LAST UPDATE | 16 Nov 2018
TRIBUTES HAVE BEEN paid to author and oscar-winning screenwriter William Goldman who has died aged 87, according to US media outlets.
Goldman will be best remembered for the Paul Newman and Robert Redford-starring genre-upending western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and the Watergate drama All The President’s Men.
His comic-fantasy novel The Princess Bride, which remains his most popular book, was also adapted into a movie in 1987.
The film, which was partially filmed in Ireland, became a cult favourite in the years after its release and spawned a dozen catchphrases.
Adventures in the Screen Trade, a 1983 book detailing his experiences as a screenwriter, also became a best-seller and has come to be known as a must-read industry text.
The Washington Post reported that Goldman died at his home in New York from complications from colon cancer and pneumonia, quoting his daughter Jenny Goldman.
Tributes
Tributes to Goldman have been pouring in on social media from publishers, actors and writers, alongside many fans.
Publisher Bloomsbury tweeted: “RIP William Goldman, our brilliant author and screenwriting giant.”
Author and screenwriter Chuck Wendig said Goldman was a “narrative giant who understood story better than most”.
“I mean, Princess Bride? C’mon. He will continue to teach us even after his passing. Rest in peace,” he tweeted.
Despicable Me screenwriter Cinco Paul added that Goldman was a “screenwriting god”.
“His book Adventures in the Screen Trade was my first screenwriting bible. His scripts for Butch Cassidy and All the Presidents Men won Oscars. But for me, The Princess Bride is his masterpiece and greatest legacy. RIP,” he said.
The British Film Institute tweeted that it is “sadden to hear that writer William Goldman has passed away, known for all the President’s Man, The Princess Bride and many more great works”.
Actor Ben Stiller tweeted: “William Goldman was [a] huge part of creating some of the seminal movies of the 70s and beyond. His book on screenwriting was a touchstone for me and I always felt starstruck and intimidated seeing him at Knicks games.”
With reporting by Hayley Halpin
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