Albert Horton Foote, Jr. (March 14, 1916 – March 4, 2009) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He was best known for his screenplays for the 1962 movei "To Kill a Mockingbird" and the 1983 movie "Tender Mercies". He was born in Wharton, Texas. He won two Academy Awards (1962, 1983), a Pulitzer Prize (1995) and an Emmy Award (1997).