Bo Goldman

Bo Goldman (1932–2023) was an Academy Award-winning American screenwriter, playwright, and lyricist renowned for his emotionally rich, character-driven storytelling. Though best known for his work in film, Goldman began his career in the theatre and maintained a playwright’s sensitivity to dialogue, structure, and human complexity throughout his career. He was widely regarded as one of Hollywood’s finest screenwriters, with a talent for blending sharp wit with profound emotional insight.

Born Robert Goldman on September 10, 1932, in New York City, he attended Princeton University, where he wrote musicals and was the editor of The Daily Princetonian. After college, Goldman served in the U.S. Army and then worked as a lyricist, contributing to the 1957 Broadway musical First Impressions, an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Though the show had a brief run, it marked Goldman’s entry into professional writing. He later worked in television and theatre while developing his voice as a dramatist.

Goldman’s breakthrough came in film rather than on stage. He won his first Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), co-written with Lawrence Hauben and based on the novel by Ken Kesey. The film won five major Oscars and established Goldman as a major force in American screenwriting. His second Oscar came for Melvin and Howard (1980), an original screenplay that blended humor, melancholy, and Americana in a uniquely personal style.

Goldman’s other notable screenplays include Shoot the Moon (1982), The Rose (1979, uncredited rewrite), Scent of a Woman (1992), for which he earned a Golden Globe and a second Oscar nomination, and Meet Joe Black (1998). His work consistently centered around deeply human characters, often flawed and searching, portrayed with empathy and complexity.

While his theatrical work was less prolific than his film career, Goldman’s roots as a playwright informed his command of structure and dialogue. His writing was widely admired by peers and performers alike for its elegance and depth. In recognition of his lifetime achievements, he received the Writers Guild of America’s Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement in 1998.

Bo Goldman passed away on July 25, 2023, at the age of 90. His legacy endures as one of cinema’s great writers—a dramatist whose work bridged the literary and the popular, and who brought extraordinary emotional intelligence to both stage and screen.