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Robert Benton, an Academy Award-winning director of the 1979 Best Picture Kramer vs. Kramer, died on 11 May 2025 in Manhattan, New York. He was 92 years old. His assistant manager, Marisa Forzano, confirmed to The New York Times of his death. According to ABC News reports on May 14, 2025, Benton's family confirmed the news, citing "natural causes."
Benton, who has been awarded three Oscars, made significant contributions to American cinema as a director and screenwriter of numerous critically and commercially successful films.
He received Oscars in the categories of Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for the film Kramer vs. Kramer. He also won another Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the movie Places in the Heart.
His notable films include Nobody’s Fool, Twilight, The Human Stain, Feast of Love, and more.
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Robert Benton's directorial debut and notable films
Robert Benton started his directing career with a western movie, Bad Company, released in 1972. Although it received good reviews from the critics, it did not perform well at the Box office. He developed his directing skills to perfection on The Late Show (1977), a neo-noir crime drama starring Art Carney and Lily Tomlin, as per Britannica.
The film originally received favourable reviews, ensuring that Benton was nominated again for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. However, it was the movie Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) that established Benton as a renowned filmmaker.
The movie was an adaptation of the work of the Avery Corman novel, by the same name. The movie featured Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep portraying Ted Kramer and Joanna Kramer. The story explores the emotional and legal implications of divorce.
Kramer vs. Kramer won five Oscars, including the Oscars for the best picture, the best director, and the best adapted screenplay for Benton. The movie was also a commercial success, grossing over $100 million at the box office.
In 1982, Robert Benton directed Still of the Night, a thriller with Roy Scheider and Meryl Streep in the leads, which received mixed reviews. He bounced back with Places in the Heart (1984), a semi-autobiographical drama shot in his hometown of Waxahachie, Texas.
From the late 1980s to the 1990s, Robert Benton continued creating character-driven dramas and comedies. He helmed Nadine (1987), a comedy that is set in 1950s Texas, and Billy Bathgate (1991), a crime drama with Dustin Hoffman and Nicole Kidman. Neither of the films, however, matched the critical and commercial success of his earlier works.
In 1994, Robert Benton released Nobody’s Fool with Paul Newman in the portrayal of a rough and yet likable handyman in a small town. The film received strong reviews and a nomination for Benton for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Newman’s performance was also highly praised, with an Oscar nomination in the category for Best Actor.
Benton's subsequent films included Twilight (1998), a noir mystery starring Newman, Gene Hackman, and Susan Sarandon. The Human Stain, which was released in 2003, was based on Philip Roth's novel, featured Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman.
His last directorial project was Feast of Love (2007), a romantic drama, adapted from the novel by Charles Baxter, with Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear in the lead.
Throughout his career, Robert Benton received several honors, including the Writers Guild of America award for lifetime achievement in 1995 and the Laurel award for screenwriting achievement in 2007. He also starred in some documentaries about filmmaking, such as Wanderlust (2006), Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood (2010).
According to ABC News, Benton leaves behind a son, John Benton. His wife, Sallie, to whom he had been married for sixty years, passed away in 2023.
