Award winning Screenwriter David Newman has died.

Father Geek here with more bad news for film lovers... David Newman, longtime writing partner of Robert Benton, has died.

Newman, born in New York in 1937, and Benton worked together for many years in the 1960's as co-editors for Esquire magazine until their big break came with the writing of BONNIE AND CLYDE. That project heaped the awards on the duo. They received nominations for an Oscar, an Egdar Allan Poe Award, a Golden Globe, and won awards from The National Society of Film Critics and The New York Film Critics Circle. The Writers Guild of America presented them 2 awards in 2 different catagories for their work on the hit film.

They wrote a book together called "Its a Bird, Its a Plane, Its Superman" and on the strength of that piece they were given the job of writing Warner's SUPERMAN along with Mario Puzo. That garnered them another nomination for a Writers Guild of America Award, and the job of writing both SUPERMAN 2 and then SUPERMAN 3.

Newman and his partner then teamed up with Buck Henry and wrote the very funny film WHAT'S UP DOC, annnnnd won another Writers Guild of America Award. Then the duo wrote BAD COMPANY and got yet another WGA nomination.

David Newman also was a writer on SHEENA, SANTA CLAUS THE MOVIE, THERE WAS A CROOKED MAN, and OH CALCUTTA among others. Most recently he teamed with Alex de la Iglesia on a new version of the Sax Rohmer classic LA TRAMPA DE FU MANCHU.

David leaves behind his wife Leslie, a cookbook author and food columnist, who co-wrote the 3 Superman flicks and several others with her husband. He also leaves two children.

A fine talent, David Newman will be missed by all of us who love well crafted, tight screenplays ...