Screenplays
Bolt may be best-remembered for his work on film and television screenplays. Bolt's work for director David Lean garnered him particular acclaim and recognition, and Bolt tried his hand at directing with the unsuccessful Lady Caroline Lamb (1972). While many criticized Bolt for focusing more on the personal aspects of his protagonists than the broader political context (particularly with Lawrence and Man), most critics and audiences alike praised his screenplays. Bolt won two Oscars, two BAFTA Awards, and won or was nominated for several others.
- Lawrence of Arabia (with Michael Wilson) (1962) - despite disputes between Wilson and Bolt over who contributed what to the script, Bolt provided most of the film's dialogue and the interpretation of the characters while Wilson provided the story and outline. Wilson was uncredited, and Bolt alone was nominated for, but did not win, an Academy Award. Bolt and Lean refused to recognize Wilson's contribution to the film, and Wilson was not credited until 1995.
- Doctor Zhivago (1965) - Bolt won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay
- A Man for All Seasons (1966) - Bolt won the Oscar again, adapting his own play to the screen.
- Krasnaya Palatka, released in the U.S. as "The Red Tent", (1969) (uncredited additional dialogue)
- Ryan's Daughter (1970)
- Lady Caroline Lamb (1972) (also directed)
- The Bounty (1984)
- The Mission (1986) (originally published as a novel)
- A Man for All Seasons (1988)
- A Dry White Season (uncredited revisions of screenplay)
- Without Warning: The James Brady Story (1991) (TV)
Bolt also worked on the early drafts of the script for Gandhi, but his script was considered unsatisfactory and he was replaced by John Briley. Bolt also had several unrealized projects, including a TV miniseries of Gore Vidal's novel, Burr and an adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.
After being paid $400,000 US plus ten percent of profits for his Ryan's Daughter screenplay, Bolt became for a time the highest-paid screenwriter in Hollywood (with only William Goldman in serious competition).
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