Colin Higgins

Colin Higgins (28 July 1941 – 5 August 1988) was an Australian-American screenwriter, actor, director and producer. He is best known for writing the screenplay for Harold and Maude (1971) and Silver Streak (1976), and for directing Foul Play (1978) and 9 to 5 (1980). Higgins was openly gay.

 Life and career 
Higgins was born in Nouméa, New Caledonia, France. His mother was an Australian and his father was an American. He grew up in Sydney, New South Wales. He later lived and worked in the United States. 

After graduating, he was working as a part-time chauffeur and pool cleaner for a wealthy family in Los Angeles. There he met film producer Ed Lewis and showed him a draft of Harold and Maude. Ed then showed the draft to Robert Evans at Paramount. Higgins collaborated with Hal Ashby to make this film.

On 5 August 1988, Higgins died of an AIDS-related illness in Beverly Hills, California. He was 47.

References

Other websites
Colin Higgins Foundation

Category:1941 births
Category:1988 deaths
Category:Actors from Sydney
Category:American LGBT people
Category:American movie actors
Category:American movie directors
Category:American movie producers
Category:American screenwriters
Category:American stage actors
Category:Australian LGBT people
Category:Australian movie actors
Category:Australian movie directors
Category:Australian movie producers
Category:Australian screenwriters
Category:Australian stage actors
Category:Deaths from AIDS
Category:Gay men
Category:Infectious disease deaths in Los Angeles County, California
Category:LGBT actors
Category:LGBT screenwriters
Category:Writers from Sydney

Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni