PR firm McClure & Associates announced the news on behalf of Townes family.
He was honored with the guilds Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement in 1997.
Otis Young, Clifton James and Carol Kane co-starred.
Robert Towne in 2006Getty Images/Fairfax Media
That film would set up Townes career-defining screenplay the following year.
At its inception,Chinatownseemed like a dream project.
Unmoved, Evans instructed Towne to abandonChinatown, offering instead a payday of $175,000 to adaptThe Great Gatsby.
Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in ‘Chinatown’Everett
While he relished his freedom, it proved illusory.
Next came Polanski, a Europe native who confessed he was baffled by the subplots of Los Angeles politics.
Finally there was Evans, who found the narrative impenetrable.
One recurring topic of disagreement was violence.
If a filmmaker tries to avoid upsetting people, that would be immoral, he argued.
Once production was finished, further disagreements ensued.
The ending was re-written, the original score abandoned.
Nicholson felt the look of the film as a whole was too bright.
WhenChinatownfinally screened for critics, doubts vanished.
The reception was ecstatic and the movie declared an instant classic.
Watch the films original trailer below.
His next film, 1975sShampoo, was another commercial and critical hit.
It ranked among AFIs Top 300 sports movies of all time.
His wrote the screenplay for the 1984 Tarzan taleGreystoke,starring Christopher Lambert, with an eye to direct.
Vazak, his sheepdog.
It also was the first Academy Award nom for any Tarzan film.
He also directed it.
Information regarding a celebration of life ceremony will be announced at a later date.
