- Born
- Died
- Ernest Tidyman was born on January 1, 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for The French Connection (1971), High Plains Drifter (1973) and Shaft (2019). He was married to Chris Clark, Susan Katherine Gould, Valerie Luczikowska and Ruth Rayle . He died on July 14, 1984 in London, England, UK.
- SpousesChris Clark(March 26, 1982 - July 14, 1984) (his death)Susan Katherine Gould(December 25, 1970 - 1982) (her death, 2 children)Valerie Luczikowska (1968 - 1970) (divorced)Ruth Rayle (1962 - 1966) (divorced, 2 children)
- ChildrenAdam TidymanBenjamin RayleNathaniel RayleNicholas Tidyman
- One of the few white people to win an NAACP Image Award for creating the 'Shaft' books.
- Dropped out of school at age 14 and then embarked on a 25 year long career as a journalist, beginning as police reporter for 'The Cleveland News'. In 1960, he became assistant women's editor for 'The New York Times'.
- Came up with the character's name by looking out his book publisher's window and seeing a sign that read "Fire Shaft".
- His two first film screenplays were Shaft (1971) and The French Connection (1971), both iconic films dealing with the crime scene in the New York of early 1970's. He won an Oscar for the latter film.
- Began his writing career as a reporter for the New York Post.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content