Robert Kaufman (March 22, 1931 – November 21, 1991) was an American screenwriter, film producer and television writer known for such films and series as ''

Getting Straight ''Getting Straight'' is a 1970 American comedy film motion picture directed by Richard Rush, released by Columbia Pictures. The story centered upon student politics at a university in the early 1970s, seen through the eyes of non-conformist grad ...

'', ''

Love at First Bite ''Love at First Bite'' is a 1979 American comedy horror film directed by Stan Dragoti and written by Robert Kaufman, using characters originally created by Bram Stoker. It stars George Hamilton, Susan Saint James, Richard Benjamin, and Arte Jo ...

'', ''

She's Out of Control ''She's Out of Control'' is a 1989 American independent coming of age comedy film directed by Stan Dragoti. Starring Tony Danza, Ami Dolenz and Catherine Hicks. The original music score was composed by Alan Silvestri. The film was marketed with ...

'', ''

Divorce American Style ''Divorce American Style'' is a 1967 American film, directed by Bud Yorkin and starring Dick Van Dyke, Debbie Reynolds, Jason Robards, Jean Simmons, and Van Johnson. Norman Lear produced the comedy satire and wrote the script, based on a story by ...

'', ''

The Cool Ones ''The Cool Ones'' (aka ''Cool, Baby Cool'') is a 1967 film starring Roddy McDowall and directed by Gene Nelson. The 1960s novelty singer known as Mrs. Miller performs in a cameo role, and the film features performances by the bands the Leaves and ...

'', '' Freebie and the Bean'', ''

How to Beat the High Co$t of Living ''How to Beat the High Cost of Living'' is a 1980 American comedy heist film starring Susan Saint James, Jane Curtin, and Jessica Lange. Set in the aftermath of the economic recession of the 1970s, the film follows three women in suburban Oregon ...

'', '' The Monkees'', and '' The Ugliest Girl in Town''.The New York Times: "Robert Kaufman, 60, TV and Film Writer"
November 26, 1991.The Los Angeles Times: "Robert Kaufman; Comedy Writer for Movies and TV" by Myrna Oliver
November 23, 1991

Biography

Born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family on March 22, 1931, Kaufman attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

for three years before leaving to hitchhike across the US and Europe. He then took a job as a publicist for Mort Sahl in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and later as a comedy writer for in the late 1950s including as a writer for Dick Shawn. In 1961, he moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

where he focused on television scripts before landing his first film credit in 1965 for ''

Ski Party ''Ski Party'' is a 1965 American musical-comedy film directed by Alan Rafkin and starring Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman. It was released by American International Pictures (AIP). ''Ski Party'' is considered as a beach party film spin-off, wi ...

''. In 1983, it inked a non-exclusive deal at

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, whereas Kaufman was allowed to serve as writer-producer for the film studio.

Personal life

Kaufman was raised in Westport, Connecticut and attended

Staples High School Staples High School is a public high school located in the town of Westport, Connecticut, United States. Staples High School is named after Horace Staples, who founded the school on April 26, 1884. Westport is one of eight school districts in Dis ...

. In a December 30, 1970 television appearance on '' The Dick Cavett Show'', Kaufman revealed that when his family moved to the town in 1941 they were the first Jewish family to reside in Westport. He was married three times. He had four children from his first marriage: Melissa, Robin, Richard, and Christopher. His third wife was Robin Krause. He died in 1991; services were held at

Hillside Memorial Park The Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a Jewish cemetery located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue, in Culver City, California. Many Jews from the entertainment industry are buried here. The cemetery is known for Al Jolson's elaborate tomb (design ...

References

External links

* American male screenwriters American television writers Jewish American screenwriters American film producers 1931 births 1991 deaths American male television writers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American Jews {{US-tv-bio-stub