Age | 65 (age at death) |
Birthday | 20 June, 1950 |
Birthplace | Los Angeles, California |
Died | 4 November, 2015 |
Place of Death | Los Angeles, California |
Height | 5' 11" (180 cm) |
Eye Color | Blue |
Hair Color | Blonde |
Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Screenwriter |
Claim to Fame | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) |
Melissa Marie Mathison (June 3, 1950 – November 4, 2015) was an American film and television screenwriter and an activist for Tibetan freedom. She was best known for writing the screenplays for the films The Black Stallion (1979) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), the latter of which earned her the Saturn Award for Best Writing and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Mathison went on to write The Indian in the Cupboard (1995), based on Lynne Reid Banks' 1980 children's novel of the same name, and Kundun (1997), a biographical-drama film about the Dalai Lama. Her final film credit was The BFG (2016), which marked her third collaboration with director Steven Spielberg.