'Kramer vs Kramer' director Robert Benton dies aged 92
'Kramer vs Kramer' director Robert Benton dies aged 92
Benton was also known for the 1984 film "Places in the Heart". File photo: AFP
Robert Benton, the Oscar-winning writer and director of "Kramer vs Kramer," has died in his US home, his representative said on Tuesday. He was 92.
Benton was also known for the 1984 film "Places in the Heart" and had extensive writing and directing credits for influential movies throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
The New York Times reported Benton died on Sunday. Hillary Bibicoff from the law firm Feig Finkel, which represented him, confirmed his death to AFP.
Benton co-wrote Arthur Penn's groundbreaking crime thriller "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967) -- starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty -- with David Newman. But he is probably best known for his script and direction on "Kramer vs Kramer," the 1979 film that offered an unflinching look at divorce and became one of the most awarded films of its time.
It picked up nine Oscar nominations, and brought home five -- Benton's Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman, Best Supporting Actress for Meryl Streep and the year's grand prize of Best Picture.
He and Newman co-wrote Peter Bogdanovich's "What's Up, Doc?," which was released in 1972, the same year that Benton made his directorial debut with "Bad Company."
In 1978, Benton teamed up again with Newman and Newman's wife Leslie to write the screenplay for "Superman" (1978) starring Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando and Margot Kidder.
Despite coaxing Oscar-winning performances out of a host of 20th century legends of the silver screen, Benton was known in Hollywood as a self-effacing director.
"There are directors who can get great performances out of actors. I am not one of them," the filmmaker once said.
Appearing at a fan event in Hollywood in 2018, he remained modest about his stellar career.
"I have found actors -- through luck, through the judgment of casting directors or through my own instinct -- that are extraordinarily good," he told the crowd.
"There's a thing you've just got to gamble with, and when you see it and it works, it's brilliant."
Asked how he got some of Tinseltown's biggest stars to perform for him, he deadpanned: "I tried not to get in their way... that's not so easy."
The Times reported Benton is survived by his son, John. His wife of six decades, Sallie, died in 2023. (AFP)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
16 hours ago
- RTHK
'Beckham to be awarded knighthood by King Charles'
'Beckham to be awarded knighthood by King Charles' King Charles chats with David Beckham at the Chelsea Flower Show. Photo: AFP David Beckham will be awarded a knighthood by King Charles next week in recognition of his football career and his charity work, reports said on Friday. The former England football captain is set to be named in the King's Birthday Honours List, according to sources. Other sporting figures who have been awarded the title include Beckham's former manager at Manchester United, Alex Ferguson, and British tennis great Andy Murray. The Sun newspaper said he would take the title of "Sir" and his wife, Victoria, a former member of the Spice Girls pop group, will be known as Lady Beckham. Beckham played 115 times for England as well as for a list of high-profile clubs, including United and Real Madrid. He is currently the president and co-owner of the US team Inter Miami and co-owner of Salford City, who play in the fourth tier of English football. The 50-year-old, who has long been in the running for a knighthood, was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003 – a lower award in Britain's honours system. Victoria later received the same award for services to the fashion industry. David Beckham was last month named in Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential leaders in philanthropy. He is an official ambassador for The King's Foundation, supporting its education programmes and "efforts to ensure young people have a greater understanding of nature" and has been a Unicef goodwill ambassador since 2005. (AFP)
RTHK
3 days ago
- RTHK
Gauff, Boisson win through at French Open
Gauff, Boisson win through at French Open Coco Gauff celebrates after she beats Madison Keys in the French Open quarterfinal. Photo: Reuters Coco Gauff battled back from a set down to beat Australian Open champion Madison Keys in an error-strewn French Open quarterfinal on Wednesday. That set up a semifinal showdown with France's 361st-ranked Lois Boisson. The second seed Gauff battled past her fellow American 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-1 in a tense last-eight clash littered with a whopping 14 double-faults and 101 unforced errors. "It means a lot, especially getting through this tough match today, it wasn't an easy match and I'm very happy to get through it," Gauff said. "I'm so excited to be in the semifinals back here again and have a lot more work to do. Just savour this one today and then next one tomorrow." Keys came through a tense first set in a tie-break after blowing a 4-1 lead with a double-break, but Gauff upped her level enough to fight back. The 21-year-old was the runner-up to Iga Swiatek in a one-sided showpiece match in 2022. Keys had been hoping to challenge for a second consecutive Grand Slam title, but failed to reach the semifinals in Paris for a second time. Boisson, meanwhile, continued her dream run at Roland Garros, defeating world number six Mirra Andreeva to advance to the final four. Boisson won a thrilling battle 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 against Russian Andreeva. (AFP)
RTHK
3 days ago
- RTHK
'Rested' Pacquiao relishing boxing comeback at 46
'Rested' Pacquiao relishing boxing comeback at 46 Pacquiao is set to return to the ring four years after hanging up his gloves. Photo: AFP Manny Pacquiao shrugged off concerns about his decision to return to boxing at the age of 46 as he prepares for next month's world welterweight title comeback against Mario Barrios. The charismatic Filipino boxing icon stunned the sports world last month after announcing he would take on World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Barrios on July 19 in Las Vegas, four years after his last fight ended in a disappointing defeat. Pacquiao, who won 12 world titles in eight different weight classes during a glittering professional career that began in 1995, told reporters on Tuesday that the glamour of championship boxing had prompted his return. "I'm returning because I miss my boxing," Pacquiao said at a press conference in Los Angeles. "Especially these situations – being interviewed, press conference, training camp, everything like that. "I missed that. But it has been good for me – I've rested my body for four years. And now I come back," he added. Pacquiao said that he had been left devastated following his decision to retire in the wake of his loss to Yordenis Ugas in 2021. "I always thought, even when I hung up my gloves, 'I can still fight, I can still feel my body, I can still work hard,'" Pacquiao said. "That moment when I announced hanging up my gloves four years ago – I was so sad. I was crying, I cannot stop the tears coming out my eyes." Pacquiao, though, revealed that working out at his home in the Philippines persuaded him he still had the fitness and strength to fight. "I realized when I'm playing basketball, training at the gym my house – I have complete sport facilities in my house – that I still have that passion. I still have that speed and power," he said. Some in boxing have expressed concerns about whether Pacquiao's comeback against Barrios, who is 16 years his junior, represents a risk to the Filipino's safety. Addressing those concerns, Pacquiao noted that his family and loved ones were firmly behind his comeback. "I'm thankful for them for their concern," Pacquiao told AFP. "But the people who really concern me, is my family. My family saw how I move, saw how I train, saw my my body condition. They support me because they can see the old Pacquiao style." Pacquiao, who has reunited with veteran trainer Freddie Roach for next month's fight, is able to challenge immediately for a title due to a WBC rule that allows former champions to request a title fight when coming out of retirement. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman told AFP on Tuesday that Pacquiao had been cleared to return to the ring by the Nevada Athletic Commission after undergoing medical exams, describing the fighter's comeback as "low risk". "Manny Pacquiao is at no higher risk than any fighter going into the ring," Sulaiman said. "Manny has rested his body for four years. He's not a drinker. He's not a drug user. He's a family man that has taken care of himself. So of the different aspects of dangers, he's at the lowest risk." Pacquiao's opponent, Barrios, said he would set aside the Filipino's status as one of the most beloved fighters of his era. "There's nothing but good things to say about him outside the ring," Barrios said of Pacquiao. "He's a hard guy to dislike. But at the end of the day, you know it's kill or be killed. "And I know if at any point he has me hurt, you know he's going to get me out of there. So I just have to go in there and make sure that my hand is raised at the end of the fight." (AFP)
