Robert Benton dies at 92
Robert Benton, the celebrated filmmaker whose title grew to become synonymous with emotionally resonant storytelling and Oscar gold, has died on the age of 92.
His longtime supervisor and assistant confirmed to The New York Occasions that the writer-director handed away on Sunday, Might 11, at his dwelling in New York Metropolis.
No explanation for demise was disclosed—however his cinematic legacy is loud and clear.
Benton’s profession was nothing in need of a Hollywood masterclass. Most famously, he wrote and directed Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), a movie that didn’t simply tug at heartstrings—it pulled them like a full-on symphony.
Starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep in a authorized drama that redefined the style, the movie earned Benton not one, however two Academy Awards—for Finest Director and Finest Tailored Screenplay.
However Kramer vs. Kramer was only one star in Benton’s assortment of critically acclaimed work.
His writing skills first made waves with 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde, and later with The Late Present (1978)—each of which landed him Oscar nominations for Finest Authentic Screenplay.
Then got here one other win for Locations within the Coronary heart (1984).
The late filmmaker additionally lent his storytelling contact to a variety of titles over the many years, from There Was a Crooked Man… (1970) to What’s Up, Doc? (1972), Nonetheless of the Night time (1983), No one’s Idiot (1994), and Feast of Love (2007), which might change into his ultimate movie credit score.
He even helped carry a superhero to life, co-writing the screenplay for 1978’s Superman, starring Christopher Reeve.
In a 2003 interview with Field Workplace Mojo, Benton opened up about how he selected his initiatives, sharing a refreshingly easy but honest strategy.
“Scripts survive a kind of winnowing process, and I reach the point where I enjoy these characters enough to spend two years with them.”
And for a person who labored with such legendary expertise, he nonetheless had a couple of names on his dream listing. “I would love to work with [Robert] Duvall and [Adrien] Brody,” he stated. “I’d love to work with [Gene] Hackman again. I like Naomi Watts.”
He additionally wasn’t shy about singing praises for fellow administrators.
“Ermanno Olmi [was] the greatest living director,” he stated on the time, and he added, “I love and admire Francis Ford Coppola.”
Past the digicam, Benton was a husband for six many years, married to artist Sallie Benton till her passing in 2023. He’s survived by their son, John Benton.
A storyteller to his core, Robert Benton leaves behind greater than an inventory of movie credit—he leaves a group of tales that formed cinema, touched lives, and reminded audiences that the very best films aren’t simply watched, they’re felt.
