Alan Trustman, the screenwriter behind the 1968 films 'Bullitt' and 'The Thomas Crown Affair,' has died at age 95. He passed away on February 5 in a Miami nursing home, according to his son John. Trustman transitioned from a legal career to Hollywood, crafting iconic stories featuring Steve McQueen.
Alan Trustman, born on December 16, 1930, in Brookline, Massachusetts, built a distinguished career as a corporate attorney before entering the film industry. He graduated magna cum laude with a history degree from Harvard College in 1952 and earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1955. Trustman joined the Boston firm Nutter, McClennen & Fish, where his father was a partner, and rose to partnership himself before retiring at age 37.
His entry into screenwriting came unexpectedly. Frustrated by a poor film he saw at a drive-in, Trustman wrote a script on weekends that evolved into 'The Thomas Crown Affair,' a stylish heist movie directed by Norman Jewison and starring Steve McQueen as the bored millionaire Thomas Crown and Faye Dunaway as investigator Vicki Anderson. The story drew inspiration from Trustman's knowledge of bank security from his earlier work at the First National Bank of Boston, visible from his office window.
In the same year, 1968, Trustman penned 'Bullitt,' a San Francisco-set police thriller based on Robert L. Fish's novel 'Mute Witness.' McQueen portrayed Lieutenant Frank Bullitt in the film, renowned for its famous car chase through the city's steep streets. Trustman also wrote 'They Call Me Mister Tibbs!' in 1970, a sequel to 'In the Heat of the Night' starring Sidney Poitier, as well as 'Lady Ice' and 'Hit!' in 1973, 'Crime and Passion' in 1975, and 'The Next Man' in 1976.
After his Hollywood stint, Trustman pursued business ventures, including gambling operations in Miami and currency trading in Switzerland. He authored the 1992 thriller novel 'Father’s Day.' A 1999 remake of 'The Thomas Crown Affair' featured Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo, while a new update directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan with Adria Arjona is scheduled for release on March 5, 2027.
Trustman is survived by his wife, psychiatrist Dr. Barbara Buchwald; son John; daughter Laurie; sister Patty; and 11 grandchildren. He was previously married to Playboy cartoon editor Michelle Urry, who died in 2006.
