Robert Towne, Chinatown Screenwriter, Dead at 89

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Robert Towne, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Chinatown , has died at the age of 89.

Towne died at his home on Monday, July 1st, his publicist confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter .

Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Towne began his career writing in television on shows including Breaking Point , The Outer Limits , and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. . He later took on the role of a script doctor, finessing screenplays including Bonnie and Clyde and The Godfather .

In 1973, Towne began a three-year run of writing scripts that would be nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards, beginning with that year’s The Last Detail . In 1974, he followed up with perhaps his best-known screenplay: Chinatown , which not only won the Oscar, but has been cited as one the best scripts of all time.

Set in 1937 Los Angeles, Chinatown follows private investigator Jake Gittes as he becomes entangled in an intricate web of corruption, violence, and power. Between its compelling depiction of humanity in the midst of darkness, and its engaging mystery presentation, Towne’s screenplay elevated the film to a masterful height, leaving a lasting impact as one of the quintessential works of New Hollywood.

In 1975, Towne came back with the script for Shampoo , which also received a Best Original Screenplay nomination. Through the late ‘70s, he worked as script doctor for many projects — like The Missouri Breaks , Heaven Can Wait , and more — often uncredited. Then, in the ‘80s, he took a turn to directing himself, bringing about the films Personal Best and Tequila Sunrise .

Towne is also remembered for his working relationship with Tom Cruise. The two first collaborated on 1990’s Days of Thunder , and followed up with 1993’s The Firm , and the first two Mission Impossible films. Cruise also starred in the third film directed by Towne, Without Limits .

Later in his career, Towne slowed down work significantly, but still contributed to projects from time to time. In 2006, he released his final film as director, Ask the Dust , and in the 2010s he worked as a consulting producer on the hit AMC show, Mad Men .

In the wake of Towne’s death, many have come forward with tributes, including Lee Grant, who starred in Shampoo . “His life, like the characters he created, was incisive, iconoclastic, and entirely originally,” she wrote in a tweet . “He gave all of us the gift of his words and his films. There isn’t another like him. There won’t be again.”

Robert Towne, Chinatown Screenwriter, Dead at 89
Scoop Harrison