Ernest Tidyman
Encyclopedia
Ernest Tidyman was a Cleveland
-born American
author and screenwriter, best known for his novels featuring the African-American detective John Shaft
. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film version of Shaft
with John D.F. Black in 1971
.
His screenplay for The French Connection
garnered him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as a Golden Globe Award
, a Writers Guild of America Award
, and an Edgar Award
.
He also wrote the screenplay for the 1973
film High Plains Drifter
, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood
. Tidyman also wrote the sequel to Shaft, Shaft's Big Score
, which appeared in theaters in 1972
.
In 1974
, he published Dummy, a non-fiction account of the story of an accused deaf-mute murderer. It was nominated for an Edgar
in the Fact Crime category.
He co-wrote A Force of One
in 1979, one of Chuck Norris
's earlier films.
In 1980
, he wrote the teleplay for the TV movie Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
, which he also had a hand in producing), which got him an Emmy nomination. For creating the Shaft books, he became one of the few white individuals to win an NAACP Image Award
.
, who had co-written the screenplay for Lady Sings the Blues (1972). Tidyman died in 1984 from a perforated ulcer.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and screenwriter, best known for his novels featuring the African-American detective John Shaft
John Shaft
John Shaft is a fictional character created by schoolteacher/screenwriter Ernest Tidyman as a sort of African American version of Ian Fleming's James Bond. He was portrayed by Richard Roundtree in the original 1971 film and its two sequels, with Samuel L. Jackson portraying his nephew in the 2000...
. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film version of Shaft
Shaft (1971 film)
Shaft is a 1971 American blaxploitation film directed by Gordon Parks, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. An action film with elements of film noir, Shaft tells the story of a black private detective, John Shaft, who travels through Harlem and to the Italian mob neighborhoods in order to find the...
with John D.F. Black in 1971
1971 in film
The year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music...
.
His screenplay for The French Connection
The French Connection (film)
This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
garnered him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
, a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
, and an Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
.
He also wrote the screenplay for the 1973
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
film High Plains Drifter
High Plains Drifter
High Plains Drifter is a 1973 American Western film, with a hint of the supernatural, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood and produced by Robert Daley for The Malpaso Company and Universal Pictures. Eastwood plays a mysterious gunfighter hired by the residents of a corrupt frontier mining town...
, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
. Tidyman also wrote the sequel to Shaft, Shaft's Big Score
Shaft's Big Score
Shaft's Big Score, released in 1972, is the second film in the trilogy in which actor Richard Roundtree starred as the private-eye, John Shaft. Gordon Parks again directed, and Ernest Tidyman once more supplied the screenplay. Isaac Hayes was unavailable, so Parks, the director, did the score himself...
, which appeared in theaters in 1972
1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
.
In 1974
1974 in literature
The year 1974 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics is founded by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman.-New books:*Richard Adams - Shardik*Kingsley Amis - Ending Up...
, he published Dummy, a non-fiction account of the story of an accused deaf-mute murderer. It was nominated for an Edgar
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
in the Fact Crime category.
He co-wrote A Force of One
A Force of One
A Force of One is a 1979 martial arts film starring Chuck Norris, Jennifer O'Neill, Ron O'Neal, Clu Gulager, and Bill Wallace. The film was directed by Paul Aaron and written by Pat E...
in 1979, one of Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
's earlier films.
In 1980
1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
, he wrote the teleplay for the TV movie Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones, also called The Mad Messiah, is a 1980 television miniseries about the Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones, and their 1978 mass suicide at Jonestown. Based on the book by Charles A...
, which he also had a hand in producing), which got him an Emmy nomination. For creating the Shaft books, he became one of the few white individuals to win an NAACP Image Award
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
.
Personal life
Tidyman married Susan Gould, and fathered two children — Adam and Nicholas. In 1982, after Gould's death, he married former Motown soul singer Chris ClarkChris Clark (singer)
Chris Clark is an American soul singer who recorded for Motown Records. Clark became famous in England as the "white Negress" , because the six-foot platinum blonde, blue-eyed soul singer toured with fellow Motown artists who were predominantly black.Recording on the Motown V.I.P...
, who had co-written the screenplay for Lady Sings the Blues (1972). Tidyman died in 1984 from a perforated ulcer.
Filmography
- The French ConnectionThe French Connection (film)This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
(1971) - ShaftShaft (1971 film)Shaft is a 1971 American blaxploitation film directed by Gordon Parks, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. An action film with elements of film noir, Shaft tells the story of a black private detective, John Shaft, who travels through Harlem and to the Italian mob neighborhoods in order to find the...
(1971) - Shaft's Big ScoreShaft's Big ScoreShaft's Big Score, released in 1972, is the second film in the trilogy in which actor Richard Roundtree starred as the private-eye, John Shaft. Gordon Parks again directed, and Ernest Tidyman once more supplied the screenplay. Isaac Hayes was unavailable, so Parks, the director, did the score himself...
(1972) - High Plains DrifterHigh Plains DrifterHigh Plains Drifter is a 1973 American Western film, with a hint of the supernatural, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood and produced by Robert Daley for The Malpaso Company and Universal Pictures. Eastwood plays a mysterious gunfighter hired by the residents of a corrupt frontier mining town...
(1973) - Last Plane OutLast Plane OutLast Plane Out is a 1983 film directed by David Nelson, son of Ozzie and Harriet. It was based on journalist Jack Cox's experience in Nicaragua when it was ruled by dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle and his battle against insurgents.-Plot:American journalist Jack Cox covers the civil war in...
(1983)