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
Born on June 30, 1927, the first son of a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, Goldman grew up primarily in Highland Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He is most noted as the playwright of The Lion in Winter and for writing the screenplay of its 1968 film adaptation, 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. In 1952, Goldman was drafted into the U.S. Army.
- 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
- Tolstoy (1996)
Film and television
- Evening Primrose (1966), book only (music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim)
- The Lion in Winter (1968)
- They Might Be Giants (1971)