Horton Foote, 1916-2009
Horton Foote died today, March 4, at the age of 92. He was a playwright and screenwriter who earned may wards in his lifetime. In 1995, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play, The Young Man From Atlanta. He also won an Oscar in 1984 for his screenplay for Tender Mercies, which also won Best Picture and Best Director.
However, he was best known for writing the screenplay to To Kill a Mockingbird in1962. He won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, but since he assumed he had no chance of winning, he didn’t even bother to show up to the ceremony! He wasn’t there to collect his statuette when his name was called.
He also wrote A Trip to Bountiful, which was also nominated for an Oscar. His four children are all in theater and film, and he is a second cousin to actress Mary Stuart Masterson.
