Died at 99
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Alvin Sargent (April 12, 1927–May 9, 2019) was an American screenwriter. He won two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, for Julia (1977) and Ordinary People (1980). Sargent's other works include screenplays of the films The Sterile Cuckoo (1969), The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1970), Paper Moon (1973), Nuts (1987), White Palace (1990), What About Bob? (1991), Unfaithful (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). Alvin Sargent was born Alvin Supowitz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Esther (née Kadansky) and Isaac Supowitz. He was of Russian Jewish descent. Sargent attended Upper Darby High School, leaving at age 17 to join the Navy. As of 2006, he was one of 35 alumni to be on the school's Wall of Fame. Sargent began writing for television in 1953, and through the 1960s, he scripted episodes for Route 66, Ben Casey, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. He collaborated on his first screenplay for a film on Gambit (1966) and gained recognition for I Walk the Line (1970) and Paper Moon (1973), for which he won the WGA Award for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium and was nominated for an Academy Award. He won the Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay in 1978 for the film Julia (1977) and again in 1981 for Ordinary People (1980). He collaborated on the 2004 screenplay for Spider-Man 2 and the 2007 screenplay for Spider-Man 3. He'd also collaborate on the screenplay for the 2012 reboot The Amazing Spider-Man. He had a long-time relationship with producer Laura Ziskin; they were married from 2010 until her death in 2011. His brother was writer and producer Herb Sargent. Sargent died from natural causes at his home in Seattle on May 9, 2019, four weeks after his 92nd birthday. Description above from the Wikipedia article Alvin Sargent, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
The story takes place in the far future of humanity, in the Galactic Padishah Empire. By Imperial decree, Duke Leto of House Atreides is given stewardship of the dangerous desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune, the only source of the most valuable substance in the universe, the Spice Melange. The Spice is a drug that extends human life, provides superhuman levels of thought, and makes foldspace travel possible. Although Leto knows the opportunity is an intricate trap set by his enemies, House Harkonnen (who were in charge of harvesting the Spice on Arrakis before and had to withdraw), he takes his Bene Gesserit concubine Lady Jessica, young son and heir Paul, and most of his trusted advisers to Arrakis. Leto takes control of the Spice mining operation, which is made perilous by the presence of gigantic sandworms. A surprise attack by the Harkonnens and Imperial Sardaukar then overwhelms House Atreides, and Paul and Jessica flee in the desert in search of the Fremen, the natives of Arrakis. While on the run, Paul has visions of a possible destiny for himself, and a bloody one at that, which might change the galaxy forever...
