He had two children with his wife, Marie-Christine: son, Emmanuel, and daughter, Guadalupe.
He died of complications after surgery for stomach cancer at his home in Manhattan, NYC.
Beloved screenwriting teacher at The School of Visual Arts and New York University. He was a victim of The Blacklist and held very strong opinions about Elia Kazan and On The Waterfront.
He and Zero Mostel were roommates while they were both blacklisted.