GET PERSONAL: WILLIAM GOLDMAN

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In his memoir, Adventures in the Screen Trade, William Goldman offers the priceless advice: “nobody knows anything.” The memoir, written in the 1980s, gives a clear overview of the screenwriting industry at large, for those who are unfamiliar with it. Almost no one would be more qualified to do so than William Goldman. Having won two Academy Awards for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and All the President’s Men (1976), Goldman imagined (or adapted) some of the most beloved films of all time.  Goldman’s interest in writing began at Oberlin College, where he took creative writing. As he developed his skill as a novelist, playwright, and poet, he finally made the jump to screenplays in 1965 with Masquerade. He is now revered as one of the most influential screenwriters in the industry, not to mention a valuable script doctor. Credits include: Dreamcatcher (2003), Hearts in Atlantis (2001), The General's Daughter (1999), Maverick (1994), Chaplin (1992), Misery (1990), The Princess Bride (1987), Heat (1986), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Marathon Man (1976), All the President's Men (1976), The Stepford Wives (1975), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Masquerade (1965).