Born in New York City. An associate editor of Time magazine and a regular contributor to The New Yorker, he went to Hollywood in the early 30s and became a screenwriter for various studios. Although he wrote original stories and screenplays for films of varied genres, he gained a reputation mostly for his Westerns, into which he often introduced psychoneurotic elements. His novel Duel in the Sun (1944) provided the story basis for the large-scale Selznick-Vidor film of that name (1947). Notable screen writing credits (alone or in collaboration) include BABBITT (1934), IN OLD CHICAGO (1937), THE ANGELS WASH THEIR FACES (1939), THE WESTERNER (1940), BELLE STARR (1941), THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946), PURSUED (1947), THE CAPTURE and THE FURIES (both 1950, both novels), DISTANT DRUMS (1951), THE MAN FROM THE ALAMO and THE MOONLIGHTER (both 1953) and THE TREASURE OF PANCHO VILLA (1955). In the 70s, he was teaching and lecturing on film at various California universities and in the mid-80s became a teaching fellow at Princeton. He played a bit part in the film THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING (1988). Formerly (1942-52) married to actress Teresa Wright.    Nominated for Writing (Original Story) 1937: IN OLD CHICAGO 1 nomination