Norman Wexler

Norman Wexler (6 August 1926 – 23 August 1999) was a screenwriter whose work included such films as Saturday Night Fever, Serpico and Joe, for which he received an Oscar nomination in 1971. A Detroit native and 1944 Central High School graduate; Wexler attended Harvard University before moving to New York in 1951. His distinction as a writer: many of his scripts were commercially very successful low budget hits that at the same time received crit... more

Norman Wexler (6 August 1926 – 23 August 1999) was a screenwriter whose work included such films as Saturday Night Fever, Serpico and Joe, for which he received an Oscar nomination in 1971. A Detroit native and 1944 Central High School graduate; Wexler attended Harvard University before moving to New York in 1951. His distinction as a writer: many of his scripts were commercially very successful low budget hits that at the same time received critical acclaim and have stood the test of time. His Joe, Serpico and Mandingo, each made by different directors with different casts, nevertheless were significant hits that launched or enhanced careers. He received Oscar nominations for the first two works. He wrote Saturday Night Fever, which generated earnings in excess of $1.2B in today's dollars when both movie and record album sales are counted, more than double US sales of top box office hit Titanic -- which had a huge budget and costly special effects. He was reported to have suffered... less