Charles Webb, who inspired a Hollywood classic with 'The Graduate,' dies at 81

The first $20,000 went quickly. Charles Webb simply just gave it all away, along with the VIP passes for the premiere of “The Graduate,” the soon-to-be Hollywood classic based on his book. Though Webb kept on writing — sometimes to acclaim, sometimes not — he lived in poverty, a life choice he made by giving away his earnings, his inheritance and the occasional house he bought. After giving away the $20,000 he received for the film rights to “The Graduate,” he gave the copyright for the novel to the Anti-Defamation League, only because he admired the group’s work.

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