Oscar-Winning Screenwriter Jeremy Larner of 'The Candidate' Dies at 88

According to Deadline, the writer's son confirmed the news, stating that Larner died on February 24 in a nursing facility in Oakland, California. While Larner was diagnosed with lymphoma in January and also had Parkinson's disease since 2013, the specific cause of his death remains unknown, Deadline reported.

Born on March 20, 1937, in Olean, New York, Jeremy Larner graduated from Brandeis University in 1958 before writing several books throughout the 60s, including his debut novel 'Drive, He', which came out in 1964.

It was adapted by co-writer/director Jack Nicholson into a 1971 film.

Further, as a journalist, Larner also wrote for Harpers, The Paris Review and Life.

He also served as a speechwriter for Eugene McCarthy during his 1968 campaign for president, which inspired his book 'Nobody Knows', later serialised for Harper's the next year.

It is worth mentioning that the campaign influenced Larner's script for the 1972 Michael Ritchie film 'The Candidate', which featured Robert Redford as leftist lawyer Bill McKay.

The film brought Larner an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

In an interview, Larner once said, "Redford and Ritchie had a few ideas of what they wanted it to be about, and of the ending as well. One of the reasons they approached me was that I was one of the very few writers who had written speeches for a presidential campaign, and a screenwriter at the time as well."

Over the years, Jeremy Larner went on to write speeches for politician Bill Bradley, activist Sam Brown, Paul Newman and Redford.

- ANI