10 Hollywood Legends You've Probably Never Heard Of

The late Sidney ‘Paddy’ Chayefsky, an American novelist and playwright, also dabbled in screenwriting. When I say ‘dabbled’, he’s the only person ever to win three Oscars for best screenplay without sharing them with anyone: for Marty in 1955, The Hospital in 1971, and the amazing Network in 1976.

Chafesky practically wrote the book for quality television drama in the 1950s, becoming the godfather of the first golden age of television. During that period’s fascination with what’s called ‘kitchen sink realism’, his highly personal, authentic writing became the benchmark for that kind of TV drama.

That’s because he learned to write that style of naturalistic, intimate screenplay through his immersal in the theatre, somewhere he would return to time after time even after his great success on the small and big screen.

Chayefsky wrote the original book that Ken Russell’s masterpiece Altered States was based on, and adapted the material himself, although he later disowned the film, and was credited for the screenplay under a pseudonym. Russell had banned him from the set claiming that he was “impossible to please”, although other sources claim that Chayefsky was unhappy with how quickly the cast were getting through his dialogue.

Whatever the case, the finished film only added to his legacy as one of the most celebrated screenwriters in Hollywood history, a man called “daring, uninhibited and prophetic” by critics.