---
name: "Horton Foote"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/horton-foote"
fi1m_id: "horton-foote"
imdb_id: "nm0285210"
tmdb_id: 8483
wikidata_id: "Q529696"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "14 March 1916"
died: "4 March 2009"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 85
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-07T11:27:05.668489+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."
---

# Horton Foote

## Identity

Horton Foote

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/horton-foote
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** horton-foote
- **IMDb ID:** nm0285210
- **TMDB ID:** 8483
- **Wikidata ID:** Q529696
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Foote, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q529696, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285210/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8483

Writer. Born 14 March 1916 in Wharton. Died 4 March 2009.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 14 March 1916, Wharton
- **Died:** 4 March 2009
- **Active:** 1962–1990
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 3: 1 acting, 2 writing
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscars (2 won · 1 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 85, as writer, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1960s 84 (1), 1980s 86 (1), 1990s 87 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Foote, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q529696, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285210/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8483

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Civil War*](https://film.one/tv/the-civil-war.md) (87), [*Tender Mercies*](https://film.one/film/tender-mercies.md) (86)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Horton Foote was an American playwright and screenwriter. Born Albert Horton Foote Jr. on 14 March 1916 in Wharton, Texas, he died on 4 March 2009 in Hartford, Connecticut.

He began his career studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse before turning to playwriting. Foote wrote numerous works for stage, television and film, including the screenplays for *To Kill a Mockingbird* (1962), *Tender Mercies* (1983), *The Trip to Bountiful* (1985) and *Of Mice and Men* (1992). He also created the fictional town of Harrison, Texas, which featured in many of his plays.

Foote received Academy Awards for his screenplays for *To Kill a Mockingbird* and *Tender Mercies*. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1995 for *The Young Man from Atlanta* and the National Medal of Arts in 2000.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

### Performed in (1)

- *The Civil War* (1990), Fi1m 87, as Jefferson Davis (voice) — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-civil-war.md)

### Wrote (2) — the average rests on these

- *Tender Mercies* (1983), Fi1m 86, Co-Producer, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/tender-mercies.md)
- *To Kill a Mockingbird* (1962), Fi1m 84, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/to-kill-a-mockingbird.md)

## Complete filmography (32)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Bessie* (2015), Story
- *The Trip to Bountiful* (2014), Writer
- *Main Street* (2010), Screenplay
- *Alone* (1997), Writer
- *Old Man* (1997), Teleplay
- *Lily Dale* (1996), as Old Horace (voice) · Screenplay, Theatre Play
- *Of Mice and Men* (1992), Screenplay
- *The Habitation of Dragons* (1992), Writer
- *Convicts* (1991), Writer
- *The Civil War* (1990), series, as Jefferson Davis (voice) — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-civil-war.md)
- *Courtship* (1987), Screenplay
- *Almutaradat Al'akhira* (1986), Story
- *On Valentine's Day* (1986), Screenplay
- *The Trip to Bountiful* (1985), Screenplay, Producer
- *1918* (1985), Writer
- *Tender Mercies* (1983), Writer, Co-Producer — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/tender-mercies.md)
- *Keeping On* (1983), Writer
- *American Playhouse* (1982), series, Writer, Theatre Play, Screenplay
- *Barn Burning* (1980), Teleplay
- *The Displaced Person* (1977), Teleplay
- *Tomorrow* (1972), Screenplay
- *Hurry Sundown* (1967), Screenplay
- *The Chase* (1966), Novel, Theatre Play
- *Baby the Rain Must Fall* (1965), Screenplay, Theatre Play
- *To Kill a Mockingbird* (1962), Screenplay — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/to-kill-a-mockingbird.md)
- *The Shape of the River* (1960), Writer
- *Old Man* (1958), Teleplay
- *Armchair Theatre* (1956), series, Writer
- *Storm Fear* (1955), Writer
- *The Trip to Bountiful* (1953), Teleplay
- *Goodyear Television Playhouse* (1951), series, Writer
- *The Philco Television Playhouse* (1948), series, Director

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 2 won, 1 nominated

- 1986: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *The Trip to Bountiful*
- 1984: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (won), for *Tender Mercies*
- 1963: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (won), for *To Kill a Mockingbird*

### Other awards — 1 won, 2 nominated

- Tony Award for Best Play 2009: Tony Award for Best Play (nominated), for *Dividing the Estate*
- Tony Award for Best Play 1997: Tony Award for Best Play (nominated), for *The Young Man from Atlanta*
- Pulitzer Prize for Drama 1995: Pulitzer Prize for Drama (won), for *The Young Man from Atlanta*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© 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/horton-foote