Waldo Salt

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Waldo Pressman Salt (born October 18, 1914 in Chicago , Illinois , † March 7, 1987 in Los Angeles , California ) was an award-winning American screenwriter who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era .

Life

Salt attended Stanford University at the early age of 14 and graduated at the age of 20. In 1936 he got a permanent job as an author at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . There he co-wrote a total of 19 films, including the melodrama The Bride Wore Red . Although he joined the United States Communist Party in 1938 , he was employed as an advisor to the United States Office of War Information from 1942 until the end of the war . In 1948, Salt wrote the screenplay for the western Rachel and the Stranger, starring Loretta Young , William Holden and Robert Mitchum . For this he received a nomination for the WGA Award . Two years later, based on his book, the adventure film The Rebel with Burt Lancaster and Virginia Mayo in the leading roles was created.

When he refused to testify before the Un-American Activities Committee in 1951 , he was blacklisted and banned from working in Hollywood for the next eleven years . During this time he wrote screenplays for television series under various pseudonyms , including the British production Ivanhoe with Roger Moore in the title role.

After the end of the McCarthy era he wrote under his own name again, his first script after the ban was created in 1962 for the adventure film Taras Bulba with Yul Brynner in the title role. His career peaked in the 1970s. First he received an Oscar in 1970 for John Schlesinger's film drama Asphalt-Cowboy with Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight in the leading roles . He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his screenplay and received the WGA Award and the British Film Prize . For the adaptation of Peter Maas ' Bestsellers - Biography Serpico he received another WGA Award and nominations for an Oscar and Edgar Award . He received his second Oscar in 1979 for Coming Home . For this he was nominated for the second time for the Golden Globe and was awarded the third WGA Award. In 1986 he received the Laurel Award for his life's work . In 1990 the documentary Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey was published, in 1992 the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award was launched, which is presented annually at the Sundance Film Festival .

Salt was married three times. His first marriage had two children, including actress Jennifer Salt . His third marriage was to the writer Eve Merriam .

Filmography (selection)

Broadway

  • 1954-1955: Sandhog

Awards

  • 1949: WGA Award nomination for Marriage Without Love
  • 1970: WGA Award for Asphalt Cowboy
  • 1970: Oscar for asphalt cowboy
  • 1970: British Film Award for Asphalt Cowboy
  • 1970: Golden Globe Award nomination for Asphalt Cowboy
  • 1974: Oscar nomination for Serpico
  • 1974: Edgar Allan Poe Award nomination for Serpico
  • 1974: WGA Award for Serpico
  • 1979: Golden Globe nomination for Coming Home - you are returning home
  • 1979: Oscar for Coming Home - you return home
  • 1979: WGA Award for Coming Home - you are returning home
  • 1986: Laurel Award

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Salt, Waldo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Salt, Waldo Pressman (full name); Behrstock, Arthur (pseudonym); Davenport, Mel (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH October 18, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago , Illinois
DATE OF DEATH March 7, 1987
Place of death Los Angeles , California