Robert Towne, the legendary screenwriter known for his Oscar-winning screenplay for Roman Polanski’s 1974 film Chinatown, passed away at his home in Los Angeles on Monday, July 1, at the age of 89. His publicist, Carri McClure, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.
Regarded as one of the greatest screenwriters of all time, Towne penned numerous acclaimed scripts, including The Last Detail, Shampoo, and Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. Despite his contributions to the latter, Towne was dissatisfied with production choices and chose to be credited under the pseudonym P.H. Vazak, named after his dog.
Towne’s influence extended beyond credited works; he provided uncredited contributions to films like Bonnie and Clyde, The Godfather, The Parallax View, and Heaven Can Wait. Notably, Francis Ford Coppola acknowledged Towne’s contribution to The Godfather during his Oscar acceptance speech for Best Adapted Screenplay, highlighting the “beautiful scene between Marlon and Al Pacino in the garden.”
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In addition to screenwriting, Towne directed several films, including Personal Best, Tequila Sunrise, and Ask the Dust. In his later years, he returned to television as a consulting producer on Mad Men. Just last month, Towne shared with Variety that he and David Fincher had completed writing all episodes for Netflix’s anticipated Chinatown prequel series.
