Lenore J. Coffee

Career overview

Lenore Jackson Coffee was an American screenwriter, playwright, and novelist born in San Francisco on July 13, 1896. She attended Dominican College in San Rafael, California, and was an avid movie enthusiast during her youth. Her professional career in the film industry began after she responded to an advertising campaign launched by actress Clara Kimball Young, who was seeking new scripts. Following this, Coffee was awarded a one-year contract at a rate of 50 dollars per week. Her career in Hollywood spanned nearly fifty years and included work during the silent film era.

Throughout her career, Coffee was recognized for her contributions to screenwriting. She received two Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay. Her first nomination was for the 1929/30 film Street of Chance, which she adapted from a story by Oliver H. P. Garrett in collaboration with Howard Estabrook. Her second nomination occurred in 1938 for the film Four Daughters, which was based on the novel Sister Act by Fannie Hurst and written in collaboration with Julius J. Epstein. According to industry records, she is credited with 66 writing projects. Lenore J. Coffee died on July 2, 1984, in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 87.