Oscar-Winning Screenwriter Robert Towne Passes Away at 89: A Legacy of Hollywood Classics and Iconic Screenplays

Robert Towne, the Oscar-winning screenwriter best known for the 1974 classic Chinatown, has passed away at the age of 89. His publicist confirmed his death, which occurred on Monday at his home in Los Angeles. Towne’s career spanned several decades, beginning in the 1960s, when he initially worked as an actor and writer for B-movie director Roger Corman. Towne wrote Corman’s 1960 film The Last Woman on Earth and starred in the 1961 movie Creature From the Haunted Sea.

Towne’s reputation in Hollywood grew as he became known for his script doctoring skills, notably contributing uncredited work to films such as The Godfather. Francis Ford Coppola even thanked him during his Best Screenplay Oscar acceptance speech. Towne also worked on scripts for films like Drive, He Said (1971), Cisco Pike (1972), and The New Centurions (1972), and contributed to the script for Bonnie and Clyde (1967).

Towne’s most renowned work came in the 1970s with an impressive string of screenplays, including The Last Detail (1973), Chinatown (1974), and Shampoo (1975). Each of these scripts earned him Oscar nominations, with Chinatown securing him a win. These works showcased his distinctive and often solitary perspective on Los Angeles, making a significant impact on Hollywood history.

In addition to screenwriting, Towne also directed several films, including Personal Best (1982) and Tequila Sunrise (1988). He did uncredited directing work on other films such as Deal of the Century (1983) and 8 Million Ways to Die (1986). Towne maintained strong professional relationships with several actors, notably Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, writing the screenplays for Mission: Impossible (1996) and Mission: Impossible II (2000).

In recent years, Towne continued to contribute to the industry, consulting on the AMC drama Mad Men and working on a Chinatown prequel for Netflix with David Fincher. He recently confirmed in an interview that all episodes for the prequel had been written. Towne is survived by his wife, Luisa, and their two daughters, leaving behind a legacy that has deeply influenced the film industry.