Screenwriter of SCENT OF A WOMAN Bo Goldman Passes Away at 90

Oscar Winning Screenwriter Bo Goldman Dies

Bo Goldman, Oscar winning screenwriter of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Scent of a Woman, has died at age 90.

With his work in the 1992 masterpiece, Scent of a Woman, Al Pacino won his Best Actor Oscar for his turn in a film with a screenplay penned by Bo Goldman. Jack Nicholson won the first of his three Academy Awards for his performance in a Bo Goldman script as well with 1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Bo Goldman’s work as a screenwriter was almost always superb and, in some key instances, was an example of perfection in Hollywood. Goldman has just recently passed away but the body of work he leaves behind is, in a word, exemplary.

Goldman won two Academy Awards during the course of his prestigious career. One was for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the other was for 1980’s Melvin and Howard. He was, of course, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on the tremendous Scent of a Woman which featured the infamous school scene at the end where Pacino’s character made a a speech to save his newfound young friend (Chris O’Donnell) from being expelled.

One of Goldman’s other acclaimed films is Shoot the Moon which was a divorce film that starred Diane Keaton and Albert Finney. Goldman also co-wrote the Brad Pitt mega-budgeted Meet Joe Black. Several years ago, Goldman helped Warren Beatty write his 2016 swan song, Rules Don’t Apply. Goldman also previously penned another Pacino vehicle called City Hall which also featured a rousing (if not as effective as Scent of a Woman) Pacino speech.

It seemed Goldman’s dialogue was crisp and effective throughout most of his work. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was rewarded with a handful of other Oscars in the major categories besides Nicholson’s win for his tour-de-force performance. The last fifteen minutes of Scent of a Woman were nothing short of amazing to watch and inspired applause when audiences watched the movie for the first time back in 1992. It was no surprise Pacino would go on to win the Oscar and Goldman would get a nod from the Academy for his script.

Bo Goldman’s work will forever live on in Hollywood’s history books. Goldman’s son-in-law is director Todd Field who directed what many considered the best film of last year, Tar, which won multiple Academy Award nominations. Goldman was paid only $8,000 for his work on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest but it is considered one of the most successful film adaptations of all-time. Al Pacino’s speech at the end of Scent of a Woman continues to inspire moviegoers all over the world to this day.

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