The Father of 'The Princess Bride'
by yrnej | created - 20 Nov 2018 | updated - 20 Nov 2018 | PublicIMDb is saddened to announce the death of celebrated screenwriter and author William Goldman, at the age of 87. Goldman, the brother of Oscar-winning author James Goldman, is best known for his many classic screenplays, including Oscar-winners Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and All the President's Men (1976), but he also wrote some plays and 25 books, including novels, non-fiction and memoirs. His highly-recommended non-fiction books and memoirs are of particular interest to fans and scholars as they tell both juicy, behind-the-scenes stories and give practical advice on screenwriting.
Which of Mr. Goldman's beloved and award-winning films do you consider the greatest?
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1. Harper (1966)
Not Rated | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cool private investigator Lew Harper is hired by a wealthy California matron to locate her kidnapped husband.
Director: Jack Smight | Stars: Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris, Arthur Hill
Votes: 10,870
Adapted from the novel by Ross Macdonald
2. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
PG | 110 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
In 1890s Wyoming, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid lead a band of outlaws. When a train robbery goes wrong, they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on their heels. After considering their options, they escape to South America.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Strother Martin
Votes: 226,686 | Gross: $102.31M
Oscar-winning original screenplay, #216 on IMDb's Top Rated Movies list
3. The Hot Rock (1972)
PG | 101 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Dortmunder and his pals plan to steal a huge diamond from a museum. But this turns out to be only the first time they have to steal it...
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, Paul Sand
Votes: 6,943 | Gross: $2.54M
Adapted from the novel by Donald E. Westlake
4. The Stepford Wives (1975)
PG | 115 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Joanna Eberhart has come to the quaint little town of Stepford, Connecticut with her family, but soon discovers there lies a sinister truth in the all too perfect behavior of the female residents.
Director: Bryan Forbes | Stars: Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, Nanette Newman
Votes: 19,569 | Gross: $8.72M
Adapted from the novel by Ira Levin
5. The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)
PG | 107 min | Adventure, Drama
After WW1, an ex-pilot takes up barn-storming and chance-meets a former German ace fighter pilot with whom he co-stars in Hollywood war movies depicting aerial dog-fights.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Robert Redford, Bo Svenson, Bo Brundin, Susan Sarandon
Votes: 6,603 | Gross: $20.64M
Screenplay based on an original story by director George Roy Hill
6. All the President's Men (1976)
PG | 138 min | Drama, History, Thriller
"The Washington Post" reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Richard Nixon's resignation.
Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam
Votes: 126,018 | Gross: $70.60M
Oscar-winning screenplay adapted from the book by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein
7. Marathon Man (1976)
R | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After the shocking murder of his older brother, a New York history student finds himself inexplicably hounded by shadowy government agents on the trail of a Nazi war criminal who is trying to retrieve smuggled diamonds.
Director: John Schlesinger | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, William Devane
Votes: 70,209 | Gross: $21.71M
Adapted from his own novel
8. A Bridge Too Far (1977)
PG | 175 min | Drama, History, War
Operation Market Garden, September 1944: The Allies attempt to capture several strategically important bridges in the Netherlands in the hope of breaking the German lines.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Sean Connery, Ryan O'Neal, Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier
Votes: 61,517 | Gross: $50.80M
Adapted from the book by Cornelius Ryan
9. Magic (1978)
R | 107 min | Drama, Horror
A ventriloquist is at the mercy of his vicious dummy while he tries to renew a romance with his high school sweetheart.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ed Lauter
Votes: 13,442 | Gross: $25.94M
Adapted from his own novel
10. The Princess Bride (1987)
PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon
Votes: 450,882 | Gross: $30.86M
Adapted from his own novel, #213 on IMDb's Top Rated Movies list
11. Misery (1990)
R | 107 min | Drama, Thriller
After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen
Votes: 235,505 | Gross: $61.28M
Adapted from the novel by Stephen King
12. Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi
After a freak accident, a company executive turns completely invisible, goes on the run and becomes hunted by a treacherous CIA official, whilst trying to cope with his new reality.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Chevy Chase, Daryl Hannah, Sam Neill, Michael McKean
Votes: 26,959 | Gross: $14.36M
Adapted with Robert Collector and Dana Olsen from the book by H.F. Saint
13. Year of the Comet (1992)
PG-13 | 91 min | Action, Adventure, Romance
An auctioneer's daughter and a rich buyer's emissary fall for each other while trying to keep a rare wine out of the hands of evil doers.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Penelope Ann Miller, Tim Daly, Louis Jourdan, Art Malik
Votes: 1,779 | Gross: $2.79M
Original screenplay
14. Chaplin (1992)
PG-13 | 143 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
An elderly Charlie Chaplin discusses his autobiography with his editor, recounting his amazing journey from his poverty-stricken childhood to world-wide success after the ingenious invention of the Little Tramp.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Geraldine Chaplin, Paul Rhys, John Thaw
Votes: 62,221 | Gross: $9.49M
Adapted with William Boyd and Bryan Forbes from the books by David Robinson and Charles Chaplin and from the story by Diana Hawkins
15. Maverick (1994)
PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Bret Maverick, needing money for a poker tournament, faces various comic mishaps and challenges, including a charming woman thief.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, Graham Greene
Votes: 119,034 | Gross: $101.63M
Original screenplay based on the TV show created by Roy Huggins
16. The Chamber (1996)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young man fresh out of law school tries to win a reprieve for his racist grandfather who is on death row.
Director: James Foley | Stars: Chris O'Donnell, Gene Hackman, Faye Dunaway, Robert Prosky
Votes: 16,127 | Gross: $14.55M
Adapted with Phil Alden Robinson from the novel by John Grisham
17. The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
R | 110 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
A bridge engineer and an experienced old hunter begin a hunt for two lions after they start attacking local construction workers.
Director: Stephen Hopkins | Stars: Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer, Tom Wilkinson, John Kani
Votes: 65,956 | Gross: $38.62M
Original Screenplay
18. Absolute Power (1997)
R | 121 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Career thief Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood) witnesses a horrific crime involving U.S. President Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman).
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney
Votes: 60,140 | Gross: $50.01M
Adapted from the book by David Baldacci
19. The General's Daughter (1999)
R | 116 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When the daughter of a well-known and well-respected base commander is murdered, an undercover detective is summoned to look into the matter and finds a slew of cover-ups at West Point.
Director: Simon West | Stars: John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Cromwell, Timothy Hutton
Votes: 63,822 | Gross: $102.71M
Adapted with Christopher Bertolini from the novel by Nelson DeMille
20. Hearts in Atlantis (2001)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Mystery
Widowed Liz Garfield and her son Bobby change when mysterious stranger Ted Brautigan enters their lives.
Director: Scott Hicks | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis, Mika Boorem
Votes: 41,039 | Gross: $24.19M
Adapted from the novel by Stephen King
21. Dreamcatcher (2003)
R | 134 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Friends on a camping trip discover that the town they're vacationing in is being plagued in an unusual fashion by parasitic aliens from outer space.
Director: Lawrence Kasdan | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis
Votes: 96,458 | Gross: $33.72M
Adapted with Lawrence Kasdan from the novel by Stephen King
22. Wild Card (2015)
R | 92 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When a Las Vegas bodyguard with lethal skills and a gambling problem gets in trouble with the mob, he has one last play...and it's all or nothing.
Director: Simon West | Stars: Jason Statham, Michael Angarano, Dominik Garcia, Milo Ventimiglia
Votes: 60,063 | Gross: $0.00M
Adapted from his own novel Heat
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