Renowned Hollywood screenwriter Robert Towne has died at the age of 89, his publicist confirmed on Monday. (Danny Moloshok/Reuters)
Robert Towne, the Oscar-winning screenwriter known for masterpieces like "Shampoo" and "The Last Detail," and whose work on "Chinatown" became a gold standard in screenwriting, has died. Towne passed away on Monday at his Los Angeles home, surrounded by family, as confirmed by his publicist, Carri McClure. No cause of death was disclosed.
Towne's career was marked by a prestige uncommon for screenwriters, often matching the fame of the actors and directors he collaborated with. His close relationships with stars like Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson led to some of the most iconic films of the 1960s and '70s, a time when creative control was often in the hands of the artists.
Towne was a rare talent who brought a deeply personal and influential vision of Los Angeles to the big screen. In a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, he described Los Angeles as a city of illusions and dreams, a final frontier where people go to achieve their aspirations, only to be frequently disappointed.
Recognizable for his high forehead and full beard, Towne won an Academy Award for "Chinatown" and received nominations for "The Last Detail," "Shampoo," and "Greystoke." The Writers Guild of America honoured him with a lifetime achievement award in 1997. Towne's rise to success followed years of writing for television and low-budget films. His big break came thanks to his psychiatrist, who introduced him to Warren Beatty, a fellow patient. Beatty brought Towne in to revise the script for "Bonnie and Clyde," a landmark film released in 1967.
Though uncredited for his work on "Bonnie and Clyde," Towne soon became a sought-after ghostwriter, contributing to classics like "The Godfather" and "Heaven Can Wait." He described himself as a "relief pitcher" who could step in to assist with scripts but rarely took full credit.
Towne's breakthrough came with his credited work on Nicholson's "The Last Detail" and Beatty's "Shampoo," but his legacy was cemented with "Chinatown," the 1974 thriller set during the Great Depression. Directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jack Nicholson as private detective J.J. "Jake" Gittes, "Chinatown" is a tale of corruption and violence in Los Angeles, with Gittes uncovering dark secrets involving the city's water supply.
Influenced by the writings of Raymond Chandler, Towne crafted a script that resurrected the atmosphere of classic Los Angeles film noir. The film's complex narrative and tragic conclusion have made it a staple in film writing classes. Towne collaborated closely with Polanski, especially on the film's bleak ending, which Towne initially resisted but later acknowledged was the right choice.
The famous line "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown," which encapsulates the film's fatalistic tone, has never been officially credited to any one writer but remains one of cinema's most memorable quotes.
