Barhydt is an American screenwriter best remembered for his collaboration along with
Robert Altman in some of his films such as
Short Cuts (1993),
Quintet (1979),
HealtH (1980) and
Kansas City (1996). He also appeared as an actor in the successful Hollywood critique
The Player (1992) and as Frank Gatling in the miniseries
Tanner '88 (1988) - again Robert Altman projects.
The magnum moment from the duo was with the adaptation of Raymond Carver's short stories in the ensemble effort
Short Cuts (1993). The extraordinary lives of 23 characters where almost nothing happens in a 3-hour film and taken from several different of Carver's writings was a critical success and earned Altman & Barhydt team a Golden Globe nomination for Best Screenplay.