Robert Douglas Benton (born September 29, 1932) is an American screenwriter and film director.

Life and career[link]

Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Dorothy (née Spaulding) and Ellery Douglass Benton, a telephone company employee.^[1] He attended the University of Texas and Columbia University.^[1] Benton has won numerous awards for both writing and directing in film. 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 magazine in the early 1960s. In 2006 he appeared in the documentary Wanderlust.

Benton's family originally came from Northumberland in the United Kingdom, where the Bentons held a seat long before the Norman Conquest of 1066.^{[citation needed]} Many family members settled in America, including Abigail and Isabel Benton, who settled in Virginia in 1642; George Benton, who settled in Barbados in 1669; and Robert Benton, who settled in Virginia in 1635. Benton was once a noble family, but they were deprived of their title by the Normans after the Conquest. Robert Benton still has relatives living in England who trace their origins to the seventeenth century.

Filmography[link]

Directing[link]

Writing[link]

Film awards[link]

Wins[link]

• 1978 - Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay for The Late Show
• 1980 - Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for Kramer vs. Kramer
• 1980 - Academy Award for Directing for Kramer vs. Kramer
• 1980 - Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture for Kramer vs. Kramer
• 1980 - Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Kramer vs. Kramer
• 1984 - People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival
• 1985 - Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Places in the Heart
• 1985 - Silver Bear for Best Director at the 35th Berlin International Film Festival for Places in the Heart^[2]

Nominations[link]

• 1968 - Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Bonnie and Clyde
• 1968 - Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for Bonnie and Clyde
• 1977 - Golden Bear at Berlin for The Late Show
• 1978 - Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for The Late Show
• 1980 - Golden Globe for Best Director - Motion Picture for Kramer vs. Kramer
• 1981 - César Award for Best Foreign Film for Kramer vs. Kramer
• 1985 - Academy Award for Directing for Places in the Heart
• 1980 - Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Places in the Heart
• 1985 - Golden Globe for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture for Places in the Heart
• 1995 - Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for Nobody's Fool

References[link]

External links[link]

• Profile of Robert Benton in The New York Observer
• "Robert Benton’s Portland Feast" from Willamette Week
• Robert Benton at the Internet Movie Database
• Robert Benton at AllRovi
• Robert Benton at the TCM Movie Database