William Norton, R. I. P.

William Norton, a Writer Wilder Than His Films, Dies at 85 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com: "William Norton, a Hollywood screenwriter whose own life story would stretch the credibility of most screenplays, died Oct. 1 in Santa Barbara, Calif. He was 85.

The cause was a heart attack, said his daughter Joan.

In his later life, Mr. Norton was imprisoned for running guns, killed a home invader and was smuggled back into the United States by his daughter and former wife.

Until then, however, he had been a successful Hollywood screenwriter, turning out 20 or so feature films, most of them rowdy, uptempo and somewhat tongue-in-cheek adventure tales that served as vehicles for charismatic leading men and women like John Wayne, Burt Lancaster and Angie Dickinson."

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.