Oscar-Winning Filmmaker Robert Benton Dies at 92 in Manhattan

• May 14, 2025

Robert Benton, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Bonnie and Clyde and Kramer vs. Kramer, has died at 92. His son, John Benton, confirmed he passed away on Sunday at his Manhattan home from natural causes.

Over a 40-year career, Benton left a major mark on Hollywood. He earned six Oscar nominations and won three — two for writing and directing Kramer vs. Kramer and one for writing Places in the Heart. Actors praised him as a patient, thoughtful director who brought out Oscar-winning performances from stars like Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, and Sally Field.

Benton’s path to filmmaking was far from ordinary. Raised in Waxahachie, Texas, he struggled with severe dyslexia as a child, limiting his ability to read more than a few pages at a time. Despite this, he adapted novels by Philip Roth, E.L. Doctorow, and Richard Russo into films.

His career took off in the 1960s while working as an art director at Esquire magazine. Inspired by French New Wave cinema and classic gangster tales, he and colleague David Newman wrote a script about Depression-era outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. After years of rejections, Warren Beatty agreed to produce and star in Bonnie and Clyde (1967). Though initially criticized for its violence, the film became a cultural landmark and helped usher in a new creative era in Hollywood.

While the original script portrayed Clyde Barrow as bisexual, creative differences led to significant changes before release. Benton later remarked on the collaborative nature of the film, unsure who the true “auteur” was.

After Bonnie and Clyde, Benton worked on several successful films, including Superman and What's Up, Doc?, but none matched its impact until Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). Adapted from Avery Corman’s novel, the film explored shifting family dynamics and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Benton’s Places in the Heart (1984) drew from his own family history, portraying a Depression-era widow's struggle to keep her land. The heartfelt story earned Benton another Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Throughout his life, Benton experienced both critical highs and disappointing lows. Notable later works included Nobody’s Fool (1994), which earned Paul Newman his final Oscar nomination, and less successful projects like Billy Bathgate and The Human Stain.

Benton served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956, studied at the University of Texas and Columbia University, and was married to artist Sallie Rendigs, with whom he had one son.

Reflecting on his career, Benton once described the film community as his family, saying, “Home is what I've spent my life looking for.”