Brackett, Charles

Brackett, Charles (1892–1969) movie producer, screenwriter; born in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He graduated from Williams (1915) and Harvard Law School (1920), his schooling interrupted by his service in World War I. He practiced law and published magazine stories and several novels before becoming drama critic for the New Yorker (1925–29). Some of his stories were purchased by Hollywood, which led to his being hired as a writer by Paramount in 1932. In 1938 he began collaborating with Billy Wilder, first as cowriter and then (1943) also as producer, and the two enjoyed a string of popular and critical successes, including The Lost Weekend (1945) and Sunset Boulevard (1950), winning Oscars for both. They split in 1950, and Brackett continued to produce other movies, winning another Oscar as coauthor of Titanic (1953).