Robert Towne, Oscar-Winning ‘Chinatown’ Screenwriter and Famed Script Doctor, Dies at 89

Robert Towne, the celebrated screenwriter of “Chinatown,” died at age 89 on Monday at his home in Los Angeles, his publicist Carri McClure confirmed to TheWrap on Tuesday.

He won a Best Screenplay Oscar for penning Roman Polanski’s 1974 neonoir, and was also nominated for his scripts for Hal Ashby films “The Last Detail” and “Shampoo.”

Towne was also renowned as a script doctor, famously helping out Warren Beatty on “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Heaven Can Wait.” He also scripted a pivotal scene in “The Godfather” between Al Pacino and Marlon Brando’s characters. Francis Ford Coppola even thanked Towne in his acceptance speech when he won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar.