Robert Towne, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of the iconic film "Chinatown", passed away at 89. He died on Monday at his Los Angeles home, surrounded by family. His publicist confirmed his death but refrained from disclosing the cause.

Known for his distinctive look, with a high forehead and full beard, Towne won an Academy Award for "Chinatown" and received three other nominations for "The Last Detail", "Shampoo", and "Greystoke". In 1997, the Writers Guild of America honoured him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Towne's career breakthrough came after years of working on television shows like "The Man from UNCLE" and "The Lloyd Bridges Show", as well as low-budget films for B-movie producer Roger Corman. A classic Hollywood story, his big break was facilitated by his psychiatrist, who introduced him to Warren Beatty, a fellow patient. Beatty, working on "Bonnie and Clyde", brought Towne in for revisions of the Robert Benton-David Newman script and kept him on set during filming in Texas.

Though uncredited for his contributions to "Bonnie and Clyde", Towne became a favoured ghostwriter, helping with films like "The Godfather" and "Heaven Can Wait". He referred to himself as a "relief pitcher who could come in for an inning, not pitch the whole game." However, he gained name recognition with credits for "The Last Detail" and "Shampoo", and was immortalised by "Chinatown", the 1974 thriller set during the Great Depression.

Towne's "Chinatown" script has been a staple in film-writing classes, serving as a masterclass in screenwriting and a lesson in the collaborative nature of filmmaking. He worked closely with director Roman Polanski, revising and tightening the story and famously clashing over the film's bleak ending. Though Polanski's ending prevailed, Towne later conceded it was the right choice. The film's iconic line, "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown," remains uncredited.

The concept for "Chinatown" originated with Towne, who turned down the opportunity to adapt "The Great Gatsby" to work on his project. His inspiration partly came from Carey McWilliams' book "Southern California: An Island on the Land", specifically a chapter titled "Water, water, water," which sparked the idea for a story about an overlooked crime.

After the mid-1970s, as studios gained more control, Towne's influence waned. His directorial efforts, including "Personal Best" and "Tequila Sunrise", met with mixed success. "The Two Jakes", a sequel to "Chinatown" released in 1990, was a commercial and critical disappointment, straining his relationship with Jack Nicholson.

In the late 1980s, Towne worked on "Days of Thunder", a big-budget film starring Tom Cruise as a racecar driver. Despite being over-budget and critically panned, the film has its admirers, including Quentin Tarantino.

Towne later collaborated with Cruise on "The Firm" and the first two "Mission: Impossible" movies. His last written and directed film was "Ask the Dust" (2006), a story based in Los Angeles. He was married twice, the second time to Luisa Gaule, and had two children. His brother, Roger Towne, also a screenwriter, penned "The Natural".

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Born Robert Bertram Schwartz in Los Angeles, Towne moved to San Pedro after his father's dress shop failed during the Great Depression. Inspired by the Warner Bros Theater and critic James Agee, he pursued a writing career. Towne often compared writing to fishing, describing both as acts of faith. "Sometimes it's sheer faith alone that sustains you," he told the Writers Guild of America in 2013. "You think, 'God damn it, nothing – not a bite today. Nothing is happening.'"