Oscar-Winning Director Robert Benton Dies At 92

Robert Benton, a highly respected filmmaker and screenwriter who won three Academy Awards, has passed away at the age of 92.

He died on Sunday at his home in Manhattan, New York, due to natural causes, as confirmed by his son, John Benton.

Benton was best known for directing the acclaimed 1979 film “Kramer vs. Kramer”, a movie that not only earned him two Oscars—for Best Director and Best Screenplay—but also helped boost the careers of stars like Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman. The film won five Oscars in total, including Best Picture, and was widely praised for its emotional portrayal of family dynamics and shifting gender roles.

Throughout his 40-year career, Benton was admired by many in the film industry for being a thoughtful and trusting director. His approach helped several actors deliver Oscar-winning performances, including Hoffman, Streep, and Sally Field. Despite suffering from severe dyslexia as a child, which made reading difficult, Benton became a prolific screenwriter and director, adapting works from authors such as Philip Roth and Richard Russo.

In the early 1960s, Benton worked as an art director for “Esquire” magazine. His collaboration with David Newman led to their breakthrough script for “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967), a film that helped redefine American cinema. The film, directed by Arthur Penn and starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, initially faced criticism for its graphic violence but later gained cultural significance. The original version of the script portrayed Clyde Barrow as bisexual, but this was altered before production.

Benton’s later projects included “Places in the Heart”, which earned him another Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The film, based on his childhood memories, told the story of a widow struggling to save her land during the Great Depression. “I think that when I saw it all strung together, I was surprised at what a romantic view I had of the past,” he once said. He added that the film was partly a tribute to his mother.

Born in Waxahachie, Texas, Benton developed a love for movies thanks to his father, who often took the family to the cinema instead of focusing on homework. He attended the University of Texas and Columbia University, and served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956.

Though Benton enjoyed major hits like “Nobody’s Fool” in 1994, his career also saw periods of disappointment, with films such as “The Human Stain” and “Billy Bathgate” receiving lukewarm responses. Still, he remained a beloved figure in Hollywood. Reflecting on his experience in the film industry, he once said: “It’s home. And home is what I’ve spent my life looking for.”

Robert Benton is survived by his wife, artist Sallie Rendigs, whom he married in 1964, and their son.

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