A screenwriter, Lehman turned out an astounding number of Hollywood classics. Among other films, he wrote Sabrina (1954), The Sound of Music (1965), The King and I (1956), North by Northwest (1959), West Side Story (1961), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), and Portnoy’s Complaint (1972).
He was also the co-writer and producer of Hello, Dolly! (1969), and produced Virginia Woolf. His incredible work did not go unnoticed: he was nominated for Academy Awards for screenwriting four times, won five Writers Guild of America awards, won the WGA’s Screen Laurel Award (1972), and in 2001 was the first screenwriter ever to win an Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement.
Yet in his acceptance speech, he acknowledged how anonymous most screenwriters are. He urged movie reviewers “to please always bear in mind that a film production begins and ends with a screenplay.” But far too often, the screenwriter still remains anonymous, overshadowed by actors and directors who were guided by the scripts they followed. (Case in point: could you have named the screenwriter of any of the classic films listed above?) Lehman died July 2 from a heart attack at 89.