Who wrote the screenplay for the 1962 film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Horton Foote wrote the screenplay for the 1962 film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Foote adapted Harper Lee’s 1960 novel for the screen, shaping its first-person childhood perspective, courtroom drama, and Depression-era Alabama setting into a 129-minute film directed by Robert Mulligan. The screenplay preserved the central relationship between Scout, Jem, and their father, Atticus Finch, while condensing the novel’s many episodes.

Foote’s adaptation earned the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Harper Lee was reportedly pleased with the film and considered it an unusually faithful translation of her book. The screenplay also helped establish Gregory Peck’s celebrated portrayal of Atticus, although Peck’s performance and Mulligan’s direction are separate credits.

A common mix-up is confusing the screenwriter with Robert Mulligan, who directed the film, or Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the screenplay for the later Broadway adaptation. Harper Lee wrote the novel, not the 1962 film script.