Bill Kerby was a screenwriter for several Hollywood films and television series who wrote and co-wrote the 1970s films ''
Hooper'' and ''
The Rose''.
Education and early career
Kerby received a B.A. from
Kent State University
Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...
in 1962 and an M.F.A. from
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
; where he was a Louis B. Mayer grant winner and teaching assistant, graduating in 1969.
He served in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
, 1955–58, and was an actor and Welfare Investigator in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
in the early 1960s. He also taught at
Sherwood Oaks School, in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, in the 1970s, and the Summer writers' workshop at the National Film and Television School of England from 1985 to 1990.
Writing career
Film
* ''
Last American Hero
''The Last American Hero'' (also known as ''Hard Driver'') is a 1973 American sports film, sports drama film based on the true story of NASCAR driver Junior Johnson. Directed by Lamont Johnson (no relation), the film stars Jeff Bridges as Junior J ...
'', starring Jeff Bridges and Valerie Perrine, 20th Century Fox, 1973, uncredited.
* ''
The Gravy Train
''The Gravy Train'', also commonly known as ''The Dion Brothers'', is a 1974 American crime-comedy film directed by Jack Starrett, written by Terrence Malick (under the pseudonym David Whitney) and Bill Kerby, and starring Stacy Keach and Fred ...
'', starring Stacy Keach, Frederic Forrest, and Margot Kidder, Columbia, 1974, co-written.
* ''
Hooper'', starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Brian Keith, and Jan Michael Vincent, Warner Bros., 1977, co-screenplay.
* ''
Firepower
Firepower is the military capability to direct force at an enemy. (It is not to be confused with the concept of rate of fire, which describes the cycling of the firing mechanism in a weapon system.) Firepower involves the whole range of potenti ...
'', starring J
ames Coburn.
Sophia Loren,
Eli Wallach
Eli Herschel Wallach (; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. From his 1945 Broadway debut to his last film appearance, Wallach's entertainment career spanned 65 years. Origina ...
, and
O. J. Simpson, ITC, story by.
* ''
The Rose'', starring
Bette Midler, Alan Bates, and Frederic Forrest, Columbia, 1978, Academy Award nominations for Midler, Forrest, Best Music, Best Sound, Co-screenplay, sole story by.
* ''
Dead Men Can't Dance'', starring Michael Biehn, Kathleen York, Adrian Paul, and R. Lee Ermey, Live Entertainment, 1997, co-screenplay.
Television
* ''
Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', 2 episodes
* ''Steel Cowboy'', movie-of-the-week, CBS, 1976.
* ''Dada is Death'', CBS mini-series, 1989, best teleplay nomination from Australian Film Institute, written-by.
* ''
Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee'', for Turner Network Television and Fonda Films, 1994, winner American Indian Film Festival, winner First Americans in the Arts, winner best TV film and screenplay by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, nominee Humanitas Award for best teleplay.
* ''Shake Rattle and Roll'', CBS mini-series, part 2, co-teleplay.
* ''Little Richard'', NBC movie, 2000, co-written.
*
''On the Beach'', Showtime, 2000, co-teleplay, mini-series nominated for Golden Globe, 2001.
* ''
The Hatfields and the McCoys'', History Channel, 6 hr. miniseries, highest rated non-sports cable show in TV history as of 2012, co-story by, all three nights. Nominated in 2012 for
. This miniseries also won the
Writer's Guild Award for Best Longform Teleplay 2013. Kevin Costner won Golden Globe, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild awards for his role.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerby, Bill
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
United States Marines
Kent State University alumni
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
American male screenwriters
Place of birth missing (living people)
American television writers
American male television writers
Writers Guild of America Award winners