Hecht, << hehkt, >> Ben (1894-1964), was an American playwright, novelist, and screenwriter. Hecht wrote in a colorful style that may have been influenced by his years as a newspaperman in Chicago.
Hecht became best known for plays he wrote with Charles MacArthur. Their most famous collaboration, The Front Page (1928), is a comic melodrama about hard-boiled newspaper life in Chicago. Hecht and MacArthur also wrote Twentieth Century (1932), which is a comedy about movie stars. Hecht’s first and best-known novel, Erik Dorn (1921), deals with a brilliant, cynical journalist.
Hecht was born on Feb. 28, 1894, in New York City but was raised in Racine, Wisconsin. After graduating from high school, he moved to Chicago and began working as a reporter. After 1933, Hecht spent most of his time as a film screenwriter, director, and producer. He won Academy Awards for his writing for Underworld (1929) and The Scoundrel (1935). He also wrote scripts for such films as Nothing Sacred (1937), Spellbound (1945), and Notorious (1946). In his later years, Hecht worked to establish the state of Israel. Hecht wrote an autobiography, A Child of the Century (1954). He died on April 18, 1964.
