Deric Washburn is an American screenwriter.

Washburn graduated from Harvard College in 1959.[1] He began his career as a playwright, penning the off-Broadway plays Ginger Anne[2] and The Love Nest.[3]

He is best known for having written the original screenplay of The Deer Hunter after having co-written the story with Michael Cimino, with whom he had previously worked on scripting the science fiction film, Silent Running in 1971.[4] The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1978.

Washburn and Cimino spent three days writing the story, and then Washburn spent a month writing the script. Cimino then tried to deny him screenwriting credit. Washburn went to arbitration and was given full credit.[5]

Filmography

edit

Unproduced scripts

edit

Awards

edit

As a member of the Actors Studio playwriting project, he received a $1500.00 award from the Edward Albee Foundation in 1964.[9]

As a writer, Washburn was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) and a WGA Award for "Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen" for The Deer Hunter, along with Quinn Redeker, Louis A. Garfinkle and Michael Cimino.[4][10]

References

edit
  1. ^ "New York Beat". Jet. February 21, 1963. p. 63 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Corrigan, Robert Willoughby; Hoffman, William M. (1965). New American Plays: Volume 1. Hill and Wang. ISBN 9780809007349.
  3. ^ Taubman, Howard (January 28, 1963). "Theater: Lost Evening - 'The Love Nest' has Leueen McGrath". New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "The 51st Academy Awards (1979) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  5. ^ Staff (July 13, 2016). "Peter Biskind on Michael Cimino's Twisted, Tortured Legacy: "A Mystery in Death as He Was in Life"". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  6. ^ "UNPUBLISHED UNFILMED 1986 SCREENPLAY "WARRIOR" DERIC WASHBURN WRITER DEER HUNTER". WorthPoint. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  7. ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (October 22, 1989). "Jack Nicholson has the title role in..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  8. ^ Frook, John Evan; Williams, Michael (October 14, 1992). "Pleskow, Spikings partner for pix". Variety. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  9. ^ Zolotow, Sam (February 3, 1964). "2 Kopit Plays Go To Actors Studio; Rockefeller Foundation Aids Experimental Staging". New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  10. ^ "Writers Guild of America, USA (1979)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
edit