Born in New York City. The son of stage and screen actress Florence Hackett (1882 - 1954) and brother of actor Raymond Hackett (1902-1958), he appeared as a child actor on the stage and in films from the age of six. His first credited film appearance is in A COLLEGE GIRL (1912) at Lubin. He continued to appear in films until 1930 (WHOOPEE!). He later wrote plays and screenplays in collaboration with his wife, Frances Goodrich. Some of their non-nominated screenwriting credits include AH, WILDERNESS (1935), ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939), A CERTAIN SMILE (1956), CHAINED (1934), THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (1959, from their play), EASTER PARADE (1950), FIVE FINGER EXERCISE (1962), IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME (1949), IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946), LADY IN THE DARK 91944), THE LONG, LONG TRAILER (1954), NAUGHTY MARIETTA (1935), THE PIRATE (1948), ROSE-MARIE (1936), THANKS FOR THE MEMORY (1948), UP POPS THE DEVIL (1931) and THE VIRGINIAN (1946).  Nominated for Writing (Adaptation) 1934: THE THIN MAN - w. Frances Goodrich  Nominated for Writing (Screenplay) 1936: AFTER THE THIN MAN - w. Frances Goodrich  Nominated for Writing (Screenplay) 1950: FATHER OF THE BRIDE - w. Frances Goodrich  Nominated for Writing (Screenplay) 1954: SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS - w. Frances Goodrich & Dorothy Kingsley 4 nominations