Budd Schulberg, Oscar-Winning Screenwriter, Passes Away At 95

Budd Schulberg, who shined a light on the Hollywood underbelly with his novel "What Makes Sammy Run?" and later made his mark with his Oscar-winning screenplay for "On the Waterfront," died Wednesday at age 95.

His wife, Betsy Schulberg, said he died of natural causes at his home in Westhampton Beach, on Long Island. He was taken to a nearby medical center, where doctors unsuccessfully tried to revive him.
"He was very loved and cherished," she said.

"On the Waterfront," directed by Elia Kazan and filmed in Hoboken, N.J., was released in 1954 to great critical and audience acclaim and won eight Academy Awards.

Schulberg also wrote the book for the 1964 Broadway musical version of 'Sammy Run?'

In 2003, Schulberg was voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as an "observer," a category established the previous year for journalists and historians. In his later years, he worked on a memoir, drawing upon correspondence with Robert Kennedy, F. Scott Fitzgerald and others. He was a supporter of Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign and was among the last to speak with the Democratic candidate before he was assassinated in Los Angeles according to news reports.

Schulberg remained active in his 90s, collaborating in 2008 on a stage version of "On the Waterfront" presented at the famous Fringe arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

He is survived by his wife Betsy and five children.