View source for William Goldman

{{Short description|American writer (1931–2018)}}
{{Distinguish|William Golding}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox writer
| name        = William Goldman
| image       = William Goldman in 1987.jpg
| caption     = Goldman in 1987
| birth_date  = {{birth date|1931|8|12}}
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| death_date  = {{death date and age|2018|11|16|1931|8|12}}
| death_place = New York City, U.S.
| relatives   = [[James Goldman]] (brother)
| education   = [[Oberlin College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Columbia University]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])
| pseudonym   = S. Morgenstern, Harry Longbaugh
| occupation  = {{flatlist|
* Non-fiction author
* novelist
* playwright
* screenwriter}}
| genre       = Drama, fiction, literature, thriller
| spouse      = {{marriage|Ilene Jones|1961|1991|end=div}}
| children    = 2
}}
'''William Goldman''' (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. Among other accolades, Goldman won two [[Academy Awards]] in both writing categories: first for [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] for ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]'' (1969) and then for [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] for ''[[All the President's Men (film)|All the President's Men]]'' (1976).

His other well-known works include his thriller novel ''[[Marathon Man (novel)|Marathon Man]]'' (1974) and his cult classic comedy/fantasy novel ''[[The Princess Bride (novel)|The Princess Bride]]'' (1973), both of which he also adapted for film versions.

==Early life==
Goldman was born in Chicago on August 12, 1931, the second son of Marion ({{née|Weil}}) (1904 - 1993) and Maurice Clarence Goldman (1893 - 1947).<ref>{{Cite web |title=William Goldman Biography (1931–) |url= http://www.filmreference.com/film/4/William-Goldman.html |publisher= | website= filmreference.com}}</ref> He grew up in [[Highland Park, Illinois]], and was raised [[Jewish]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Erens |first=Patricia |title=[[The Jew in American Cinema]] |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-253-20493-6 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-v2Di_5ShGMC&q=william%20goldman&pg=PA392 392]}}</ref> Goldman's father was a successful businessman, working in Chicago and in a partnership, but he suffered from alcoholism, which cost him his business. He "came home to live and he was in his pajamas for the last five years of his life," according to Goldman.{{sfn|Egan|2014|p=6}} His father died by suicide while Goldman was still in high school. It was a 15-year-old Goldman who discovered the body. His mother was deaf, which created additional stress in the home.{{sfn|Egan|2014|p=6–7}}

===Education and military service===
Goldman attended [[Oberlin College]] in [[Oberlin, Ohio]]. According to his memoir ''[[Adventures in the Screen Trade]]'' (1983), Goldman began to write when he took a creative-writing course in college. His grades in the class were "horrible".<ref name= queenan/> He was an editor of Oberlin's literary magazine. He submitted his short stories to the magazine anonymously; he recalls that the other editors read his submissions and remarked, "We can't possibly publish this shit."<ref name = queenan /> He graduated from college in 1952.

At that time, the [[Korean War]] was occurring, so he was drafted into the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] shortly thereafter.<ref name= "encyclopediacom">{{cite web | url= https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/film-and-television-biographies/william-goldman | title = Goldman, William 1931- (Harry Longbaugh, S. Morgenstern); PERSONAL| website  = [[Encyclopedia.com]]| accessdate = January 13, 2022}}</ref> Because he knew how to type, he was assigned as a clerk in [[the Pentagon]], Defense headquarters. He was discharged with the rank of [[corporal]] in September 1954. He returned to graduate studies under the [[G.I. Bill|GI Bill]], earning a [[Master of Arts]] degree at [[Columbia University]], graduating in 1956. Throughout this period, he was writing short stories in the evenings, but struggled to have them published.<ref name="nytimes obit">{{Cite web |last=Rifkin |first= Glenn |date=November 16, 2018 |title=William Goldman, Screenwriting Star and Hollywood Skeptic, Dies at 87 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/obituaries/william-goldman-dead.html |access-date=November 16, 2018 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>

==Career==
===Novelist===
Goldman did not originally plan to become a screenwriter.  His main interests were poetry, short stories, and novels.  In 1956, he completed a master's thesis at Columbia University on the comedy of manners in America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=William Goldman Papers, 1949–1997 |url= http://findingaids.cul.columbia.edu/ead/nnc-rb/ldpd_5018084/dsc/3 | website = Columbia.edu |publisher= Columbia University}}</ref>

His older brother [[James Goldman]] was a playwright and screenwriter. They shared an apartment in New York with their friend [[John Kander]]. Also an alumnus of Oberlin, Kander was working on his Ph.D. in music, and the Goldman brothers wrote the [[libretto]] for his dissertation. Kander was the composer of more than a dozen musicals, including ''[[Cabaret (musical)|Cabaret]]'' and ''[[Chicago (musical)|Chicago]]'', and all three of them eventually won Academy Awards.<ref name=queenan/> On June 25, 1956, Goldman began writing his first novel ''[[The Temple of Gold]]'', completing it in less than three weeks.<ref name=cnnchat/> He sent the manuscript to agent [[Transatlantic Review (1959–1977)|Joe McCrindle]], who agreed to represent him; McCrindle submitted the novel to Knopf, who agreed to publish it if he doubled the length. It sold well enough in paperback to launch Goldman on his career.{{sfn|Egan|2014|p=18}} He wrote his second novel ''[[Your Turn to Curtsy, My Turn to Bow]]'' (1958) in a little more than a week. It was followed by ''[[Soldier in the Rain]]'' (1960), based on Goldman's time in the military. It sold well in paperback and was turned into [[Soldier in the Rain|a film]], though Goldman had no involvement in the screenplay.

===Theater work===
Goldman and his brother received a grant to do some rewriting on the musical ''[[Tenderloin (musical)|Tenderloin]]'' (1960). They then collaborated on their own play, ''[[Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole]]'' (1961), and on the musical, ''[[A Family Affair (musical)|A Family Affair]]'' (1962), written with John Kander. Both plays had short runs.

Goldman began writing ''[[Boys and Girls Together]]'', but found that he suffered [[writer's block]].<ref>Brady p 93</ref> His writer's block continued, but he had an idea for the novel ''[[No Way to Treat a Lady (novel)|No Way to Treat a Lady]]'' (1964) based on the [[Boston Strangler]]. He wrote it in two weeks, and it was published under the pseudonym Harry Longbaugh—a variant spelling of the [[Sundance Kid]]'s real name, which Goldman had been researching since the late 1950s. He then finished ''Boys and Girls Together'', which became a best seller.<ref>Brady p 94</ref>

===Screenwriter===
[[Cliff Robertson]] read an early draft of ''No Way to Treat a Lady'' and hired Goldman to adapt the short story ''[[Flowers for Algernon]]'' for the movies.  Before he had even finished the script, Robertson recommended him to do some rewriting on the spy spoof ''[[Masquerade (1965 film)|Masquerade]]'' (1965), in which Robertson was starring. Goldman did that, then finished the ''Algernon'' script.<ref>Brady p 95</ref>  Robertson disliked it, though, and hired [[Stirling Silliphant]], instead, to work on what became ''[[Charly (1968 film)|Charly]]'' (1968).<ref name= queenan /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tyler |first=Ralph |date=November 12, 1978 |title='Butch Cassidy' Was My Western, 'Magic' Is My Hitchcock |page=D23 |work=The New York Times |location=New York, NY}}</ref>

Producer [[Elliot Kastner]] had optioned the film rights to ''Boys and Girls Together''. Goldman suggested that Kastner make a film of the [[Lew Archer]] novels of [[Ross Macdonald]] and offered to do an adaptation. Kastner agreed, and Goldman chose ''[[The Moving Target]]''. The result was ''[[Harper (film)|Harper]]'' (1966) starring [[Paul Newman]], which was a big hit.<ref>Brady p 91</ref>

===''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''===
Goldman returned to novels, writing ''[[The Thing of It Is...]]'' (1967). He taught at [[Princeton University|Princeton]] and wished to write something, but he could not come up with an idea for a novel. Instead, he wrote ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]'', his first original screenplay, which he had been researching for eight years. He sold it for $400,000, the highest price ever paid for an original screenplay at that time.<ref name="queenan">{{Cite news |last=Queenan |first=Joe |date=April 25, 2009 |title=Newman, Hoffman, Redford and me |page=6 |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/apr/25/william-goldman-screenwriter-interview |access-date=February 22, 2011}}</ref> The movie was released in 1969, a critical and commercial success that earned Goldman an [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]]. The money enabled Goldman to take some time off and research the nonfiction book ''[[The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway]]'' (1969).<ref name="ign">{{Cite web |date=February 18, 2003 |title=Featured Filmmaker: William Goldman |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/02/18/featured-filmmaker-william-goldman |access-date=June 11, 2011 |website=Movies |publisher=IGN}}</ref>

Goldman adapted Steven Linakis's novel ''In the Spring the War Ended'' into a screenplay, but it was not filmed. Neither were scripts of ''The Thing of It Is'', which came close to being made several times in the early '70s, and ''[[Papillon (book)|Papillon]]'', on which he worked for six months and three drafts; the book was filmed, but little of Goldman's work was used.<ref>Brady p 120</ref> He returned to novels with ''[[Father's Day (novel)|Father's Day]]'' (1971), a sequel to ''The Thing of It Is…''. He also wrote the screenplay for ''[[The Hot Rock (film)|The Hot Rock]]'' (1972).

===''The Princess Bride''===
Goldman's next novel was ''[[The Princess Bride (novel)|The Princess Bride]]'' (1973); he also wrote a screenplay, but it was more than a decade before the film was made. That same year, he contracted a rare strain of pneumonia, which resulted in his being hospitalized and affected his health for months. This inspired him into a burst of creativity, including several novels and screenplays.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Andersen |first=Richard |title=William Goldman |publisher=Twayne |year=1979 |page=20}}</ref><ref>Brady p 130</ref>

Goldman's novel writing moved in a more commercial direction following the death of his editor [[Hiram Haydn]] in late 1973.<ref name="shop">{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Dennis |url=https://archive.org/details/shoptalkconversa00brow |title=Shoptalk |publisher=Newmarket |year=1992 |page=[https://archive.org/details/shoptalkconversa00brow/page/75 75] |isbn=9781557041289 |url-access=registration}}</ref> This started with the children's book ''[[Wigger (novel)|Wigger]]'' (1974), followed by the thriller ''[[Marathon Man (novel)|Marathon Man]]'' (1974), which he sold to Delacorte as part of a three-book deal worth $2&nbsp;million. He sold movie rights to ''Marathon Man'' for $450,000.<ref name="books">{{Cite news |last=Rosenfield |first=Paul |date=February 18, 1979 |title=Westward They Come, Big Bucks for Big Books |page=n1 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

His second book for Delacorte was the thriller ''[[Magic (novel)|Magic]]'' (1976), which he sold to Joe Levine for $1&nbsp;million. He did the screenplays for the film versions of ''Marathon Man'' (1976) and ''[[Magic (1978 film)|Magic]]'' (1978). He also wrote the screenplay for ''[[The Stepford Wives (1975 film)|The Stepford Wives]]'' (1975), which he says was an unpleasant experience because director [[Bryan Forbes]] rewrote most of it; Goldman tried to take his name off it, but they would not let him.<ref>Brady p 109</ref> He was reunited with  director [[George Roy Hill]] and star [[Robert Redford]] on ''[[The Great Waldo Pepper]]'' (1975), which Goldman wrote from an idea of Hill.

===''All the President's Men''===
Redford hired Goldman to write the script of ''[[All the President's Men (film)|All the President's Men]]'' (1976).

Goldman wrote the famous line "Follow the money" for the screenplay of ''All the President's Men''; while the line is often attributed to [[Deep Throat (Watergate)|Deep Throat]], it is not found in [[Bob Woodward]]'s notes nor in Woodward and [[Carl Bernstein]]'s book or articles.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rich |first=Frank |date=June 12, 2005 |title=Don't Follow the Money |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/12/opinion/12rich.html?ex=1276228800&en=3603bd97559812d0&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |access-date=February 22, 2011}}</ref> The book does have the far less quotable line from Woodward to Senator [[Sam Ervin]], who was about to begin his own investigation: "The key was the secret campaign cash, and it should all be traced..."{{sfn|Woodward|Bernstein|1974|p =248}}

Goldman was unhappy with the movie. ''[[The Guardian]]'' says that he changes the subject when asked about the movie, but suggests that his displeasure may be because he was pressured to add a romantic interest to the film.<ref name=queenan/> In his memoir, Goldman says of the film that if he could live his life over, he would have written the same screenplays, "Only I wouldn't have come near ''All the President's Men''."<ref name= writtenby /> He said that he has never written as many versions of a screenplay as he did for that movie.<ref name = writtenby /> Speaking of his choice to write the script, he said: "Many movies that get made are not long on art and are long on commerce. This was a project that seemed it might be both. You don't get many and you can't turn them down."<ref name=cnnchat/>

In [[Michael Feeney Callan]]'s book ''Robert Redford: The Biography'', Redford is reported as stating that Goldman did not actually write the screenplay for the movie,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lussler |first=Germain |date=May 30, 2011 |title=New Robert Redford Biography Claims William Goldman Didn't Write 'All The President's Men' |url=http://www.slashfilm.com/robert-redford-biography-claims-william-goldman-write-all-presidents-men/ |access-date=July 11, 2011 |website=/Film }}</ref> a story that was excerpted in ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Callan |first=Michael Feeney |date=April 2011 |title=Washington Monument |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2011/04/robert-redford-201104 |url-status=dead |magazine=Vanity Fair  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110530133118/http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2011/04/robert-redford-201104 |archive-date=May 30, 2011 |access-date=July 11, 2011 }}</ref>  ''Written By'' magazine conducted a thorough investigation of the screenplay's many drafts and concluded, "Goldman was the sole author of ''All The President's Men''. Period."<ref name="writtenby">{{Cite journal |last=Stayton |first=Richard |date=April–May 2011 |title=Fade In |url=http://bluetoad.com/publication/?i=67460 |journal=Written by |location=Los Angeles |publisher=Writers Guild of America, West |issn=1092-468X |access-date=July 11, 2011}}</ref>

===Joseph E. Levine===
[[File:William Goldman and James Caan 1976.jpg|thumb|Goldman (left) and [[James Caan]] while shooting ''[[A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far]]'' in 1976]]

Goldman had a happier experience when hired by [[Joseph E. Levine]] to write ''[[A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far]]'' (1977) based on the book by [[Cornelius Ryan]]. Goldman later wrote a promotional book, ''Story of A Bridge Too Far'' (1977), as a favor to Levine, and signed a three-film contract with the producer worth $1.5&nbsp;million.<ref name="books" />

He wrote a novel about Hollywood, ''[[Tinsel (novel)|Tinsel]]'' (1979), which sold well. He wrote two more films for Levine, ''The Sea Kings'' and ''Year of the Comet'', but did not write a third. He did a script about [[Tom Horn]]; ''[[Mr. Horn]]'' (1979), was filmed for TV.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2009 |title=Sea kings |url=https://scriptshadow.blogspot.com/2009/11/sea-kings.html |website=Script shadow}}</ref>

Goldman was the original screenwriter for the film version of [[Tom Wolfe]]'s novel ''[[The Right Stuff (book)|The Right Stuff]]''; director [[Philip Kaufman]] wrote his own screenplay without using Goldman's material, because Kaufman wanted to include [[Chuck Yeager]] as a character; Goldman did not.<ref name=ign />

He wrote a number of other screenplays around this time, including ''The Ski Bum''; a musical adaptation of ''[[Grand Hotel (1932 film)|Grand Hotel]]'' (1932) that was going to be directed by [[Norman Jewison]]; and ''Rescue'', the story of the rescue of [[Electronic Data Systems]] employees during the [[Iranian Revolution]]. None were made into films.

===''Adventures in the Screen Trade'' and the "Leper Period"===
After several of his screenplays were not filmed, Goldman found himself in less demand as a screenwriter.  He published a memoir about his professional life in Hollywood, ''[[Adventures in the Screen Trade]]'' (1983), which summed up the entertainment industry in the opening sentence of the book, "Nobody knows anything."{{Sfn|Goldman|1983|p=39}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Christian |date=February 12, 2006 |title=If You're Out By Monday, Never Ask Why |work=Chicago Tribune |location=Chicago, IL |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/la-tm-rules7feb12,0,3069888.story |access-date=July 11, 2011 |quote=I had heard that the rules were different in Hollywood, where, as the screenwriter William Goldman famously put it, 'nobody knows anything.'}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Turan |first=Kenneth |date=January 17, 2007 |title=What dark horse will be the next 'Sunshine'? |work=Chicago Tribune |location=Chicago, IL |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/zap-et-sundance17jan17,0,5602793.story |access-date=July 11, 2011 |quote=...it becomes more apparent every year that William Goldman's great rule of studio film-making applies to the independent world as well: Nobody knows anything.}}</ref>

He focused on novels: ''[[Control (novel)|Control]]'' (1982), ''[[The Silent Gondoliers]]'' (1983), ''[[The Color of Light]]'' (1984), ''[[Heat (Goldman novel)|Heat]]'' (1985), and ''[[Brothers (Goldman novel)|Brothers]]'' (1986). The last, a sequel to ''Marathon Man'', was Goldman's last published novel.

===Return to Hollywood===
Goldman attributed his return to Hollywood to signing with talent agent [[Michael Ovitz]] at [[Creative Artists Agency]]. He went to work on ''[[Memoirs of an Invisible Man]]'', although he left the project relatively early.

Hollywood's interest in Goldman was reawakened; he wrote the scripts for film versions of ''[[Heat (1986 film)|Heat]]'' (1986) and ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]'' (1987). The latter was directed by [[Rob Reiner]] for [[Castle Rock Entertainment|Castle Rock]], which hired Goldman to write the screenplay for Rob Reiner's 1990 [[Misery (film)|adaptation]] of [[Stephen King]]'s novel ''[[Misery (book)|Misery]]'', considered "one of [King's] least adaptable novels".<ref name=ign/> The movie, for which [[Kathy Bates]] received an [[Academy Award]], performed well with critics and at the box office.<ref name= ign />

Goldman continued to write nonfiction regularly. He published a collection of sports writing, ''[[Wait Till Next Year]]'' (1988) and an account of his time as a judge at both the Cannes Film Festival and the Miss America Pageant, ''[[Hype and Glory]]'' (1990).

Goldman began to work steadily as a "[[script doctor]]", doing uncredited work on films including ''[[Twins (1988 film)|Twins]]'' (1988), ''[[A Few Good Men]]'' (1992), ''[[Indecent Proposal]]'' (1993), ''[[Last Action Hero]]'' (1993), ''Malice'' (1994), ''[[Dolores Claiborne (film)|Dolores Claiborne]]'' (1995), and ''[[Extreme Measures]]''. Most of these movies were by Castle Rock.

He was credited on several other movies: ''[[Year of the Comet]]'' (1992), which was eventually filmed by Castle Rock, but was not a success; the biopic ''[[Chaplin (film)|Chaplin]]'' (1992), directed by [[Richard Attenborough]]; ''[[Maverick (film)|Maverick]]'' (1994), a popular hit; ''[[The Chamber (1996 film)|The Chamber]]'' (1996), from a novel by [[John Grisham]]; ''[[The Ghost and the Darkness]]'' (1996), an original script based on a true story; ''[[Absolute Power (film)|Absolute Power]]'' (1997) for [[Clint Eastwood]]; and ''[[The General's Daughter (film)|The General's Daughter]]'' (1999), from the novel by [[Nelson DeMille]].

===Later career===
[[File:William Goldman.jpg|right|thumb|Goldman at the 2008 Screenwriting Expo]]
Goldman wrote another volume of memoirs, ''[[Which Lie Did I Tell?]]'' (2000), and a collection of his essays, ''[[The Big Picture: Who Killed Hollywood? and Other Essays]]'' (2001).

His later screenplay credits include ''[[Hearts in Atlantis (film)|Hearts in Atlantis]]'' (2001) and ''[[Dreamcatcher (2003 film)|Dreamcatcher]]'' (2003), both from novels by Stephen King. He adapted ''Misery'' into a stage play, which made its debut on Broadway in 2015 in a production starring [[Bruce Willis]] and [[Laurie Metcalf]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stasio |first=Marilyn |date=November 16, 2015 |title=Broadway Review: 'Misery' With Bruce Willis, Laurie Metcalf |url=https://variety.com/2015/legit/reviews/misery-review-broadway-bruce-willis-1201641055/}}</ref>

His script for ''Heat'' was filmed again as ''[[Wild Card (2015 film)|Wild Card]]'' (2015), starring Jason Statham.

After his death, screenwriter [[Peter Morgan]] wrote that Goldman had completed a final book on Hollywood, comparing the production of three different films, including Morgan's [[Frost/Nixon (film)|Frost/Nixon]], but that the book had run into legal problems and was never published.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Morgan |first1=Peter |title=The Crown writer Peter Morgan on William Goldman: 'He was just a sublime storyteller' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/nov/17/william-goldman-the-crown-peter-morgan |access-date=23 July 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=17 November 2018}}</ref> Writers Tony Gilroy and Scott Frank said Goldman spent considerable time mentoring and advising other writers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/01/william-goldman-tribute-tony-gilroy-scott-frank-mentor-all-the-presidents-men-marathon-man-butch-cassidy-and-the-sundance-kid-1202538512/|first=Mike|last=Fleming|title=Tony Gilroy & Scott Frank Tell How William Goldman's Mentorship Left As Lasting A Hollywood Legacy As Oscars & Dialogue|website=Deadline|date=21 January 2019}}</ref>

===Critical reception===
In their feature on Goldman, ''IGN'' said, "It's a testament to just how truly great William Goldman is at his best that I actually had to think hard about what to select as his 'Must-See' cinematic work".<ref name=ign/> The site described his script for ''All the President's Men'' as a "model of storytelling clarity... and artful manipulation".<ref name=ign />

Art Kleiner, writing in 1987, said, "William Goldman, a very skilled storyteller, wrote several of the most well-known films of the past 18 years—including ''Marathon Man'', part of ''All the President's Men'', and ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''."<ref name="AK">{{Cite journal |last=Kleiner |first=Art |date=Summer 1987 |title=Adventures in the Screen Trade |journal=[[Whole Earth Review]] |location=San Francisco |publisher=[[Point Foundation (environment)|Point Foundation]] |page=120}}</ref> 
 
Three of Goldman's scripts have been voted into the [[Writers Guild of America]] hall-of-fame's 101 Greatest Screenplays list.<ref name=writtenby />

In his book evaluating Goldman's work, ''William Goldman: The Reluctant Storyteller'' (2014), Sean Egan said Goldman's achievements were made "without ever lunging for the lowest common denominator. Although his body of work has been consumed by millions, he has never let his populism overwhelm a glittering intelligence and penchant for upending expectation."{{sfn|Egan|2014|p=2}}

===Self-appraisal===
In 2000, Goldman said of his writing:
{{Blockquote | Someone pointed out to me that the most sympathetic characters in my books always died miserably. I didn't consciously know I was doing that.  I didn't. I mean, I didn't wake up each morning and think, today I think I'll make a really terrific guy ''so I can kill him''. It just worked out that way. I haven't written a novel in over a decade... and someone very wise suggested that I might have stopped writing novels because my rage was gone. It's possible. All this doesn't mean a helluva lot, except probably there is a reason I was the guy who gave Babe over to Szell in the "Is it safe?" scene and that I was the guy who put Westley into The Machine. I think I have a way with pain. When I come to that kind of sequence I have a certain confidence that I can make it play. Because I come from such a dark corner.{{Sfn | Goldman | 2000 | pp = 151–152}}}}

Goldman also said of his work:
"I [don't] like my writing. I wrote a movie called ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' and I wrote a novel called ''The Princess Bride'' and those are the only two things I've ever written, not that I'm proud of, but that I can look at without humiliation."{{sfn|Egan|2014|p=17}}

===Awards===
He won two [[Academy Award]]s: one for [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] for ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]'', and [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] for ''[[All the President's Men (film)|All the President's Men]]''.  He also won two [[Edgar Award]]s, from the [[Mystery Writers of America]], for Best Motion Picture Screenplay: for ''[[Harper (film)|Harper]]'' in 1967, and for ''[[Magic (1978 film)|Magic]]'' (adapted from his 1976 novel) in 1979. In 1985, he received the [[Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement]] from the [[Writers Guild of America]].

==Personal life==
He was married to Ilene Jones from 1961 until their divorce in 1991; the couple had two daughters, Jenny Rebecca (b. 1962) and Susanna (b 1965).<ref>Bernstein, Adam. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/william-goldman-oscar-wining-screenwriter-of-butch-cassidy-and-all-the-presidents-men-dies-at-87/2018/11/16/db9afb16-e917-11e8-a939-9469f1166f9d_story.html "William Goldman, Oscar-winning screenwriter of ‘Butch Cassidy’ and ‘All the President’s Men,’ dies at 87"] ''Washington Post'', November 16, 2018</ref> Ilene, a native of [[Texas]], modeled for [[Neiman Marcus]]; Ilene's brother was actor [[Allen Case]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Angela |date=August 26, 1973 |title=Fashions For Fall Looking Good on the Go |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70716FC3A59137A93C4AB1783D85F478785F9 |access-date=April 22, 2013 |website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 27, 1986 |title=RITES SCHEDULED FRIDAY FOR ENTERTAINER ALLEN CASE |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3CE968B6BBEB4&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |access-date=April 22, 2013 |website=The Dallas Morning News |publisher=News bank}}</ref>

Goldman was survived by his partner of nineteen years, Susan Burden, his daughter Jenny, and a grandson.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/nov/16/william-goldman-obituary|title= William Goldman obituary- Hollywood screenwriter celebrated for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and his bestselling memoir Adventures in the Screen Trade|first= Peter|last= Bradshaw|date=17 November 2018|access-date=10 October 2023}}</ref> His daughter Susanna died on 15 January 2015.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Losses|url=https://archive.org/details/oberlin-alumni-magazine-2015-2015--spring_2015_2015--spring/page/43/mode/1up?|date=Spring 2015|page=43|magazine=Oberlin Alumni Magazine}}</ref>

Goldman said that his favorite writers were [[Miguel de Cervantes]], [[Anton Chekhov]], [[W. Somerset Maugham]], [[Irwin Shaw]], and [[Leo Tolstoy]].<ref name="cnnchat">{{Cite interview |last=Goldman |first=William |title=Chat books |type=transcript |url=http://www.cnn.com/COMMUNITY/transcripts/william_goldman_chat.html |access-date=February 22, 2011 |work=[[CNN.com]] |date=December 1, 2001}}</ref>

He was a die-hard fan of the [[New York Knicks]], having held season tickets at [[Madison Square Garden]] for over 40 years. He contributed a writing section to [[Bill Simmons]]'s bestselling book about the history of the NBA, in which he discussed the career of [[Dave DeBusschere]].

Since his death his collection of personal books is managed by INKQ Rare Books in Addison, Texas.<ref>https://www.inkqrarebooks.com/</ref>

==Death==
Goldman died at his [[Manhattan]] apartment on November 16, 2018, due to [[colon cancer]] complicated by [[pneumonia]]. He was 87.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 16, 2018 |title=Butch Cassidy screenwriter Goldman dies |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-46238747 |access-date=November 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rifkin |first=Glenn |date=November 16, 2018 |title=William Goldman, Screenwriting Star and Hollywood Skeptic, Dies at 87 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/obituaries/william-goldman-dead.html |access-date=November 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Naderzad |first=Ali |title=William Goldman, author of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" dead at 87 |date=November 18, 2018 |url=https://screencomment.com/2018/11/william-goldman-author-of-butch-cassidy-and-the-sundance-kid-dead-at-87/ |access-date=November 18, 2018 |publisher=Screen Comment}}</ref>

==Works==
{{Category see also|Works by William Goldman}}

===Theatre===

====Produced====
* ''Tenderloin'' (1960), uncredited doctoring work<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ilson |first=Carol |url=https://archive.org/details/haroldprincedire00ilso |title=Harold Prince: a director's journey |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |year=2000 |isbn=9780879102968 |page=[https://archive.org/details/haroldprincedire00ilso/page/56 56] |url-access=registration}}</ref>
* ''[[Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole]]'' (1961), with [[James Goldman]]
* ''[[A Family Affair (musical)|A Family Affair]]'' (1962), lyrics; book was by [[James Goldman]], music by [[John Kander]]
* ''[[Misery (play)|Misery]]'' (2012), adapted from the novel ''[[Misery (novel)|Misery]]''

====Unproduced====
* ''Madonna and Child'' – with James Goldman
* ''Now I Am Six''
* ''Something Blue'' – musical
* musical of ''Boys and Girls Together'' (aka ''Magic Town'')
* ''Nagurski'' – musical
* ''The Man Who Owned Chicago'' – musical with James Goldman and [[John Kander]]<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KCwhAQAAIAAJ&q=%22william+goldman%22+%22the+man+who+owned+chicago%22&pg=RA1-PA18 |title=Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series |year=1964 |page=18}}</ref>
* musical of ''The Princess Bride'' – with [[Adam Guettel]] (abandoned after royalty disputes)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |date=February 16, 2007 |title=Goldman and Guettel Part Ways on Princess Bride Musical |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/goldman-and-guettel-part-ways-on-princess-bride-musical-com-138615 |access-date=July 23, 2017 |website=Playbill}}</ref>

===Screenplays===

====Produced====
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Notes
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Masquerade (1965 film)|Masquerade]]'' 
| [[Basil Dearden]]
|
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Harper (film)|Harper]]''
| [[Jack Smight]]
|
|-
| 1969
| ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]''
| [[George Roy Hill]]
| Also producer (Uncredited);<br>[[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]]<br>[[BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay]]<br>Nominated- [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay]]
|-
| 1972
| ''[[The Hot Rock (film)|The Hot Rock]]''
| [[Peter Yates]]
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 1975
| ''[[The Stepford Wives (1975 film)|The Stepford Wives]]''
| [[Bryan Forbes]]
|
|-
| ''[[The Great Waldo Pepper]]''
| George Roy Hill
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 1976
| ''[[Marathon Man (film)|Marathon Man]]''
| [[John Schlesinger]]
| Based on his novel;<br>Nominated- [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay]]
|-
| ''[[All the President's Men (film)|All the President's Men]]''
| [[Alan J. Pakula]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay]]<br>Nominated- [[BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay]]<br>Nominated- [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay]]
|-
| 1977
| ''[[A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far]]''
|rowspan=2| [[Richard Attenborough]]
|
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Magic (1978 film)|Magic]]''
|rowspan=3| Based on his novel
|-
| 1986 
| ''[[Heat (1986 film)|Heat]]''
| [[Dick Richards]]<br>[[Jerry Jameson]]
|-
| 1987
| ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]''
|rowspan=2|[[Rob Reiner]]
|-
| 1990
| ''[[Misery (film)|Misery]]'' 
|
|-
|rowspan=3| 1992
| ''[[Memoirs of an Invisible Man (film)|Memoirs of an Invisible Man]]'' 
| [[John Carpenter]]
|
|-
| ''[[Year of the Comet]]''
| Peter Yates
|
|-
| ''[[Chaplin (film)|Chaplin]]''
| Richard Attenborough
|
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Maverick (film)|Maverick]]'' 
| [[Richard Donner]]
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 1996
| ''[[The Chamber (1996 film)|The Chamber]]''
| [[James Foley (director)|James Foley]]
|
|-
| ''[[The Ghost and the Darkness]]''
| [[Stephen Hopkins (director)|Stephen Hopkins]]
|
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Absolute Power (film)|Absolute Power]]'' 
| [[Clint Eastwood]]
|
|-
| 1999
| ''[[The General's Daughter (film)|The General's Daughter]]'' 
| [[Simon West]]
|
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Hearts in Atlantis (film)|Hearts in Atlantis]]''
| [[Scott Hicks (director)|Scott Hicks]]
|
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Dreamcatcher (2003 film)|Dreamcatcher]]''
| [[Lawrence Kasdan]]
|
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Wild Card (2015 film)|Wild Card]]''
| Simon West
| Based on his novel
|}

'''Consultant'''
* ''[[A Few Good Men]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Malice (1993 film)|Malice]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Dolores Claiborne (film)|Dolores Claiborne]]'' (1995) 
* ''[[Extreme Measures]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Good Will Hunting]]'' (1997)

'''Uncredited'''
* ''[[Twins (1988 film)|Twins]]'' (1988)
* ''[[Indecent Proposal]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Last Action Hero]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Fierce Creatures]]'' (1997)

====Unproduced====
'''Source:'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Series IV: Manuscripts William Goldman papers |url=http://findingaids.cul.columbia.edu/ead/nnc-rb/ldpd_5018084/dsc/4 |publisher=Columbia University}}</ref>
* ''Flowers for Algernon: Good Old Charley Gordon'' (1964) – an adaptation of the story ''[[Flowers for Algernon]]'' done for actor [[Cliff Robertson]] – Robertson was unhappy with the version and hired [[Stirling Silliphant]] to write what became ''[[Charly (1968 film)|Charly]]'' (1968)
* ''The Chill'' (1967) – adaptation of the 1964 Lew Archer novel by [[Ross Macdonald]]
* ''In the Spring the War Ended'' (1968) – from the novel by Steven Linakis about American deserters in Europe at the end of World War Two. Lawrence Turman was producer and [[Martin Ritt]] attached as director but the studio, 20th Century Fox, decided not to make it because they wanted Pentagon co-operation for ''Patton'' (1970).{{Sfn | Goldman | 2000 | pp = 238–239}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Betty |date=July 11, 1966 |title=Robson Gets 'Escape Route' |page=c17 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
* ''[[The Thing of It Is...]]'' aka ''That's Life'' (1968) – adapted from his novel
* ''Piano Man'' – adaptation of his novel ''Father's Day''
* ''[[Papillon (book)|Papillon]]'' – adaptation of the novel which was not used
*''Grand Hotel'' (late 1970s/early 1980s) – musical remake of the 1932 MGM film, with [[Norman Jewison]] to direct{{Sfn | Goldman | 1983 | pp = 262–273}}
* ''The Sea Kings'' (late 1970s) – a pirate movie about the relationship between [[Stede Bonnet]] and [[Blackbeard]], the first of a three-picture deal with [[Joseph E. Levine]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldman |first=William |title=Which Lie Did I Tell? More Adventures in the Screen Trade (Excerpt) |date=June 22, 2023 |url=http://www2.nytimes.com/books/first/g/goldman-lie.html}}</ref> – Goldman says he wrote the part of Blackbeard for [[Sean Connery]] and at one stage [[Richard Lester]] was attached as director<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 11, 1979 |title=Just mean to the girls |page=11 |work=The Guardian |location=London, UK}}</ref> – Goldman says Connery and Roger Moore were considered stars, then later Roger and Dudley Moore – however the film was too expensive to make{{Sfn | Goldman | 2000 | pp = 6–7}}
* ''The Ski Bum'' aka ''Hot Shot'' (1981) – based on the article "The Ski Bum as an Endangered Species" by Jean Vallely – Goldman says this was never made due to tension between the producer and the studio{{Sfn | Goldman | 2000 | p = 8}}
* ''[[The Right Stuff (film)|The Right Stuff]]'' – adaptation of the [[Tom Wolfe]] book that was not used
* ''Rescue!'' (1980–81) – story of the rescue of employees of [[Ross Perot]] by [[Arthur D. Simons]] during the [[Iranian revolution]] – Goldman says this foundered when [[Clint Eastwood]], the only suitable star to play Bull Simons, elected to make ''[[Firefox (film)|Firefox]]''
* ''Flora Quick, Dead or Alive''
* ''The National Pastime''
* ''Singing Out Loud'' – unproduced musical worked on with [[Rob Reiner]] and [[Stephen Sondheim]]
* ''[[Low Fives]]'' (1992) – comedy about an African who plays for a basketball team in a small college, commissioned by [[Danny DeVito]] and intended to star [[John Cleese]] and DeVito{{Sfn | Goldman | 2000 | pp = 267–268}}
* ''Shazam!'' (c 2003) – adaptation of [[Shazam (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel]] comic book<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stax |date=March 24, 2003 |title=Goldman on Shazam! |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/03/24/goldman-on-shazam |access-date=July 23, 2017 |publisher=ign.com}}</ref>
* ''[[Shooter (2007 film)|The Shooter]]'' – an adaptation of the [[Steven Hunter]] novel ''[[Point of Impact (Stephen Hunter novel)|Point of Impact]]'' that was to have been directed by [[Lee Tamahori]]
* ''[[Mission: Impossible 2]]'' – script that was not used

===Television===
* ''[[Mr. Horn]]'' (1979)
* ''[[City in Fear]]'' (1980) – contributed to idea

===Novels===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
''The Thing of It Is'' series:
# ''[[The Thing of It Is...]]'' (1967)
# ''[[Father's Day (novel)|Father's Day]]'' (1971)

''Babe Levy'' series:
# ''[[Marathon Man (novel)|Marathon Man]]'' (1974)
# ''[[Brothers (Goldman novel)|Brothers]]'' (1986)

Stand-alones:
* ''[[The Temple of Gold]]'' (1957)
* ''[[Your Turn to Curtsy, My Turn to Bow]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Soldier in the Rain#Source Novel|Soldier in the Rain]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Boys and Girls Together]]'' (1964)
* ''[[No Way to Treat a Lady (novel)|No Way to Treat a Lady]]'' (1964)
* ''[[The Princess Bride (novel)|The Princess Bride]]'' (1973)
* ''[[Magic (novel)|Magic]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Tinsel (novel)|Tinsel]]'' (1979)
* ''[[Control (novel)|Control]]'' (1982)
* ''[[The Silent Gondoliers]]'' (1983)
* ''[[The Color of Light]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Heat (Goldman novel)|Heat]]'', published in the United Kingdom as ''Edged Weapons'' (1985)
{{div col end}}

===Children's books===
* ''Wigger'' (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1974)
*: An orphan separated from her blanket, Wigger, nearly dies of loneliness until an extraordinary wind from Zurich brings them together again.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Wigger |publisher=[[WorldCat]] |oclc=858836}}</ref>

===Short stories===
* "The Ice Cream Eat", ''Transatlantic Review'' Winter 1959
* "Da Vinci", ''New World Writing'' no. 17, 1960
* "Till the Right Girls Come Along", ''Transatlantic Review'', Winter 1961
* "Something Blue", ''[[Rogue (magazine)|Rogue]]'', April 1963, pp.&nbsp;13–83
* "The Simple Pleasures of the Rich", ''Transatlantic Review'' Autumn-Winter 1974

===Non-fiction===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* {{Cite news |date=June 1, 1969 |title=The Good-Bye Look |page=1 |work=The New York Times Book Review}}, article
* ''[[The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway]]'' (1969), guide
* ''[[A Bridge Too Far (film)#Promotion|The Story of 'A Bridge Too Far']]'' (1977), guide
* ''Adventures in the Screen Trade'' series: (guides)
*# ''[[Adventures in the Screen Trade]]: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting'' (1983)
*# ''[[Which Lie Did I Tell?]]: More Adventures in the Screen Trade'' (2000)
* ''[[Wait Till Next Year]]'' (1988), with [[Mike Lupica]], memoir
* ''[[Hype and Glory]]'' (1990), memoir
* ''Four Screenplays'' (1995), screenplays of ''Marathon Man'', ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'', ''The Princess Bride'', and ''Misery'', with an essay on each
* ''Five Screenplays'' (1997), screenplays of ''All the President's Men'', ''Magic'', ''Harper'', ''Maverick'', and ''The Great Waldo Pepper'', with an essay on each
* ''[[The Big Picture: Who Killed Hollywood? and Other Essays]]'' (2001), essays
{{div col end}}

== Adaptations ==
{{Category see also|Films based on works by William Goldman}}
* ''[[Soldier in the Rain]]'' (1963), film directed by [[Ralph Nelson]], based on novel ''Soldier in the Rain''
* ''[[No Way to Treat a Lady (film)|No Way to Treat a Lady]]'' (1968), film directed by [[Jack Smight]], based on novel ''[[No Way to Treat a Lady (novel)|No Way to Treat a Lady]]''
* ''[[Marathon Man (film)|Marathon Man]]'' (1976), film directed by [[John Schlesinger]], based on novel ''[[Marathon Man (novel)|Marathon Man]]''
* ''[[Magic (1978 film)|Magic]]'' (1978), film directed by [[Richard Attenborough]], based on novel ''[[Magic (novel)|Magic]]''
* ''[[Heat (1986 film)|Heat]]'' (1986), film directed by [[Dick Richards]] and [[Jerry Jameson]], based on novel ''[[Heat (Goldman novel)|Heat]]''
* ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]'' (1987), film directed by [[Rob Reiner]], based on novel ''[[The Princess Bride (novel)|The Princess Bride]]''
* ''The Princess Bride'' (2012), short film directed by Emma Bradfield and Tyler Harrah, based on novel ''The Princess Bride''
* ''[[Wild Card (2015 film)|Wild Card]]'' (2015), film directed by [[Simon West]], based on novel ''Heat''
* ''5 Minutes'' (2018), short film directed by Javan Garza, based on novel ''Magic''
* ''[[Home Movie: The Princess Bride]]'' (2020), miniseries directed by [[Jason Reitman]], based on novel ''The Princess Bride''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Books cited===
*{{Cite book |last=Brady |first=John |url=https://archive.org/details/craftofscreenwri00joh_2tu |title=The Craft of the Screenwriter |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=1981 |url-access=registration}}
*{{Cite book |last=Egan |first=Sean |title=William Goldman: The Reluctant Storyteller |publisher=BearManor Media |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-59393-583-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Goldman |first=William |title=Adventures in the Screen Trade |publisher=Abacus |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-349-10705-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Goldman |first=William |title=Which Lie Did I Tell? |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2000}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Woodward |first1=Bob |url=https://archive.org/details/allpresidentsme00bern |title=All the President's Men |last2=Bernstein |first2=Carl |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=1974 |isbn=978-0-671-21781-5 |url-access=registration}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography|Children's literature|Film}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|1279}}
* {{OL author}}
* [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/ead/nnc-rb/ldpd_5018084 Finding aid to William Goldman papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.]
* {{Cite web |title=William Goldman |url=http://wn.com/william_goldman |website=WN}}
* {{ISFDB name|2329}}
* {{LCAuth|n50033448|William Goldman|55}}

{{William Goldman}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for William Goldman
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalScreenplay 1961-1980}}
{{AcademyAwardBestAdaptedScreenplay 1961-1980}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay}}
{{Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay}}
{{Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement}}
{{Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldman, William}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
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[[Category:American children's writers]]
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[[Category:Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners]]
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[[Category:Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni]]
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[[Category:Deaths from colorectal cancer in New York (state)]]
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[[Category:Oberlin College alumni]]
[[Category:People from Highland Park, Illinois]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Illinois]]
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