Resources

News: E.T. Screenwriter Melissa Mathison Has Passed Away

by Ken Miyamoto on November 5, 2015

Oscar-nominated screenwriter and associate producer of E.T., Melissa Mathison, passed away Wednesday, November 4th at UCLA Medical Center of neuroendrocrine cancer. She was 65.

Mathison recently reunited with her E.T. director Steven Spielberg to adapt the Roal Dahl book The BFG.  The film is currently in post-production and set to be released next year. 

She was married to actor Harrison Ford from 1983 to 2004, and they had two children together. 

Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy, a longtime Spielberg collaborator that also produced E.T., stated, "Melissa was a remarkable friend not only to me but to everyone who had the privilege to know her.  She was fiercely intelligent, confident, soulful, strong and had a smile that would light up a room.  I will miss her terribly.” 

Mathison adapted the classic novel The Indian in the Cupboard for Kennedy-Marshall Prods. She also wrote screenplays for The Escape Artist, a segment in the Twilight Zone movie, the TV movie Son of the Morning Star, as well as the Francis Ford Coppola-produced The Black Stallion

Mathison was born in Los Angeles on June 30, 1950, and grew up in the Hollywood Hills. Her father was Richard Mathison, a journalist who worked at the L.A. Times and then Newsweek. She attended UC Berkeley, majoring in political science, but put her studies on hold to work as an assistant to Francis Ford Coppola on the 1974 The Godfather, Part II.

Spielberg said in a statement Wednesday, “Melissa had a heart that shined with generosity and love and burned as bright as the heart she gave E.T.”

Source: Variety

Get Our Newsletter!

Get weekly writing inspiration delivered to your inbox - including industry news, popular articles, and more!

Hidden
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Developing Your Own Script?

We'll send you a list of our free eCourses when you subscribe to our newsletter. No strings attached.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

You Might Also Like

Your success is our #1 priority. We provide aspiring writers industry access, free resources and inspiration, and a community to support you through every step of your creative journey.

Writing Competitions

Success Stories