R.I.P. Robert Towne: ‘Chinatown’ And ‘Mission: Impossible’ Screenwriter Dead At 89

Renowned screenwriter Robert Towne died on Monday (July 1), TMZ reports. He was 89.

The news was confirmed to the outlet by Towne’s publicist, Carri McClure, who revealed that the late screenwriter passed in his home in Los Angeles. McClure did not share details surrounding the cause of death.

Decider reached out to Towne’s publicist for comment.

According to the Associated Press, Towne’s birth name was Robert Bertram Schwartz prior to his father eventually changing their family name.

Towne earned an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the 1974 thriller Chinatown starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, which he co-wrote with director Roman Polanski. Towne would also receive Oscar nods for The Last Detail (1973), Shampoo (1975) and Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. However, he subbed in P.H. Vazak, his dog’s name, for his own on the credits of Greystoke, per IndieWire.

Other writing and screenwriting credits of his include Personal Best (1982), Tequila Sunrise (1988), Days of Thunder (1990), The Firm (1993), Mission: Impossible (1996), and Mission: Impossible II (2000), the last four of which starred Tom Cruise. Tequila Sunrise and Personal Best were among Towne’s directing credits, as well, along with Without Limits (1998) and Ask the Dust (2006).

However, as noted by H. Perry Norton on X and several media outlets, his uncredited work also speaks volumes. Among these titles that he lent his writing and screenwriting talents to were Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Cisco Pike (1971), The Parallax View (1974), The Missouri Breaks (1976), Orca (1977), Heaven Can Wait (1978), and Tough Guys Don’t Dance (1987). Known as a script doctor, he also notably worked on The Godfather, particularly the scene featuring Marlon Brando in the garden, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Screenwriter and author Paul Rudnick mourned the passing of the “superb screenwriter” on X, praising Towne’s work as “supremely smart and entertaining” and “Hollywood’s best.” Screenwriter and producer Larry Karaszewski also paid tribute to “the master Robert Towne” on X.

According to THR, Towne is survived by the following relatives: his second wife, his two daughters, his brother, his sister-in-law, and niece and nephew.