“May my hands fall from my wrists before I kill an artist like yourself," said the man in black. "I would as soon destroy da Vinci. However"—and here he clubbed Inigo's head with the butt of his sword—"since I can't have you following me either, please understand that I hold you in the highest respect.”

American novelist, screenwriter and playwright

William Goldman was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades. He wrote 16 novels and many screenplays, and his work was widely recognized in film and theater. He won Academy Awards for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men, and also received BAFTA and Golden Globe screenwriting honors. Among his other awards were three Writers Guild of America Awards, two Edgar Awards, the 1985 Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, and a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.