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Kurt Luedtke (September 28, 1939 – August 9, 2020) was an American screenwriter and executive editor of the Detroit Free Press. He was noted for writing Out of Africa (1985), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also wrote Absence of Malice (1981), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, as well as Random Hearts (1999). All three films were directed by Sydney Pollack.

Early life

Luedtke was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on September 28, 1939. His father, Herman, worked as a lumber broker; his mother was Virginia. He obtained a bachelor's degree from Brown University, before joining the fast-track summer law program at the University of Michigan Law School. However, he switched career paths after traveling to the Southern United States to witness the unfolding civil rights movement and authoring several articles on the subject as a freelancer. He consequently studied at the Medill School of Journalism of Northwestern University.

Career

Luedtke became a newspaper reporter, first in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and then at the Miami Herald. Luedtke then moved to the Detroit Free Press in 1965. He started off as general assignment reporter, before rising to executive editor at age 33.

Luedtke left the Free Press and quit journalism altogether in 1978. He subsequently moved to Hollywood to break into the film business, where his only entry was as a screenwriter. His intention was to write a book, but his idea for a book about reporting came to the attention of Orion Pictures, which optioned it before it was written for $20,000 and pitched it to director George Roy Hill, who liked it but was unavailable to help on the screenplay. Luedtke offered to write the screenplay for free providing that he could have his idea back if Orion didn't proceed with the movie. Ultimately, Sydney Pollack was available to direct the movie, which became Absence of Malice, beginning the working relationship between the two men. Luedtke received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, a rare accomplishment for a first-time screenwriter. He again collaborated with Pollack in Out of Africa. The film won seven Oscars (from eleven nominations), including Luedtke's award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Personal life

Luedtke was married to Eleanor for 55 years until his death. The two met while they were working at the Miami Herald. He recovered from cancer on two occasions.

Luedtke died on August 9, 2020, at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. He was 80, and suffered a long illness in the time leading up to his death.

References

1. ^ Kiska, Tim (August 9, 2020). "Kurt Luedtke, former Free Press editor and Oscar-winning screenwriter, dies at 80". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
2. Kiska, Tim (1989). Detroit's Powers & Personalities. Momentum Books. p. 135. ISBN 9780961872618.
3. ^ Haithman, Diane (22 December 1985). "Dream Wasn't Impossible for Screenwriter Luedtke". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
4. Kamer, Foster. "New York Times Top Brass Trolled by Former Editor Armed with Embarrassing Anecdote". Observer.com. The New York Observer. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
5. "Out of Africa (1985)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 9, 2020.

External links

• Kurt Luedtke at IMDb

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• 2020 deaths
• American male screenwriters
• Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners
• Writers from Grand Rapids, Michigan
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