# Robert Benton

Robert Douglas Benton (born September 29, 1932) is an American film director and screenwriter. He wrote his first screenplay with David Newman for the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, receiving an Academy Award nomination for their work. In 1979, he wrote and directed the film Kramer vs. Kramer, winning the Academy Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He later won a third Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film Places in the Heart (1984).

## Early life

Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Dorothy (née Spaulding) and Ellery Douglass Benton, a telephone company employee. He attended the University of Texas and Columbia University.

## Career

In 1959, he co-wrote the book The IN and OUT Book with Harvey Schmidt, published by The Viking Press. He was the art director at Esquire in the early 1960s.
Benton won the Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Best Original Screenplay for Places in the Heart (1984).
Benton garnered three additional Oscar nominations: two for Best Original Screenplay for Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and The Late Show (1977), and one for Best Adapted Screenplay for Nobody's Fool (1994).
He also directed Twilight (1998) and Feast of Love (2007), and co-wrote the screenplays for Superman (1978) and The Ice Harvest (2005).
In 2006, he appeared in the documentary film Wanderlust.

## Personal life

He married artist Sallie Rendig in 1964.

## Films

| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer |
| 1967 | Bonnie and Clyde | No | Yes | No |
| 1970 | There Was a Crooked Man... | No | Yes | No |
| 1972 | What's Up, Doc? | No | Yes | No |
| 1972 | Bad Company | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1977 | The Late Show | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1978 | Superman | No | Yes | No |
| 1979 | Kramer vs. Kramer | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1982 | Still of the Night | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1984 | Places in the Heart | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1987 | Nadine | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1988 | The House on Carroll Street | No | No | Yes |
| 1991 | Billy Bathgate | Yes | No | No |
| 1994 | Nobody's Fool | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1998 | Twilight | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2003 | The Human Stain | Yes | No | No |
| 2005 | The Ice Harvest | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2007 | Feast of Love | Yes | No | No |
Producer
* A Texas Romance, 1909 (1964) (Short film)

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1966 | It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman | Libretto; adaptation in television film (1975) |
| 1969 | Oh! Calcutta! | Contribution in libretto; adaptation in theatrical film (1972) |

## Awards and nominations

Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1968 | Best Original Screenplay | Bonnie and Clyde | Nominated |
| 1978 | Best Original Screenplay | The Late Show | Nominated |
| 1980 | Best Director | Kramer vs. Kramer | Won |
| 1980 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Kramer vs. Kramer | Won |
| 1985 | Best Director | Places in the Heart | Nominated |
| 1985 | Best Original Screenplay | Places in the Heart | Won |
| 1995 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Nobody's Fool | Nominated |
BAFTA Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1980 | Best Direction | Kramer vs. Kramer | Nominated |
Golden Globe Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1968 | Best Screenplay | Bonnie and Clyde | Nominated |
| 1980 | Best Director | Kramer vs. Kramer | Nominated |
| 1980 | Best Screenplay | Kramer vs. Kramer | Won |
| 1985 | Best Screenplay | Places in the Heart | Nominated |
Directors Guild of America
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1980 | Outstanding Directing | Kramer vs. Kramer | Won |
| 1985 | Outstanding Directing | Places in the Heart | Nominated |
Berlin International Film Festival
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1977 | Golden Bear | The Late Show | Nominated |
| 1985 | Silver Bear for Best Director | Places in the Heart | Won |
Other awards
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
| 1978 | Edgar Awards | Best Motion Picture Screenplay | The Late Show | Won |
| 1981 | César Awards | Best Foreign Film | Kramer vs. Kramer | Nominated |
| 1984 | Toronto International Film Festival | People's Choice Award | People's Choice Award | Won |
| 2007 | Writers Guild of America | Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement | Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement | Won |