William Goldman

The younger brother of writer James Goldman, William Goldman has successfully tackled every sort of professional writing, from children's books to novels to essays to plays to screenplays. He is even more prolific than some people might assume: several of Goldman's works were published under the nom de plume Harry Longbaugh. Goldman is at his best with iconoclastic historical pieces, notably his Oscar-winning screenplays for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and All the President's Men (1976). He has also expertly adapted many of his own novels to the screen: Marathon Man (1976) (another Oscar winner), Magic (1978), Heat (1979) and The Princess Bride (1987). Goldman has earned a reputation as an ace "script doctor," offering his uncredited services to projects that might otherwise be unfilmable. A perceptive inside observer of the movie business, Goldman has written two revelatory nonfiction books, Adventures in the Screen Trade (1983) and Hype and Glory (1990). He recently returned to the "revisionist" western format he'd popularized in Butch Cassidy with his screenplay for Mel Gibson's Maverick (1994).

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide