Jeremy Larner, the Oscar-winning writer behind ‘The Candidate’, has died at the age of 88.
His son, Jesse Larner, confirmed to The New York Times that he passed away on February 24 at a nursing facility in Oakland, California. Larner had been diagnosed with lymphoma in January and had been living with Parkinson’s disease since 2013. However, a specific cause of death has not been confirmed.
Born on March 20, 1937, in Olean, New York, Larner studied at Brandeis University, graduating in 1958. He began his career as a writer in the 1960s and published several books during that decade. His first novel, ‘Drive, He Said’ (1964), was later adapted into a 1971 film directed by and co-written with Jack Nicholson.
Alongside his work in fiction and film, Larner built a reputation as a journalist, contributing to publications including Harper’s, The Paris Review and Life.
His involvement in politics also shaped much of his writing. In 1968, Larner served as a speechwriter for US presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy. The experience inspired his book Nobody Knows, which was serialised in Harper’s in 1969. That campaign would later influence Larner’s most celebrated work, the screenplay for The Candidate, directed by Michael Ritchie.
The 1972 film starred Robert Redford as Bill McKay, an idealistic lawyer who is persuaded to run for a US Senate seat and unexpectedly becomes a political sensation. Larner won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film.
Throughout his career, Larner continued writing speeches and political commentary for figures including US senator Bill Bradley, activist Sam Brown, as well as actors and activists Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
His speeches frequently addressed major issues of the era, including the Vietnam War and environmental protection.
