Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Curtis Hanson died on Tuesday. He was 71. As a director, producer, and writer, Hanson helmed a crop of films that spanned genres and decades, including Losin’ It (1983), The River Wild (1994), Wonder Boys (2000), In Her Shoes (2005), and 8 Mile (2002). Before he penned his first screenplay, Dunwich Horror (1970), Hanson interviewed directors, including John Ford and Vincente Minnelli, for Cinema magazine, a time he would later refer to as his “film school.” He is perhaps best known for the neo-noir crime thriller L.A. Confidential (1997). He and Brian Helgeland won an Oscar for their screenplay adaption of James Ellroy’s novel, and Hanson was also nominated as the film’s director. Hanson died at home after an apparent heart attack, TMZ reports.
