Nancy Dowd | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1945 (age 79–80) |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Smith College UCLA |
| Notable works | Slap Shot (1977) Coming Home (1978) |
Nancy Dowd (born 1945) is anAcademy Award-winningscreenwriter whose credits include the filmsSlap Shot andComing Home.[1]
Dowd was born inFramingham, Massachusetts, the daughter of a wealthymachine tool plant operator. She graduated fromSmith College and spent her junior year at theSorbonne. At Smith, she became friends withMolly Ivins, to whom she would later send copies of her screenplays for Ivins to read.[2] After graduation, she taught English in Tokyo and worked for a time as a beer hall hostess. She later attended theUCLA Film School[3] earning a master's degree,[2] and worked as a student assistant to the directorKing Vidor.[3]
Dowd's first screenplay, commissioned by Jane Fonda, was an antiwar story about a returning Vietnam War veteran titled "Buffalo Ghost." The script was turned over toWaldo Salt and was filmed asComing Home. In a 1977New York Times interview, Dowd called the new version of the screenplay "terrible."[3]
Her brotherNed Dowd inspired[4] the story behindSlap Shot based on his experiences playingminor league hockey. Ned and his wife, Nancy N. Dowd, both appeared in the film.[5]
She wrote lyrics for a song used inLadies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, another film she wrote.
Dowd often usespseudonyms such as Rob Morton or Ernest Morton, or simply writes films without being officially credited.[citation needed]
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