Born in Wharton, TX. Acclaimed for his poignant evocations of rural America, Foote has written numerous screen adaptations of his own work, as well as that of Harper Lee (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, 1962, which won him his first Oscar®), John Steinbeck (OF MICE AND MEN, 1992) and William Faulkner (TOMORROW, 1972). His nine-play series about four generations of his Texas forebears, "The Orphan's Home," has yielded films, including 1918 (1984), ON VALENTINE'S DAY (1986) and CONVICTS (1991). He adapted his play The Travelling Lady for BABY THE RAIN MUST FALL (1965) and his novel for THE CHASE (1966). His play was also the basis for his screenplay for THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (1985). To date, Foote has written two screenplay written directly for the screen: TENDER MERCIES (1983), the episodic portrait of a country singer that earned him his second best screenplay Oscar, as well as a best actor award for Robert Duvall; and THE LAND OF THE ASTRONAUTS (in pre-production in 2007). In addition to his Pulitzer Prize for The Young Man from Atlanta and two Oscars, Foote, who often directs his work for the stage, was honored with the William Inge Award for Lifetime Achievement in the American Theatre in 1989, a Gold Medal for Drama from the Academy of Arts and Letters in 1998, the Writer's Guild of America's Lifetime Achievement award in 1999, and the PEN American Center's Master American Dramatist Award in 2000. He is the father of Hallie Foote, Daisy Foote and Horton Foote Jr., all of whom are actors, and director Willie Foote.

Writing (Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium) 1962: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD  Writing (Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) 1983: TENDER MERCIES  Nominated for Writing (Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium) 1985: THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL 3 nominations, 2 Awards