Robert Benton, the three-time Oscar-winning director and screenwriter, passed away in New York at age 92. His son, John Benton, announced that his father died on Sunday, May 11, at his home in Manhattan from “natural causes.” Benton had won an Oscar for directing and screenwriting for the 1979 film “Kramer vs. Kramer,” and another Oscar for the screenplay of the 1985 film “A Place in the Heart,” which he also directed.

Robert Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas, and studied Fine Arts at the University of Texas. He pursued postgraduate studies at Columbia with the aim of becoming a painter. Simultaneously, he tried to make a living as a cartoonist. His first professional success came when he was hired as an assistant art director at Esquire magazine, later becoming the art director (1958-1964).

Benton collaborated with dozens of actors, many of whom earned Oscars for starring in films he directed. Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep each won Oscars for their performances in “Kramer vs. Kramer,” and Sally Field received an award for her role in “A Place in the Heart.”

He worked with David Newman on the Oscar-nominated screenplay of “Bonnie and Clyde,” a film that redefined American cinema in the 1960s. Their paths crossed while Benton was the art director at Esquire, where Newman had previously worked.

In the film “Nobody’s Fool,” an ironic comedy released in 1994 starring Paul Newman—his last Oscar-nominated performance—Newman played a troublemaker in a small town north of New York. Benton’s film, based on the novel by Richard Russo, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.