American director and screenwriter Robert Benton, three-time Oscar winner and responsible for classics such as Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Places in the Heart (1984), and Nobody's Fool (1994), passed away on Sunday in Manhattan at the age of 92, as confirmed by his assistant and representative, Marisa Forzano, to the New York Times.
Benton, originally from Waxahachie, Texas, was a prominent figure in Hollywood's auteur cinema, combining dramatic sensitivity with a classic narrative approach. In addition to directing and writing, he helped establish the careers of actors like Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Sally Field, and Paul Newman, three of whom won Oscars for their work under his direction.
His transition to film came from the publishing world. He started as an art director at Esquire magazine, where he met David Newman, with whom he would sign his first major success: the screenplay forBonnie and Clyde (1967). Initially rejected by several studios, the film became a phenomenon under the direction of Arthur Penn and the production and starring role of Warren Beatty, marking a before and after in American cinema.
After that initial success, Benton decided to also focus on directing. His debut came with Bad Company (1972), starring Jeff Bridges. However, it was in 1979 when he achieved stardom with Kramer vs. Kramer, which he directed and co-wrote after François Truffaut's resignation. The film, centered on a contentious divorce and custody case, swept the Academy Awards, winning five statuettes, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Hoffman), Best Supporting Actress (Streep), Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Two years later, he directed Still of the Night (1982), a thriller that had a lukewarm reception. In 1984, he returned to success with Places in the Heart set in his hometown and winner of two Oscars: Best Actress (Sally Field) and Best Original Screenplay.
After an uneven decade, Benton resurfaced in 1994 with Nobody's Fool starring Paul Newman, which was a critical and commercial success. In 1998, he collaborated again with Newman in Twilight, alongside Gene Hackman and Susan Sarandon.
In 2003, he directed The Human Stain based on Philip Roth's novel, starring Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman, a controversial production in which Hopkins played a light-skinned black man passing as white. His last significant work was the dark comedy The Ice Harvest (2005), co-written with Richard Russo and directed by Harold Ramis.
In addition to his film work, Benton participated in several documentaries about the history of cinema and was recognized by the Writers Guild of America with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award (1995) and the Laurel Award (2007) for his career as a screenwriter.