An American playwright and screenwriter, born on August 16, 1926, in New Bedford, United States. He studied at Harvard University before moving to New York in 1951. He is known for Saturday Night Fever (1977), and Raw Deal (1986). He was nominated twice for an Academy Award for Serpico (1973) and Joe (1970). He died on August 23, 1999, in Washington, D.C., USA, due to a heart attack.