| FITZGERALD | US novelist who left The Last Tycoon unfinished |
| KAZAN | "The Last Tycoon" was the last film he directed |
| THALBERG | Irving ___, American film producer who inspired F Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished novel The Last Tycoon (8) |
| WOLFE | Thomas ___ (1930 -2018), US novelist who wrote The Bonfire of the Vanities (5) |
| FAULKNER | William ..., US novelist who wrote about people in the southern states (8) |
| EDITHWHARTON | US novelist who wrote The House of Mirth (5,7) |
| MATTBOMER | Actor who's starring in Amazon's 1930s-set series "The Last Tycoon": 2 wds. |
| ELIA | "The Last Tycoon" director Kazan |
| LOUISAMAYALCOTT | US novelist who wrote Little Women (6,3,6) |
| HERMANMELVILLE | US novelist who wrote Moby Dick (6,8) |
| WHARTON | US novelist who pens things creative and new (7) |
| CRICHTON | Michael ---, US novelist who wrote Jurassic Park |
| GONE | Left the last word to the auctioneer |
| PORTAMENTO | Left the last word to playing style (10) |
| ACQUITTALS | Bill left the last new releases (10) |
| KRILL | Kermit, oddly enough, left the last bit of all seafood (5) |
| REPORTERS | Press on, having left the last trio of stragglers (9) |
| LAMENTED | Regretted having left the last word initially to editor |
| TAIL | I’m thankful I left the last part! |
| RUTHMACKENZIE | Who left the position of Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival to take up a position in the SA Government, making way for Brett Sheehy to step into the post as 2025 Director? (4,9) |
