ENTERTAINMENT NEWS … TOM MANKIEWICZ PASSES

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS …

TOM MANKIEWICZ

PASSES

Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz, who brought his dry wit to James Bond pics, thrillers and the Superman pics, died Saturday in Los Angeles of cancer. He was 68.

Mankiewicz wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for "Diamonds Are Forever," "Live and Let Die," "The Man With the Golden Gun," as well as TV's "Hart to Hart."

He started in showbiz as a production assistant in 1961 on Michael Curtiz's "The Comancheros," starring John Wayne, and was credited as a production associate on the bigscreen adaptation of Gore Vidal's "The Best Man," toplined by Henry Fonda in 1964.

Mankiewicz's breakout hit came with 1970's "Diamonds Are Forever." Producer Albert Broccoli had wanted a script that would lure Sean Connery back to playing James Bond. Connery returned and thus began Mankiewicz's long association with the iconic British spy, which also included uncredited work on "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker."

His reputation as a script doctor started when he was tapped to help rewrite "The Deep." He then helped director Richard Donner overhaul the scripts for "Superman" and "Superman II," leading to a Writers Guild credits dispute in which he prevailed.

Though he wasn't always credited, he contributed scenes to other films including "Gremlins," "Goonies," "WarGames," "Batman" and "Legal Eagles." He also wrote and co-produced Bill Cosby comedy "Mother, Jugs and Speed."

During the 1970s, Mankiewicz wrote or co-wrote screenplays for taut thrillers including "The Cassandra Crossing," starring Sophia Loren, and "The Eagle Has Landed," adapted from a Jack Higgins thriller and toplined by Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland.