William Kelley

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William Kelley (* 27. May 1929 in Staten Iceland , New York ; † 3. February 2003 in Bishop , California ) was an American writer and screenwriter , who at the Oscar ceremony in 1986 the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for The Witness ( 1985) from Peter Weir .

biography

After attending school, Kelley first studied at a seminary before completing a degree in English literature at Brown University , which he completed in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA English Literature). A subsequent postgraduate course in Irish literature at Harvard University , he completed in 1957 with a Master of Arts (MA Irish Literature). Later he worked as editor at the publishers McGraw-Hill , Simon & Schuster and Doubleday operates.

In the 1960s, he began writing and writing templates for television series such as Columbo , Bonanza , Smoking Colts , Petrocelli , Kung Fu , A Duke Seldom Comes Alone , Fantasy Island and TJ Hooker . The Western Writers of America honored him in 1973 for the episode "Bohannon" in the series Smoking Colts and in 1978 for the episode "Cully Madigan" in the series Through Hell to the West with the Spur Award for best television script.

For the screenplay of The Only Witness (1985) by Peter Weir, he received in 1986, together with Earl W. Wallace and Pamela Wallace, both the Oscar for best original screenplay as well as the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the Prize of the Writers Guild of America (WGA Award ) for the best film script. He was also with Earl W. Wallace for the BAFTA Award (Best Original Screenplay) and the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay .

Kelley was also the author of several novels such as Gemini (1959), The God Hunters (1964), The Tyree Legend (1979), The Sweet Summer (2000) and A Servant of Slaves: The Life of Henriette Delille (2003).

Filmography (selection)

  • 1978: We Fly on the Wind (The Winds of Kitty Hawk)
  • 1979: Brian Demon Murder Chase
  • 1985: The Only Witness
  • 1988: Blue Lightning

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kelley, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American novelist and screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH May 27, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Staten Island , New York
DATE OF DEATH February 3, 2003
Place of death Bishop , California