Melissa Marie Mathison(June 3, 1950 – November 4, 2015) was an Americanfilmandtelevisionscreenwriterand an activist for theTibetan independence movement.She was best known for writing thescreenplaysfor the filmsThe Black Stallion(1979) andE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1982), the latter of which earned her theSaturn Award for Best Writingand a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Original Screenplay.[2]
Melissa Mathison | |
|---|---|
 Mathison in 2015 | |
| Born | Melissa Marie Mathison[1] June 3, 1950 Los Angeles,California,U.S. |
| Died | November 4, 2015(aged 65) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Years active | 1979–2015 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Mathison later wroteThe Indian in the Cupboard(1995), based onLynne Reid Banks's1980 children's novel of the same name,andKundun(1997), abiographical-drama filmabout theDalai Lama.Her final film credit wasThe BFG(2016), which marked her third collaboration with film directorSteven Spielberg.
Early years
editMathison was born on June 3, 1950, inLos Angeles,one of five siblings. Her father, Richard Randolph Mathison, was the Los Angeles bureau chief ofNewsweek.Her mother was Margaret Jean (née Kieffer) Mathison, a food writer and convenience-foods entrepreneur. After graduating fromProvidence High Schoolin 1968, Mathison attended theUniversity of California, Berkeley.[3]Her family was friendly withFrancis Ford Coppola,whose children were babysat by Mathison. Coppola offered her a job as his assistant onThe Godfather Part II(1974), an opportunity for which she left her studies atUC Berkeley.[3]
With Coppola's encouragement, she wrote a script forThe Black Stallion,adapted from the novel, that caughtSteven Spielberg's attention.[4]
Screenwriting and production credits
editMathison wrote the screenplay forE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1982) in collaboration withSteven Spielberg.It was nominated for an Oscar forBest Original Screenplay.[5]The script was based on a story, written byJohn Sayles,that Spielberg provided to Mathison during the filming ofRaiders of the Lost Ark(1981). Spielberg attributes the line "E.T.phone home "to Mathison.[6]She collaborated again with Spielberg forThe BFG(2016), her final film, which was dedicated in her memory. She also had film credits forThe Escape Artist(1982) andThe Indian in the Cupboard(1995).[3]
Dalai Lama
editMathison met theDalai Lamain 1990 when she was writing the script forKundun(1997) and developed a lasting friendship with him. She continued to work as an activist forTibetanfreedom and was on the board of theInternational Campaign for Tibet.[7]
Personal life and death
editMathison had an extramarital relationship withFrancis Ford Coppolawhile working as his assistant onThe Godfather Part II,an affair that lasted through the production ofApocalypse Now.[8]From 1983 to 2004, she was married toHarrison Ford;the couple had two children. She died on November 4, 2015, in Los Angeles, aged 65, fromneuroendocrine cancer.[3]
Screenwriting filmography
edit| Year | Title | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Black Stallion | Family-adventure | |
| 1982 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | Fantasy-adventure-science fiction | Saturn Award for Best Writing Nominated—Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay,(1983) The line "E.T. phone home." is ranked 15th among the top 100 quotations of U.S. cinema by the American Film Institute. |
| The Escape Artist | Drama | ||
| 1983 | Twilight Zone: The Movie | Science fiction-thriller | Segment 2, "Kick the Can"; credited as "Josh Rogan" |
| 1991 | Son of the Morning Star | Western | Television film |
| 1995 | The Indian in the Cupboard | Family-adventure | |
| 1997 | Kundun | Biographical-drama | |
| 1998 | The Emperor's New Clothes: An All-Star Illustrated Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale | Animated,Family | |
| 2008 | Ponyo | Animated,family-adventure | Storyline consultant,English-languagetranslation |
| 2016 | The BFG | Family-fantasy-adventure | Posthumous release Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Writing |
References
edit- ^"Melissa Mathison".Movies.yahoo. April 20, 2011.RetrievedNovember 4,2015.
- ^"Melissa Mathison".IMDb.
- ^abcdChawkins, Steve (November 4, 2015)."Melissa Mathison dies at 65; screenwriter of 'E.T.,' 'Black Stallion,' 'Kundun'".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedNovember 8,2015.
- ^"Melissa Mathison: a masterful storyteller who brought ET to life",The Guardian,November 5, 2015.
- ^Saperstein, Pat."Melissa Mathison, 'E.T.' Screenwriter and Ex-Wife of Harrison Ford, Dies at 65".Variety.RetrievedNovember 8,2015.
- ^Weber, Bruce (November 6, 2015)."Melissa Mathison, 65, Dies; Wrote Screenplay for 'E.T.'".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 8,2015.
- ^Melissa Mathison,A Conversation with the Dalai LamaArchivedJuly 1, 2013, at theWayback Machine,Rolling Stone,July 21, 2011
- ^Wasson, Sam (2003).The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story.New York: Harper. p. 178.ISBN9780063037847.
[Eleanor Coppola] had discovered [Francis] was having an affair, several affairs; there was, for starters, Playboy Bunny Linda Carpenter... There was the kids' former babysitter, his assistant on Godfather II, Melissa Mathison. They had been seeing each other since then.