David Seidler was the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of “The King’s Speech” and the credited co-writer of the Francis Ford Coppola film “Tucker: The Man and His Dream.”
- Died: March 16, 2024 (Who else died on March 16?)
- Details of death: Died in New Zealand at the age of 86.
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David Seidler’s legacy
The London-born Seidler and his family resettled in the United States after the Nazi bombing blitzes of World War II, but not before he developed a stammer as a child, which he believed may have been triggered by the traumas of the war. He struggled with his stutter through his teen years, until he experienced a breakthrough: anger and profanity. This did not conquer his stammer, but it did help him control it.
After attending Cornell University, Seidler pursued life as a writer. His Hollywood breakthrough came when he was 40, by way of acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola’s film “Tucker: The Man and His Dream,” though both Coppola and co-writer Arnold Schulman said that none of Seidler’s work appears in the film. He also wrote for television, including episodes of popular soaps like “General Hospital,” “Days of Our Lives,” and “Another World.”
His best-known work began in the 1970s but was set aside for several decades. He returned to the long-gestating piece in 2005, which became “The King’s Speech,” the story about King George VI of England and his struggles to overcome a stammer. The movie was a widespread critical success, earning Seidler several awards in 2011, including a BAFTA, Academy Award, and Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Notable quote
“I accept this on behalf of all the stutterers throughout the world. We have a voice. We have been heard, thanks to you, the Academy.”—from Seidler’s 2011 Academy Award acceptance speech
Tributes to David Seidler
Full obituary: Variety
