---
name: "Robert Benton"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/robert-benton"
roles: ["Director","Screenwriter"]
born: "29 September 1932"
died: "11 May 2025"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T11:18:07.029455+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."
---

# Robert Benton

Director and screenwriter. Born 29 September 1932 in Waxahachie, Texas, USA. Died 11 May 2025.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Screenwriter
- **Born:** 29 September 1932, Waxahachie, Texas, USA
- **Died:** 11 May 2025
- **Also known as:** Robert Douglas Benton

## Fi1m on Robert Benton

> Robert Benton made intimate dramas that took ordinary responsibilities seriously and gave actors room to work. We value his patience with people, though *Kramer vs. Kramer* shows how readily that patience could favour one person over another.

A father has to learn how to look after his son, and Benton gives that education the attention it deserves in *Kramer vs. Kramer* (1979). Dustin Hoffman and Justin Henry make the growing closeness between Ted and Billy persuasive because the film takes the work of caring seriously. We were moved by their relationship because Benton allows ordinary responsibilities to matter as much as the break-up that has made them newly urgent. His direction is patient with the father’s efforts, without pretending that care comes naturally.

Benton had entered screenwriting by co-writing *Bonnie and Clyde* (1967) with David Newman, a script whose treatment of violence helped usher in New Hollywood. He began directing with *Bad Company* (1972), later blending mystery and character study in *The Late Show* (1977). With *Kramer vs. Kramer*, the troubles of one family were enough to sustain a film. The modest scale suited a director who listened to actors and allowed them freedom to interpret their parts.

The difficulty in *Kramer vs. Kramer* is that Benton understands Ted’s education more fully than Joanna’s dissatisfaction. Meryl Streep makes the mother’s position harder to dismiss, but she is working against a screenplay too ready to ask her to justify herself. Adapted by Benton from Avery Corman’s novel, the film sometimes makes judging the parents seem simpler than understanding them. That matters because its observation of daily care is otherwise so convincing, and Streep cannot quite correct the imbalance.

The later films kept that interest in individual lives: *Places in the Heart* (1984) was a personal story set in his Texas hometown, while *Nobody’s Fool* (1994) adapted Richard Russo’s novel and brought him together with Paul Newman. He continued making character-driven dramas through to *Feast of Love* (2007), his final film as director. Benton’s willingness to listen to performers helps explain why the people can remain convincing when the writing is less fair to them. Start with *Kramer vs. Kramer*, and pay Streep as much attention as the film pays Hoffman.

## Biography

Robert Benton was an American screenwriter and film director. He wrote and directed the 1979 film *Kramer vs. Kramer*, for which he won Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. He also co-wrote the screenplay for *Bonnie and Clyde* (1967) with David Newman.

Benton began his career in the art department at *Esquire* magazine before moving into screenwriting. He directed and wrote several other films, including *Places in the Heart* (1984), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. His other credits include the screenplay for *Superman* (1978) and directing *Nobody's Fool* (1994).

Born in Texas, Benton was married to artist Sallie Rendig from 1964 until her death in 2023. He died in New York City on 11 May 2025.

*Sources: variety.com, en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Kramer vs. Kramer* (1979), Fi1m 82, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/kramer-vs-kramer.md)

## Also known for

- *Superman* (1978), Screenplay
- *Bonnie and Clyde* (1967), Writer
- *The Human Stain* (2003), Director
- *What's Up, Doc?* (1972), Screenplay
- *Nobody's Fool* (1994), Director, Screenplay
- *The Ice Harvest* (2005), Screenplay
- *Feast of Love* (2007), Director
- *Billy Bathgate* (1991), Director

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© 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/robert-benton