaac Supowitz. He was of Russian Jewish descent. Sargent attended Upper Darby High School, leaving aged 17 to join the Navy. As of 2006, he was one of 35 alumni to be on the school's Wall of Fame.

Career

Sargent began writing for television in 1953 and through the 1960s he scripted episodes for '' Route 66'', '' Ben Casey'' and '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour''. He collaborated on his first screenplay for a film on '' Gambit'' (1966) and gained recognition for ''

I Walk the Line "I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After moderate chart success, it soon became Cash's first #1 hit on the ''Billboard'' country chart, and eventually crossed over to the pop charts, reaching #19 on the Bil ...

'' (1970) and '' Paper Moon'' (1973) for which he won the WGA Award for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium and was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

. He won the Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay in 1978 for the film '' Julia'' (1977) and again in 1981 for '' Ordinary People'' (1980). He collaborated on the 2004 screenplay for '' Spider-Man 2'' and the 2007 screenplay for ''

''. He'd also collaborate on the screenplay for the 2012 reboot ''

''.

Personal life

He had a longtime relationship with producer Laura Ziskin; they were married from 2010 until her death in 2011. His brother was writer and producer

Herb Sargent Herbert Sargent (born Supowitz; July 15, 1923 – May 6, 2005) was an American television writer, a Television producer, producer for such comedy shows as ''The Tonight Show'' and ''Saturday Night Live'', and a screenwriter (''Bye Bye Braverman'' ...

Death

Sargent died from natural causes at his home in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

on May 9, 2019, four weeks after his 92nd birthday.

Filmography

Writer

Actor

*'' From Here to Eternity'' (1953) - Nair (uncredited)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sargent, Alvin 1927 births 2019 deaths American male screenwriters American people of Russian-Jewish descent Best Screenplay BAFTA Award winners Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Screenwriters from Philadelphia Writers Guild of America Award winners United States Navy personnel of World War II