View source for Alvin Sargent

{{Short description|American screenwriter (1927–2019)}}

{{more citations needed|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Alvin Sargent
| image              = Alvin Sargent.jpg
| birth_name         = Alvin Supowitz<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/alvin-sargent-dead-dies-julia-ordinary-people-1203211752/|title = Alvin Sargent, Oscar-Winning 'Julia' and 'Ordinary People' Screenwriter, Dies at 92|date = 11 May 2019}}</ref>
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1927|4|12}}
| birth_place        = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2019|5|9|1927|4|12}}
| death_place        = [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], U.S.
| occupation         = Screenwriter
| spouse             = {{Plainlist|
* {{marriage|Joan Camden|1953|1975|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Laura Ziskin]]|2010|2011|end=died}}
}}
| relatives          = [[Herb Sargent]] (brother)<br>
[[Alvin York]] (cousin)
| yearsactive        = 1956–2012
}}

'''Alvin Sargent''' (April 12, 1927 – May 9, 2019) was an American screenwriter. He won two [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay]], for ''[[Julia (1977 film)|Julia]]'' (1977), and ''[[Ordinary People]]'' (1980). Sargent's other works include screenplays of the films ''[[The Sterile Cuckoo]]'' (1969), ''[[The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (film)|The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds]]'' (1970), ''[[Paper Moon (film)|Paper Moon]]'' (1973), ''[[Nuts (1987 film)|Nuts]]'' (1987), ''[[White Palace (film)|White Palace]]'' (1990), ''[[What About Bob?]]'' (1991), ''[[Unfaithful (2002 film)|Unfaithful]]'' (2002), ''[[Spider-Man 2]]'' (2004), ''[[Spider-Man 3]]'' (2007), and ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (film)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' (2012).

==Early life==
Alvin Sargent was born Alvin Supowitz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Esther (née Kadansky) and Isaac Supowitz. He was of Russian Jewish descent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/17643574.obituary-alvin-sargent-noted-hollywood-screenwriter-who-won-two-oscars/|title = Obituary: Alvin Sargent, noted Hollywood screenwriter who won two Oscars| date=16 May 2019 }}</ref> Sargent attended [[Upper Darby High School]], leaving aged 17 to join the Navy. As of 2006, he was one of 35 alumni to be on the school's Wall of Fame.

==Career==
Sargent began writing for television in 1953. Through the 1960s he scripted episodes for ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]'', ''[[Ben Casey]]'' and ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]''. His first film screenplay was ''[[Gambit (1966 film)|Gambit]]'' (1966), written with [[Jack Davies]]. He gained recognition for ''[[I Walk the Line (film)|I Walk the Line]]'' (1970) and ''[[Paper Moon (film)|Paper Moon]]'' (1973). For his work on the latter, he won the [[Writers Guild of America|WGA Award for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium]] and was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay|Academy Award]]. He won the Academy Award for [[Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay|Adapted Screenplay]] in 1978 for the film ''[[Julia (1977 film)|Julia]]'' (1977), and again in 1981 for ''[[Ordinary People]]'' (1980). Near the end of his career, he collaborated on the screenplays for three ''[[Spider-Man]]'' films:  ''[[Spider-Man 2]]'' (2004), ''[[Spider-Man 3]]'' (2007), and ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (film)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' (2012).

==Personal life==
He had a longtime relationship with producer [[Laura Ziskin]]; they were married from 2010 until her death in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pener|first=Degen|title='Spider-Man' Producer Laura Ziskin's Santa Monica House Hits the Market|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/spider-man-laura-ziskin-house-santa-monica-sale-308734|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=5 April 2012|access-date=4 August 2012}}</ref>  His brother was writer and producer [[Herb Sargent]].

==Death==
Sargent died from natural causes at his home in [[Seattle]] on May 9, 2019, four weeks after his 92nd birthday.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/alvin-sargent-dead-oscar-winning-screenwriter-julia-ordinary-people-was-92-1166270|title = Alvin Sargent, Oscar-Winning Screenwriter of 'Julia' and 'Ordinary People,' Dies at 92|work = [[The Hollywood Reporter]]|last = Koseluk|first = Chris|date = May 10, 2019|access-date = May 10, 2019}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Writer===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|-
!  scope="col" | Year
!  scope="col" | Title
!  scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Gambit (1966 film)|Gambit]]''
| Co-written with [[Jack Davies (screenwriter)|Jack Davies]].
|-
| 1968
| ''[[The Stalking Moon]]''
| Co-written with [[Wendell Mayes]].
|-
| 1969
| ''[[The Sterile Cuckoo]]''
|
|-
| 1970
| ''[[I Walk the Line (film)|I Walk the Line]]''
|
|-
| 1972
| ''[[The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (film)|The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds]]''
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1973
| ''[[Paper Moon (film)|Paper Moon]]''
|
|-
| ''[[Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing]]''
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1977
| ''[[Julia (1977 film)|Julia]]''
|
|-
| ''[[Bobby Deerfield]]''
|
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Straight Time]]''
| Co-written with [[Jeffrey Boam]].
|-
| 1980
| ''[[Ordinary People]]''
|
|-
| 1987
| ''[[Nuts (1987 film)|Nuts]]''
| Co-written with [[Tom Topor]] and [[Daryl Ponicsan]]. 
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Dominick and Eugene]]''
|
|-
| 1990
| ''[[White Palace (film)|White Palace]]''
| Co-written with [[Ted Tally]].
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1991
| ''[[Other People's Money]]''
|
|-
| ''[[What About Bob?]]''
| Story only; co-written by [[Laura Ziskin]].
|-
| 1992
| ''[[Hero (1992 film)|Hero]]''
| Story only; co-written by Laura Ziskin and [[David Webb Peoples]]. 
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Bogus (movie)|Bogus]]''
| 
|-
| 1999
| ''[[Anywhere but Here (film)|Anywhere but Here]]''
| 
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2002
| ''[[Unfaithful (2002 film)|Unfaithful]]'' 
| Co-written with [[William Broyles Jr.]]
|-
| ''[[Spider-Man (2002 film)|Spider-Man]]''
| Uncredited.<ref>{{cite web | author=Greg Dean Schmitz | author-link=Greg Dean Schmitz | title=Greg's Preview – Spider-Man | publisher=[[Yahoo!]] |url=https://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hp&cf=prev&id=1808406011&gpt=ch | access-date=August 9, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429050554/http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hp&cf=prev&id=1808406011&gpt=ch | archive-date=April 29, 2007}}</ref>
|-
| 2004
| ''[[Spider-Man 2]]''
| 
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Spider-Man 3]]''
| Co-written with [[Sam Raimi]] and [[Ivan Raimi]]. 
|-
| 2012
| ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (film)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]''
| Co-written with [[James Vanderbilt]] and [[Steve Kloves]]. 
|-
|}

===Actor===
*''[[From Here to Eternity]]'' (1953) - Nair (uncredited)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|765091}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Alvin Sargent
|list = 
{{AcademyAwardBestAdaptedScreenplay 1961-1980}}
{{AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Screenwriter}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Writing 1991–2010}}
{{Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sargent, Alvin}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Best Screenplay BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]