Robert Benton, the Oscar-winning filmmaker who co-wrote Bonnie and Clyde and later won acclaim for Kramer vs. Kramer, has died at age 92. He died of natural causes Sunday at his Manhattan home, his son John Benton said. A Texas native, Benton overcame severe childhood dyslexia to become one of Hollywood's most respected writer-directors, the AP reports. Over his 40-year career, he collected six Oscar nominations and won three, including for writing and directing Kramer vs. Kramer and for writing Places in the Heart. Benton's wife of 60 years, artist Sallie Benton, died in 2023.
Benton directed Oscar-winning performances by stars like Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, and Sally Field, and adapted novels by Philip Roth, EL Doctorow, and Richard Russo for the screen. Benton's film career began while working as an art director at Esquire magazine, when he and colleague David Newman, inspired by French New Wave movies, conceived the idea that would become 1967's Bonnie and Clyde. Although several directors initially passed on the project, Warren Beatty eventually agreed to produce and star. The film, noted for its violence and style, became a cultural touchstone and marked a pivotal shift in Hollywood filmmaking.
Despite a quieter decade after Bonnie and Clyde, Benton found renewed success with Kramer vs. Kramer in 1979, which won five Oscars, including best picture. He drew on personal memories for 1984's Places in the Heart. He returned to Waxahachie, Texas, where he grew up, to make the movie about a widow fighting to keep her land during the Great Depression. It starred Sally Field, who won the Oscar for best actress. Benton said that after his mother died and he sold the family home, he realized he had no reason to go back to Waxahachie, the New York Times reports. "So, I created one," he said. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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