Millard Kaufman (March 12, 1917– March 14, 2009) was an American screenwriter and novelist.[1] His works include the Academy Award-nominated Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). He was also one of the creators of Mr. Magoo.
While serving in the Pacific, Kaufman had contracted malaria and dengue fever, and upon his return to the United States, felt he could no longer deal with the extremes of the New York City climate. He and his wife moved to California where he took up screenwriting. In 1949, Kaufman wrote the screenplay for the short film Ragtime Bear, which was the first appearance of Mr. Magoo. He followed this up in 1950 with another UPA film, Punchy de Leon, featuring The Fox and The Crow.
McSweeney's published Kaufman's first fiction novel, titled Bowl of Cherries, in October 2007. Kaufman was 86 years old when he began work on the novel and 90 when it was published. His second novel, Misadventure, was published posthumously.[5] He also published a screenwriting manual, Plots & Characters: A Screenwriter on Screenwriting.[6]
Death
Kaufman died aged 92 in Los Angeles of heart failure after open heart surgery.
