Melissa Marie Mathison (June 3, 1950 – November 4, 2015) was an American

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and an activist for the

Tibetan independence movement The Tibetan independence movement ( ''Bod rang btsan''; zh, t=西藏獨立運動, s=西藏独立运动) is the political movement advocating for the reversal of the 1950 annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China, and the separation ...

. She was best known for writing the

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

s for the films ''

The Black Stallion The Black Stallion is the name of a bestselling series of books by Walter Farley, and also the name of the first book in the series (from 1941), and the title character, an Arab stallion also known as the Black or Shêtân. The series chroni ...

'' (1979) and ''

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film, science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott Taylor, Elliott, a boy w ...

'' (1982), the latter of which earned her the

Saturn Award for Best Writing The Saturn Awards for Best Writing is a Saturn Award presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Unlike most awards rewarding writing in films, it recognizes only the writer(s) of the screenplay, and not those of the st ...

and a nomination for the

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

. Mathison later wrote ''

The Indian in the Cupboard ''The Indian in the Cupboard'' is a low fantasy children's novel by the British writer Lynne Reid Banks. It was published in 1980 with illustrations by Robin Jacques (UK) and Brock Cole (US). It was later adapted as a 1995 children's film ...

'' (1995), based on

Lynne Reid Banks Lynne Reid Banks (; 31 July 1929 – 4 April 2024) was a British author of books for children and adults, including ''The Indian in the Cupboard'', which has sold over 15 million copies and has been successfully adapted to film. Her first novel ...

's 1980 children's novel of the same name, and ''

Kundun ''Kundun'' is a 1997 American epic biographical film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the life and writings of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet. Te ...

'' (1997), a

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

about the

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

. Her final film credit was ''

The BFG ''The BFG'' (short for ''The Big Friendly Giant'') is a 1982 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. It is an expansion of a short story from Dahl's 1975 novel '' Danny, the Champion of the World''. The book is dedicated to Dahl's oldest ...

'' (2016), which marked her third collaboration with film director

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

Early years

Mathison was born on June 3, 1950, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, one of five siblings. Her father, Richard Randolph Mathison, was the Los Angeles bureau chief of ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

''. Her mother was Margaret Jean (née Kieffer) Mathison, a food writer and convenience-foods entrepreneur. After graduating from Providence High School in 1968, Mathison attended the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. Her family was friendly with

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

, whose children were babysat by Mathison. Coppola offered her a job as his assistant on ''

The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic film, epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, loosely based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cop ...

'' (1974), an opportunity for which she left her studies at UC Berkeley. With Coppola's encouragement, she wrote a script for ''The Black Stallion'', adapted from the novel, that caught

's attention.

Screenwriting and production credits

Mathison wrote the screenplay for ''

'' (1982) in collaboration with

. It was nominated for an Oscar for

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

. The script was based on a story, written by

John Sayles John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He is known for writing and directing the films '' The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), '' Matewan'' (1987), ...

, that Spielberg provided to Mathison during the filming of ''

Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana ...

'' (1981). Spielberg attributes the line " E.T. phone home" to Mathison. She collaborated again with Spielberg for ''

'' (2016), her final film, which was dedicated in her memory. She also had film credits for '' The Escape Artist'' (1982) and ''

'' (1995).

Dalai Lama

Mathison met the

in 1990 when she was writing the script for ''

'' (1997) and developed a lasting friendship with him. She continued to work as an activist for

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

an freedom and was on the board of the International Campaign for Tibet.

Personal life and death

Mathison had an extramarital relationship with

while working as his assistant on ''

'', an affair that lasted through the production of ''

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American psychological epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius, and Michael Herr, is loosely inspired by the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkn ...

''. From 1983 to 2004, she was married to

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. Regarded as a cinematic cultural icon, he has starred in Harrison Ford filmography, many notable films over seven decades, and is one of List of highest-grossing actors, the highest-gr ...

; the couple had two children. She died on November 4, 2015, in Los Angeles, aged 65, from neuroendocrine cancer.

Screenwriting filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathison, Melissa 1950 births 2015 deaths American women screenwriters Tibet freedom activists Screenwriters from Los Angeles University of California, Berkeley alumni 20th-century American writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American writers 21st-century American women writers Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from neuroendocrine cancer Activists from Los Angeles American women science fiction and fantasy writers Writers Guild of America Award winners