Louis Alan Garfinkle was an American scriptwriter and the co-developer of the Collaborator computer screenwriting program. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with four others for The Deer Hunter. He died of complications from Parkinson's disease at his home in Studio City. He was born in Seattle and studied at the University of Southern California from which he received his B.A. in 1948. Garfinkle also co-wrote the story for the 1973 Broadway musical Molly that starred Kaye Ballard. Garfinkle collaborated on five films with the director Albert Band.