---
name: "Ernest Tidyman"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/ernest-tidyman"
roles: ["Screenwriter"]
born: "1 January 1928"
died: "14 July 1984"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T10:10:23.894234+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Ernest Tidyman

Screenwriter. Born 1 January 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Died 14 July 1984.

## Details

- **Work:** Screenwriter
- **Born:** 1 January 1928, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- **Died:** 14 July 1984

## Biography

Ernest Tidyman was an American author, journalist and screenwriter. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he worked as a crime reporter and journalist for newspapers including the New York Post and The New York Times before becoming a freelance writer.

He wrote the novels featuring detective John Shaft and the screenplays for *Shaft* (1971) and *The French Connection* (1971). His screenplay for the latter won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as a Golden Globe, a Writers Guild of America Award and an Edgar Award. He also wrote the screenplay for *High Plains Drifter* (1973).

Tidyman received Emmy nominations for his teleplays for *Dummy* (1979) and *Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones* (1980). He died in London in 1984.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, catalog.afi.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The French Connection* (1971), Fi1m 85, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/the-french-connection.md)

## Also known for

- *Shaft* (2019), Novel
- *Shaft* (2000), Novel
- *High Plains Drifter* (1973), Writer
- *Shaft* (1971), Screenplay, Novel
- *A Force of One* (1979), Story, Screenplay
- *Shaft's Big Score!* (1972), Writer
- *Shaft in Africa* (1973), Characters

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/ernest-tidyman