Pierson Voted to Head Academy

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Oscar-winning screenwriter Frank R. Pierson has been elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Pierson succeeds "Clear and Present Danger'' producer Robert Rehme, who had served the maximum four consecutive one-year terms in the office, the organization announced Wednesday. A past president of the Writers Guild, Pierson has been nominated three times for an Academy Award. He shared the nomination for "Cat Ballou'' with Walter Newman in 1965 and was nominated again in the adapted screenplay category for "Cool Hand Luke'' in 1967. Pierson finally won in 1975 for his original screenplay of "Dog Day Afternoon.''