Robert Benton

Biography

Robert Douglas Benton (September 29, 1932 - May 11, 2025) was an American screenwriter and film director. Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Dorothy (née Spaulding) and Ellery Douglass Benton, a telephone company employee. He attended the University of Texas and Columbia University. Benton has enjoyed a highly successful career in film, winning numerous prestigious awards for both writing and directing. He was also the art director at Esquire magazine in the early 1960s. In 2006, he appeared in the documentary Wanderlust, as did a number of other well-known people. Benton's family originally hailed from Northumberland in Great Britain, where the Bentons held a seat long before the Norman Conquest. Many family members settled in America, including Abigail and Isabel Benton, who settled in Virginia in 1642; George Benton, who settled in Barbados in 1669; and Robert Benton, who settled in Virginia in 1635. Benton was once a noble family, but they became commoners after the Norman invasion. Robert Benton still has relatives living in England who trace their origins to the seventeenth century. Other prominent Bentons include: Thomas Hart Benton and William Burnett Benton…

Movies & TV Shows

1. The Merv Griffin Show (1962) — Self
2. Wanderlust (2006) — Himself
3. Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film (2008) — Self
4. Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood (2010) — Self
5. Revolution! The Making of 'Bonnie and Clyde' (2008) — Self
6. Finding the Truth: The Making of 'Kramer vs. Kramer' (2001) — Self
7. You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman (2006) — Self
8. Cinéma! Cinéma! The French New Wave (1992) — Self
9. Death Valley (1946) — Duke
10. Le Grand Échiquier (1972) — Self
11. Godard Made in USA (2010) — Self

Directed

1. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) — Director
2. The Human Stain (2003) — Director
3. Nobody's Fool (1994) — Director
4. Feast of Love (2007) — Director
5. Billy Bathgate (1991) — Director
6. Twilight (1998) — Director
7. Places in the Heart (1984) — Director
8. Still of the Night (1982) — Director
9. Bad Company (1972) — Director
10. Nadine (1987) — Director
11. The Late Show (1977) — Director
12. A Texas Romance, 1909 (1964) — Director