James Goldman (June 30, 1927 – October 28, 1998) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay The Lion in Winter (1968). His younger brother was novelist and screenwriter William Goldman.

Biography

The first son of a Jewish family^[1] in Chicago, Illinois, Goldman grew up primarily in Highland Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He is most noted as the author of the screenplay for The Lion in Winter (1968), for which he received an Academy Award. He also wrote the book for the Broadway musical Follies (1971), which was nominated for a Tony Award.

He attended the University of Chicago and Columbia University, earning a master’s degree and studying music criticism.^[2][3] In 1952, Goldman was drafted into the U.S. Army.^[2] After his discharge in 1954, he pursued a career as a playwright.

Goldman died in 1998 from a heart attack in New York City.^[3] He had lived there for many years.

Works

Plays

• Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole (1961), with William Goldman
• They Might Be Giants (1961), London^[4]
• A Family Affair (1962), musical, book only (lyrics by William Goldman, music by John Kander)
• The Lion in Winter (1966, revived 1999)
• Follies (1971, revived 2001 and 2011), musical, book only (lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim), Tony Nomination for Best Book of a Musical
• Oliver Twist (1982)
• Anna Karenina (1985)
• Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986)
• Follies in Concert (1986), musical
• Tolstoy (1996)

Screenplays

• The Lion in Winter (1968)
• They Might Be Giants (1971)^[4]
• Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
• Robin and Marian (1976)
• White Nights (1985)

Television

• Evening Primrose (1966), book only (music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim)

Novels

• Waldorf (1965)
• The Man From Greek and Roman (1974)
• Myself as Witness (1979)
• Fulton County (1989)