Budd Schulberg, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "On the Waterfront" and author of novels such as "The Harder They Fall", has died in New York at age 95.

His wife, Betsy Schulberg, told the New York Times that her husband died yesterday afternoon after being rushed from his home in Westhampton Beach on Long Island to a local hospital, where doctors tried unsuccessfully to revive him.

Schulberg, whose father was Paramount Pictures chief B.P. Schulberg, was born in New York City in 1914 and first gained acclaim as a novelist in the 1940s with books such as "What Makes Sammy Run".

His screenwriting included 1957's "A Face in the Crowd", but it was the classic "On the Waterfront" for which Schulberg will be best remembered.

The 1954 film, about corruption on the New Jersey waterfront, earned 12 Oscar nominations and won eight of Hollywood's top honours including screenwriting for Schulberg. Marlon Brando won best actor and the movie was named the year's best film.

In addition to his wife, Schulberg is survived by four children.