The Best Screenwriters Ever!

1. Ingmar Bergman

Ernst Ingmar Bergman was born July 14, 1918, the son of a priest. The film and T.V. series, The Best Intentions (1992) is biographical and shows the early marriage of his parents. The film Sunday's Children (1992) depicts a bicycle journey with his father. In the miniseries Private Confessions (...

12731 points

2. Billy Wilder

Writer | The Apartment

Originally planning to become a lawyer, Billy Wilder abandoned that career in favor of working as a reporter for a Viennese newspaper, using this experience to move to Berlin, where he worked for the city's largest tabloid. He broke into films as a screenwriter in 1929 and wrote scripts for many ...

10140 points

3. Federico Fellini

Writer | Le notti di Cabiria

The women who both attracted and frightened him and an Italy dominated in his youth by Mussolini and Pope Pius XII - inspired the dreams that Fellini started recording in notebooks in the 1960s. Life and dreams were raw material for his films. His native Rimini and characters like Saraghina (the ...

9311 points

4. Kôgo Noda

Writer | Banshun

Kôgo Noda is most famously know for working alongside Yasujiro Ozu in the writing of his screenplays for some of his most famous movies. Noda was born on November 19, 1893 and died at age 74 on September 23, 1968. He co-wrote some of Yasujiro's most famous films, for example: Tokyo Story (1953), ...

8377 points

5. Cesare Zavattini

Writer | Ladri di biciclette

Cesare Zavattini was born on September 20, 1902 in Luzzara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was a writer and director, known for Bicycle Thieves (1948), Umberto D. (1952) and It's Forever Springtime (1950). He was married to Olga Berni. He died on October 13, 1989 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

7887 points

6. Woody Allen

Writer | Annie Hall

Woody Allen was born on November 30, 1935, as Allen Konigsberg, in The Bronx, NY, the son of Martin Konigsberg and Nettie Konigsberg. He has one younger sister, Letty Aronson. As a young boy, he became intrigued with magic tricks and playing the clarinet, two hobbies that he continues today.

Allen ...

7473 points

7. Suso Cecchi D'Amico

Writer | Ladri di biciclette

Suso Cecchi D'Amico was born on July 21, 1914 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She was a writer and actress, known for Bicycle Thieves (1948), The Leopard (1963) and Rocco and His Brothers (1960). She was married to Fidele d'Amico. She died on July 31, 2010 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

7377 points

8. Tullio Pinelli

Writer | La dolce vita

Tullio Pinelli was born on June 24, 1908 in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. He was a writer, known for La Dolce Vita (1960), The Road (1954) and 8½ (1963). He was married to Madeleine Lebeau. He died on March 7, 2009 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

7257 points

9. Tonino Guerra

Writer | Amarcord

Legendary Italian screenwriter was born Antonio Guerra on the 16th of March 1920 in Sant'Arcangelo, Italy, south of Ravenna. He wrote several short stories, poetry and novels and in 1956 his first screenplay "Man and Wolves" (co-written by Elio Petri) was directed by Giuseppe De Santis. Three years...

6737 points

10. Furio Scarpelli

Writer | Il postino

Furio Scarpelli was born on December 16, 1919 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He was a writer and director, known for The Postman (1994), The Family (1987) and Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958). He was married to Cora Conti. He died on April 28, 2010 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

6625 points

11. Ennio Flaiano

Writer | 8½

Ennio Flaiano was born on March 5, 1910 in Pescara, Abruzzo, Italy. He was a writer and actor, known for 8½ (1963), La Dolce Vita (1960) and Nights of Cabiria (1957). He was married to Rosetta Rota. He died on November 20, 1972 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

5856 points

12. Shinobu Hashimoto

Writer | Kakushi-toride no san-akunin

Shinobu Hashimoto was born on April 18, 1918 in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. He was a writer and director, known for The Hidden Fortress (1958), Harakiri (1962) and Ikiru (1952). He died on July 19, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan.

5484 points

13. John Huston

Director | The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

An eccentric rebel of epic proportions, this Hollywood titan reigned supreme as director, screenwriter and character actor in a career that endured over five decades. The ten-time Oscar-nominated legend was born John Marcellus Huston in Nevada, Missouri, on August 5, 1906. His ancestry was English,...

5453 points

14. Ben Hecht

Writer | Notorious

Ben Hecht, one of Hollywood's and Broadway's greatest writers, won an Oscar for best original story for Underworld (1927) at the first Academy Awards in 1929 and had a hand in the writing of many classic films. He was nominated five more times for the best writing Oscar, winning (along with writing...

5268 points

15. François Truffaut

Writer | La nuit américaine

French director François Truffaut began to assiduously go to the movies at age seven. He was also a great reader but not a good pupil. He left school at 14 and started working. In 1947, aged 15, he founded a film club and met André Bazin, a French critic, who became his protector. Bazin helped the ...

5203 points

16. Jean-Claude Carrière

Writer | The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Jean-Claude Carrière was born on September 17, 1931 in Colombières-sur-Orb, Hérault, France. He was a writer and actor, known for The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) and Cyrano de Bergerac (1990). He was married to Nicole Janin and Nahal Tajadod. ...

5177 points

17. Krzysztof Kieslowski

Writer | Trois couleurs: Bleu

Krzysztof Kieslowski graduated from Lódz Film School in 1969, and became a documentary, TV and feature film director and scriptwriter. Before making his first film for TV, Przejscie podziemne (1974) (The Underground Passage), he made a number of short documentaries. His next TV title, Personnel (...

5144 points

18. Ettore Scola

Writer | Una giornata particolare

Ettore Scola was born on May 10, 1931 in Trevico, Campania, Italy. He was a writer and director, known for A Special Day (1977), The Family (1987) and Passion of Love (1981). He was married to Gigliola. He died on January 19, 2016 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

4706 points

19. Charles Brackett

Writer | Sunset Blvd.

Charles Brackett, born in Saratoga Springs, New York, of Scottish ancestry, followed in his attorney-father's footsteps and graduated with a law degree from Harvard University in 1920. He practised law for several years, before commencing work as drama critic for The New Yorker (1925-29), in ...

4558 points

20. Gérard Brach

Writer | Jean de Florette

Gérard Brach was born on July 23, 1927 in Montrouge, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He was a writer and director, known for Jean de Florette (1986), The Name of the Rose (1986) and Frantic (1988). He died on September 9, 2006 in Paris, France.

4397 points

21. Ethan Coen

Producer | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The younger brother of Joel, Ethan Coen is an Academy Award and Golden Globe winning writer, producer and director coming from small independent films to big profile Hollywood films. He was born on September 21, 1957 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In some films of the brothers- Ethan & Joel wrote, Joel...

4349 points

22. Preston Sturges

Writer | Sullivan's Travels

Preston Sturges' own life is as unlikely as some of the plots of his best work. He was born into a wealthy family. As a boy he helped out on stage productions for his mother's friend, Isadora Duncan (the scarf that strangled her was made by his mother's company, Maison Desti). He served in the U.S....

4283 points

23. Jules Furthman

Writer | To Have and Have Not

Jules Furthman was a magazine and newspaper writer when he began writing for films in 1915. When the U.S. entered WWI Furthman used the name "Stephen Fox" for his screenplays because he thought his name sounded too German, but he reverted to his real name after the war. Furthman became one of the ...

4231 points

24. Samson Raphaelson

Writer | Suspicion

Samson Raphaelson was born on March 30, 1896 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for Suspicion (1941), The Shop Around the Corner (1940) and That Lady in Ermine (1948). He was married to Dorothy Deborah Wegman and Rayna DeCosta Simons. He died on July 16, 1983 in New York City, ...

4228 points

25. I.A.L. Diamond

Writer | The Apartment

I.A.L. Diamond was born on June 27, 1920 in Ungheni, Romania [now Moldova]. He was a writer and producer, known for The Apartment (1960), Some Like It Hot (1959) and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970). He was married to Barbara Diamond. He died on April 21, 1988 in Beverly Hills, California...

4088 points

26. Ernest Lehman

Writer | North by Northwest

One of the most critically and commercially successful screenwriters in Hollywood history, Lehman grew up on Long Island, graduated from NY's City College. One of his first jobs was as a copywriter for a Broadway publicist. This experience would later be reflected in his novel and screenplay, "...

4070 points

27. Robert Riskin

Writer | It Happened One Night

Robert Riskin was born on March 30, 1897 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for It Happened One Night (1934), You Can't Take It with You (1938) and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). He was married to Fay Wray. He died on September 20, 1955 in Beverly Hills, Los ...

3958 points

28. Quentin Tarantino

Writer | Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Jerome Tarantino was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. His father, Tony Tarantino, is an Italian-American actor and musician from New York, and his mother, Connie (McHugh), is a nurse from Tennessee. Quentin moved with his mother to Torrance, California, when he was four years old.

In January of...

3883 points

29. Richard Brooks

Writer | In Cold Blood

Richard Brooks was an Academy Award-winning film writer who also earned six Oscar nominations and achieved success as a film director and producer.

He was born Reuben Sax on May 18, 1912, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants. He graduated from West Philadelphia ...

3882 points

30. Dudley Nichols

Writer | Sister Kenny

Dudley Nichols was born on April 6, 1895 in Wapakoneta, Ohio, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Sister Kenny (1946), The Informer (1935) and Stagecoach (1939). He was married to Esther "Esta" Varez. He died on January 4, 1960 in Hollywood, California, USA.

3715 points

31. Nunnally Johnson

Writer | The Grapes of Wrath

The son of a railway superintendent, Nunnally Johnson was schooled in Columbus, Georgia, graduating in 1915. He worked for the local newspaper as a delivery boy, became a junior reporter for the Savannah Press and then moved on to New York in 1919. There, his journalistic career really took off, ...

3685 points

32. Sergio Amidei

Writer | Roma città aperta

Sergio Amidei was born on October 3, 1904 in Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. He was a writer and producer, known for Rome, Open City (1945), Un borghese piccolo piccolo (1977) and General Della Rovere (1959). He died on April 14, 1981 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

3504 points

33. Francis Ford Coppola

Producer | Apocalypse Now

Francis Ford Coppola was born in 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, but grew up in a New York suburb in a creative, supportive Italian-American family. His father, Carmine Coppola, was a composer and musician. His mother, Italia Coppola (née Pennino), had been an actress. Francis Ford Coppola graduated ...

3486 points

34. Anders Thomas Jensen

Writer | Retfærdighedens ryttere

Anders Thomas Jensen was born on 6th April 1972 in Frederiksværk on Sjælland in Denmark to Carl Benny Jensen and Kirsten Jensen (born Sørensen). He attended the high school in Frederiksværk from 1988 to 1991. In 1990 while still in high school, he wrote and directed 10 år på bagen - 3 år i skyggen ...

3386 points

35. Julius J. Epstein

Writer | Casablanca

Julius J. Epstein was born on August 22, 1909 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Casablanca (1942), Reuben, Reuben (1983) and Pete 'n' Tillie (1972). He was married to Frances Sage and Ann Margot Laszlo. He died on December 30, 2000 in Los Angeles, California, ...

3378 points

36. Jonathan Nolan

Writer | Westworld

Attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, graduating in 1994.

Graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1999. Majored in English.

Shortly after graduating from Georgetown University, Jonathan Nolan served as a production assistant on Memento (2000).

Wrote the short story, "...

3363 points

37. Ronald Harwood

Writer | The Pianist

Born in Cape Town, Union of South Africa in 1934, Ronald Harwood moved to London in 1951 to pursue a career in the theatre. After attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, he joined the Shakespeare Company of Sir Donald Wolfit, one of the last 'actor-manager' of Great-Britain. From 1953 to 1958...

3315 points

38. Thea von Harbou

Writer | Metropolis

Thea von Harbou was born on December 27, 1888 in Tauperlitz, Döhlau, Bavaria, Germany. She was a writer and director, known for Metropolis (1927), M (1931) and Woman in the Moon (1929). She was married to Fritz Lang and Rudolf Klein-Rogge. She died on July 1, 1954 in Berlin, Germany.

3238 points

39. Dalton Trumbo

Writer | Roman Holiday

Dalton Trumbo, the Oscar-winning screenwriter, arguably the most talented, most famous of the blacklisted film professionals known to history as the Hollywood 10, was born in Montrose, Colorado to Orus Trumbo and his wife, the former Maud Tillery.

Dalton Trumbo was raised at 1124 Gunnison Ave. in ...

3133 points

40. Abbas Kiarostami

Writer | Copie conforme

Abbas Kiarostami was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1940. He graduated from university with a degree in fine arts before starting work as a graphic designer. He then joined the Center for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, where he started a film section, and this started his career ...

3126 points

41. Leigh Brackett

Writer | Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Leigh Douglass Brackett was born in 1915 in Los Angeles. She was the author of numerous short stories and books regarding science fiction and has been referred to as the Queen of Space Opera. Hollywood director Howard Hawks was so impressed by one of her novels that he had his secretary call in "...

3107 points

42. Robert Rossen

Writer | The Hustler

Robert Rossen was born on March 16, 1908 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and director, known for The Hustler (1961), All the King's Men (1949) and Alexander the Great (1956). He was married to Sarah (Sue) Siegel. He died on February 18, 1966 in New York City, New York, USA.

3101 points

43. Seton I. Miller

Writer | The Adventures of Robin Hood

Seton I. Miller was one of Hollywood's most accomplished writers of action and adventure films in the 1930's and 40's. A graduate of Yale University, he initially entered the film industry with MGM as an actor and 'technical advisor' on Brown of Harvard (1926), a collegiate romance first filmed at ...

2954 points

44. Paul Laverty

Writer | Sorry We Missed You

Paul Laverty was born in Calcutta, India, to an Irish mother and Scottish father.

He obtained a Philosophy degree at the Gregorian University in Rome. Thereafter he obtained a law degree in Glasgow and went on to do an apprenticeship with two of Scotland's most celebrated lawyers. He became a ...

2946 points

45. Enrico Medioli

Writer | Il gattopardo

Enrico Medioli was born on March 17, 1925 in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was a writer, known for The Leopard (1963), Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and The Damned (1969). He died on April 21, 2017 in Orvieto, Umbria, Italy.

2934 points

46. Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writer | Il Decameron

Pier Paolo Pasolini achieved fame and notoriety long before he entered the film industry. A published poet at 19, he had already written numerous novels and essays before his first screenplay in 1954. His first film Accattone (1961) was based on his own novel and its violent depiction of the life ...

2904 points

47. Frances Marion

Writer | The Big House

The most renowned female screenwriter of the 20th century, and one of the most respected scripters of any gender, Frances Marion was born in San Francisco. She modeled and acted and had some success as a commercial artist. She entered into journalism and served in Europe as a combat correspondent ...

2904 points

48. Ernest Vajda

Writer | The Smiling Lieutenant

The Hungarian playwright and novelist Ernest Vajda was educated at a monastic college in Paps, where he graduated with a degree in electrochemistry in 1904. He added a Ph.D. to his name in 1908 and produced his first play the following year. Vajda held several editorial jobs in Hungary before ...

2850 points

49. Donald Ogden Stewart

Writer | The Philadelphia Story

Donald Ogden Stewart was born on November 30, 1894 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Philadelphia Story (1940), An Affair to Remember (1957) and Not So Dumb (1930). He was married to Leonore (Ella) Sophie Winter Steffens and Beatrice Ames. He died on August 2, 1980 in...

2820 points

50. Carl Mayer

Writer | Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari

Carl Meyer was the son of a stock speculator who committed suicide. He had to leave school at 15 to work as a secretary. Mayer moved away from Graz to Innsbruck and then Vienna, where he worked as a dramatist. Meanwhile, the events of the First World War turned him into a pacifist.

In 1917 he went ...

2772 points

51. Guillermo Arriaga

Writer | The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Guillermo Arriaga was born on March 13, 1958 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. He is a writer and producer, known for The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005), 21 Grams (2003) and Amores Perros (2000).

2770 points

52. Paul Osborn

Writer | East of Eden

Paul Osborn was born on September 4, 1901 in Evansville, Indiana, USA. He was a writer, known for East of Eden (1955), South Pacific (1958) and Sayonara (1957). He was married to Millicent Green. He died on May 12, 1988 in New York City, New York, USA.

2733 points

53. Casey Robinson

Writer | Captain Blood

Casey Robinson was born on October 17, 1903 in Logan, Utah, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Captain Blood (1935), Days of Glory (1944) and Diplomatic Courier (1952). He was married to Tamara Toumanova, Audray Dale and Joan Potts. He died on December 6, 1979 in Sydney, New South Wales, ...

2730 points

54. Steven Zaillian

Writer | Searching for Bobby Fischer

Steven Zaillian was born on January 30, 1953 in Fresno, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), The Irishman (2019) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). He is married to Elizabeth Zaillian. They have two children.

2710 points

55. Emeric Pressburger

Writer | The Red Shoes

Educated at the Universities of Prague and Stuttgart, Emeric Pressburger worked as a journalist in Hungary and Germany and an author and scriptwriter in Berlin and Paris. He was a Hungarian Jew, chased around Europe (he worked on films for UFA in Berlin and Paris) before World War II, finally ...

2698 points

56. Krzysztof Piesiewicz

Writer | Krótki film o milosci

Born in 1945 in Warsaw. In 1970, graduated in law from Warsaw University. Articled as a judge and as a barrister. In legal practice since 1973. Is mainly a criminal defence lawyer, but has also specialised in family law and in protection of personal goods and chattels. During Martial Law, acted as ...

2695 points

57. Sidney Buchman

Writer | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

The son of a Russian émigré clothing merchant, Sidney Buchman was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on March 27 1902. He initially attended the University of Minnesota. After his family moved to New York, he continued his studies at Columbia University, graduating in 1923. The following year, he travelled...

2665 points

58. Jean Gruault

Writer | Mon oncle d'Amérique

Jean Gruault was born on August 3, 1924 in Fontenay-sous-Bois, Val-de-Marne, Île-de-France, France. He was a writer and actor, known for My American Uncle (1980), Jules and Jim (1962) and The Story of Adele H (1975). He was married to Ginette Geslot. He died on June 8, 2015 in Paris, France.

2627 points

59. William Goldman

Writer | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Screenwriter, novelist, playwright, non-fiction author. Born in Highland Park, Illinois, USA, began his career as a novelist in 1957. Started writing screenplays in 1965 with "Masquerade". A two-time Academy Award Winner, he is one of the most successful screenwriters and script doctors in ...

2531 points

60. Lenore J. Coffee

Writer | Four Daughters

Novelist and screenwriter, educated at Dominican College in San Rafael, California. An avid movie enthusiast in her youth, she came to films after replying to an advertising campaign launched by actress Clara Kimball Young, who was on the lookout for better scripts. Coffee won the competition and ...

2525 points

61. David Webb Peoples

Writer | Unforgiven

David Webb Peoples was born on February 9, 1940 in Middletown, Connecticut, USA. He is a writer and editor, known for Unforgiven (1992), Blade Runner (1982) and 12 Monkeys (1995). He is married to Janet Peoples.

2479 points

62. Alvin Sargent

Writer | Spider-Man 2

Alvin Sargent was an American screenwriter who wrote Ordinary People and the Marvel screenplays for Sony: Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man. His writing for Spider-Man 2 got widespread acclaim. He also wrote a few episodes of Paper Moon. He was married to film producer Laura ...

2456 points

63. Charles Spaak

Writer | La grande illusion

Charles Spaak was born on May 25, 1903 in Brussels, Belgium. He was a writer and assistant director, known for The Grand Illusion (1937), Before the Deluge (1954) and Panique (1946). He was married to Janine Spaak and Claude Marcy. He died on March 4, 1975 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France.

2455 points

64. Philip G. Epstein

Writer | Casablanca

Philip G. Epstein was born on August 22, 1909 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Casablanca (1942), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and Mr. Skeffington (1944). He was married to Lillian Targan. He died on February 7, 1952 in Hollywood, California, USA.

2393 points

65. Philip Yordan

Writer | Detective Story

Philip Yordan was born on April 1, 1914 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Detective Story (1951), Broken Lance (1954) and Dillinger (1945). He was married to Faith Clift and Marilyn Nash. He died on March 24, 2003 in La Jolla, California, USA.

2391 points

66. Howard Koch

Writer | Casablanca

Playwright and author of sophisticated screenplays, a graduate of Bard College and Columbia University Law School. Howard Koch started out as a practicing lawyer in Hartsdale, New Jersey, but soon found himself dissatisfied with his career choice and began to write plays on the side. His first two ...

2359 points

67. John Michael Hayes

Writer | Rear Window

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, John Michael Hayes began his writing career as a newspaper reporter. Following service with the US Army during WWII, he moved to California where he wrote for such radio dramas as Sam Spade and Inner Sanctum. Moving to film in 1952, he has amassed credits which ...

2308 points

68. Waldo Salt

Writer | Midnight Cowboy

Waldo Salt was one of the many people blacklisted in Hollywood during the Red Scare, but unlike others, Salt recovered triumphantly. He wrote his first scripts in the late 1930s (MGM contract writer, 1936-42) and also served as a civilian consultant to the Office of War Information from 1942- 1945 ...

2281 points

69. Franco Solinas

Writer | La battaglia di Algeri

Franco Solinas was an Italian writer and screenwriter active from the 1950s to the early 1980s, who specialized in political and historical films. He is best known for the screenplay of The Battle of Algiers (1966), which was nominated for three Academy Awards. He worked with several acclaimed ...

2278 points

70. Jo Swerling

Writer | The Pride of the Yankees

Oscar-nominated Hollywood screenwriter Jo Swerling, who also was a Tony Award-winning Broadway writer and lyricist, was born in Berdichev, Ukraine in what was then the Russian Empire. His family emigrated from Czarist Russia and he grew up on the Lower East Side in New York City.

From a youthful job...

2253 points

71. Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writer | All About Eve

Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on February 11, 1909, Joseph Leo Mankiewicz first worked for the movies as a translator of intertitles, employed by Paramount in Berlin, the UFA's American distributor at the time (1928). He became a dialoguist, then a screenwriter on numerous Paramount ...

2248 points

72. Peter Märthesheimer

Producer | Acht Stunden sind kein Tag

Peter Märthesheimer was born on July 9, 1937 in Kiel, Germany. He was a producer and writer, known for Eight Hours Don't Make a Day (1972), Der Bulle & das Mädchen (1985) and The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979). He died on June 18, 2004 in Berlin, Germany.

2211 points

73. Agenore Incrocci

Writer | I soliti ignoti

Agenore Incrocci was born on July 4, 1919 in Brescia, Lombardy, Italy. He was a writer and director, known for Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958), The Organizer (1963) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). He died on November 15, 2005 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

2204 points

74. Frances Goodrich

Writer | Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Frances Goodrich was born on December 21, 1890 in Belleville, New Jersey, USA. She was a writer, known for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), The Thin Man (1934) and Easter Parade (1948). She was married to Albert Hackett, Henrik Van Loon and Robert Ames. She died on January 29, 1984 in New ...

2173 points

75. Albert Hackett

Writer | Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Albert Hackett was born on February 16, 1900 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), The Thin Man (1934) and Easter Parade (1948). He was married to Gisella (Svetlik) Orkin and Frances Goodrich. He died on March 16, 1995 in New ...

2173 points

76. Rustam Ibragimbekov

Writer | Kabusun gözleri ile

Rustam Ibragimbekov was born on January 5, 1939 in Baku, USSR [now Azerbaijan]. He was a writer and producer, known for A Trap for the Ghost, (2011), The Saint (1997) and Close to Eden (1991). He was married to Ludmila Dukhovnaya and Shohrat Ibrahimbeyova. He died on March 11, 2022 in Moscow, ...

2142 points

77. Claudine West

Writer | Mrs. Miniver

Claudine West was born on January 16, 1890 in Nottingham, England, UK. She was a writer, known for Mrs. Miniver (1942), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) and Random Harvest (1942). She died on April 11, 1943 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.

2126 points

78. Herman J. Mankiewicz

Writer | Citizen Kane

Herman J. Mankiewicz, now known primarily as the man who co-wrote Citizen Kane (1941) with Hollywood's greatest wunderkind, Orson Welles, was one of the highest-paid screenwriters in Hollywood and the head of Paramount's screen-writing department in the late 1920s and early '30s. He reached the ...

2123 points

79. Michael Wilson

Writer | Lawrence of Arabia

Michael Wilson was born on July 1, 1914 in McAlester, Oklahoma, USA. He was a writer, known for Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and 5 Fingers (1952). He was married to Zelma Wilson. He died on April 9, 1978 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.

2123 points

80. Walter Reisch

Writer | Gaslight

After completing studies in literature at the University of Vienna, Walter Reisch began his screen career as an extra and title writer in 1918. He eventually made the acquaintance of Stephan Lorant, a refuge from the Horty regime in Hungary, who, within a single year, had made a name for himself in...

2071 points

81. Betty Comden

Soundtrack | On the Town

Songwriter ("New York, New York", "Lonely Town", "The Party's Over", "Just in Time"), author and actress. educated at New York University with a Bachelor of Science degree. While a student, she acted with the Washington Square Players. She was a member of the Revuers, a night club act which also ...

2060 points

82. Adolph Green

Soundtrack | On the Town

Songwriter ("New York, New York", "The Party's Over", "Just in Time", "Make Someone Happy"), author and actor, educated at City College of New York. While he was a student, he acted with the Washington Square Players and had a part in the road company of "Having a Wonderful Time". A member of The ...

2060 points

83. Giuseppe De Santis

Writer | Caccia tragica

Giuseppe De Santis was born on February 11, 1917 in Fondi, Lazio, Italy. He was a writer and director, known for Tragic Hunt (1947), Giorni d'amore (1954) and Bitter Rice (1949). He was married to Gordana Miletic. He died on May 16, 1997 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

2035 points

84. Samuel Hoffenstein

Writer | Laura

Lithuanian-born author and screenwriter, in the U.S. from 1894. Hoffenstein graduated from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and subsequently went to work as a reporter for a local newspaper. By 1913, he had moved on to a position as a drama critic for the New York Evening Sun. At the same time, he...

2023 points

85. Bryan Forbes

Actor | The Guns of Navarone

Bryan Forbes was born on July 22, 1926 in Stratford, London, England as John Theobald Clarke. He was an actor, writer, and director, known for The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Whisperers (1967) and Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964). He was married to Nanette Newman and Constance Smith. He died on ...

2007 points

86. Robert Benton

Writer | Kramer vs. Kramer

Robert Douglas Benton is an American screenwriter and filmmaker from Waxahachie, Texas who is known for screenwriting Bonnie & Clyde, Kramer vs. Kramer and Superman. He won two Academy Awards for writing and directing Kramer vs. Kramer. He directed other feature films including Twilight, Bad ...

2001 points

87. Lillian Hellman

Writer | The Little Foxes

During the 1930s, it was fashionable to be a part of the radical political movement in Hollywood. Lillian Hellman devoted herself to the cause along with other writers and actors in their zeal to reform. Her independence set her apart from all but a few women of the day, and gave her writing an ...

1992 points

88. Andrey Konchalovskiy

Writer | Belye nochi pochtalyona Alekseya Tryapitsyna

The Russian theatre and film director Andrei Konchalovsky is an elder brother of Nikita Mikhalkov, born August, 20, 1937. As a youngster he planned to pursue a career of a musician and learned to play piano but his love for cinema outweighed and he entered VGIK-the major state film school where he ...

1988 points

89. Jerzy Stefan Stawinski

Writer | Eroica

Jerzy Stefan Stawinski was born on July 1, 1921 in Zakret, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was a writer and director, known for Eroica (1958), Zamach (1959) and Pingwin (1965). He was married to Helena Amiradzibi-Stawinska. He died on June 12, 2010 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.

1972 points

90. Ruggero Maccari

Writer | La famiglia

Ruggero Maccari was born on June 28, 1919 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He was a writer and director, known for The Family (1987), A Special Day (1977) and I Knew Her Well (1965). He died on May 8, 1989 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

1968 points

91. Wendell Mayes

Writer | Anatomy of a Murder

Wendell Mayes was born on July 22, 1918 in Hayti, Missouri, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Anatomy of a Murder (1959), The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and Death Wish (1974). He died on March 28, 1992 in Santa Monica, California, USA.

1903 points

92. Stirling Silliphant

Writer | In the Heat of the Night

Detroit-born Stirling Silliphant (born Sterling Dale Silliphant) was the son of a Canadian immigrant. The family moved to California when he was about two. He grew up in Glendale and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1938. During World War II he was an army lieutenant, and ...

1899 points

93. DeWitt Bodeen

Writer | Cat People

Bodeen started out as a stage actor and playwright. In his latter capacity, he enjoyed a moderate amount of success with "Escape to Autumn" and "Thing of Beauty", before finding work as a reader in Hollywood. One of Bodeen's plays, "Embers at Haworth" (about the Bronte sisters), came to the ...

1878 points

94. Paul Haggis

Writer | Crash

Paul Haggis established himself over twenty years with an extensive career in television, before his big break into features arrived when he became the first screenwriter to garner two Best Film Academy Awards back-to-back for his scripts: "Million Dollar Baby" (2004) directed by Clint Eastwood, ...

1863 points

95. Robert E. Sherwood

Writer | The Best Years of Our Lives

Robert E. Sherwood, a brilliant multifaceted writer, was born to Arthur Murray and Rosina Emmet Sherwood, educated at the Milton Academy (Massachusetts) and Harvard, and was wounded while serving with the Canadian Black Watch in WWI. His literary career started with jobs as movie critic at Vanity ...

1854 points

96. William Rose

Writer | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

William Rose was born on August 31, 1918 in Jefferson City, Missouri, USA. He was a writer, known for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Ladykillers (1955) and It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). He was married to Tania Rose. He died on February 10, 1987 in Jersey, Channel Islands, UK.

1850 points

97. Paul Schrader

Writer | First Reformed

Although his name is often linked to that of the "movie brat" generation (Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Brian De Palma, etc.) Paul Schrader's background couldn't have been more different than theirs. His strict Calvinist parents refused to allow him to see a...

1840 points

98. Tobias Lindholm

Writer | Druk

Tobias Lindholm was born on July 5, 1977 in Næstved, Denmark. He is a writer and director, known for Another Round (2020), The Hunt (2012) and A Hijacking (2012).

1837 points

99. James Schamus

Producer | Wo hu cang long

James Schamus is an American film producer, director and screenwriter who is known for his collaborations with Taiwanese film director Ang Lee. He wrote the award winning wuxia film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Eat Drink Man Woman, Pushing Hands, The Ice Storm, the cult classic Marvel film Hulk,...

1820 points

100. Christopher Hampton

Writer | The Father

Christopher Hampton was born on January 26, 1946 in Faial, Açores, Portugal. He is a writer and producer, known for The Father (2020), Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and Atonement (2007). He has been married to Laura de Holesch since 1971. They have two children.

1794 points