'Dog Day Afternoon' writer Frank Pierson dies

Oscar-winning 'Dog Day Afternoon' screenwriter Frank Pierson has died in Los Angeles of natural causes following a short illness aged 87.

One of the most respected writers in Hollywood, Pierson also nabbed Academy Award nominations for 'Cat Ballou' and 'Cool Hand Luke'. He will forever be associated with the Al Pacino/Sidney Lumet bank robbery drama 'Dog Day Afternoon', often remembered as one of the key films of the 1970s.

As a director he found moderate success with projects like 'A Star Is Born', but his work as a writer kept him at the top for decades.

Following his 60s/70s golden era, Pierson continued to make waves in his older age with work on 'Presumed Innocent' garnering praise.

This decade, Pierson was still active well into his eighties. He was a Writer and Consulting Producer on the Emmy Award®-winning drama 'Mad Men' and had served the same duties on numerous episodes of 'The Good Wife'.

If that wasn't enough, Pierson was president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 2001-2005 and had served as Governor of the Writers Branch for 17 years.

Phil Robinson, Academy Governor of the Writers Branch paid tribute: "Young rock 'n rollers always look to the old bluesmen as models of how to keep their art strong and rebellious into older years.  

"For screenwriters, Frank has been our old blues master for a long time.  From great, great movies like "Cat Ballou", "Cool Hand Luke", and "Dog Day Afternoon", to his joining the writing staffs of "The Good Wife" and "Mad Men" well past his 80th birthday, he's always shown us - better than anyone else - how to do it with class, grace, humor, strength, brilliance, generosity, and a joyful tenacity.

"He was both a great and a good man, I miss him already, and I feel very, very lucky to have known him."

Pierson is survived by his wife Helene, his children Michael and Eve and five grandchildren.

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