Lukas Heller (21 July 1930 – 2 November 1988) was a German-born

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

Biography

Heller was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

. His father was political philosopher Hermann Heller. He was known for writing the screen adaptions for several Robert Aldrich films such as '' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (1962) and '' Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'' (1964); for the later film he won an

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

with

Henry Farrell Henry Farrell (September 27, 1920 – March 29, 2006) was an American novelist and screenwriter, best known as the author of the renowned gothic horror story '' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'', which was made into a film starring Bette ...

, who wrote the source text for both films. Grave of Lukas Heller in Highgate Cemetery

Heller was married to Caroline (née Carter) who was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

. They had four children:

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

writers

Bruno Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters *Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880) * Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...

and

Zoë Heller Zoë Kate Hinde Heller (born 7 July 1965) is an English journalist and novelist long resident in New York City. She has published three novels, ''Everything You Know'' (1999), '' Notes on a Scandal'' (2003), and '' The Believers'' (2008). ''Notes ...

, Lucy Heller, and Emily Heller. His half-sister was the Swedish journalist

Cordelia Edvardson Cordelia Maria Edvardson (née Langgässer; 1 January 1929 – 29 October 2012) was a German-born Swedish journalist, author and Holocaust survivor. She was the Jerusalem correspondent for '' Svenska Dagbladet'', a Swedish daily newspaper, from ...

. He died on 2 November 1988 and was buried on the eastern side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

in London, England.

Filmography

*''

Never Back Losers ''Never Back Losers'' is a 1961 British crime film directed by Robert Tronson and starring Jack Hedley, Jacqueline Ellis and Patrick Magee. The film is based on '' The Green Ribbon'' (1929) by Edgar Wallace. It was one of the Edgar Wallace ...

'' (1961) *'' Candidate for Murder'' (1962) *'' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (1962) *'' Hot Enough for June'' (1964) *'' Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'' (1964) (with

) *'' The Flight of the Phoenix'' (1965) *''

The Dirty Dozen ''The Dirty Dozen'' is a 1967 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin with an ensemble supporting cast including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy, Ralph M ...

'' (1967) (with Nunnally Johnson) *''

The Killing of Sister George ''The Killing of Sister George'' is a 1964 play by Frank Marcus that was later adapted into a 1968 film directed by Robert Aldrich. Stage version Sister George is a beloved character in the popular radio series ''Applehurst'', a district nurse ...

'' (1968) (with

Frank Marcus Frank Ulrich Marcus (30 June 1928 – 5 August 1996) was a British playwright, best known for '' The Killing of Sister George''. Life and career Marcus was born 30 June 1928 into a Jewish family in Breslau (then in Germany). They came to En ...

) *'' Too Late the Hero'' (1970) (with

Robert Aldrich Robert Burgess Aldrich (August 9, 1918 – December 5, 1983) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His notable credits include '' Vera Cruz'' (1954), '' Kiss Me Deadly'' (1955), '' The Big Knife'' (1955), '' Autumn ...

and Robert Sherman) *'' Monte Walsh'' (1970) (with

David Zelag Goodman David Zelag Goodman (January 15, 1930 – September 26, 2011) was a playwright and screenwriter for both TV and film. His most prolific period was from the 1960s to the early 1980s. He was nominated for an Academy Award for '' Lovers and Other S ...

) *''

The Deadly Trackers ''The Deadly Trackers'' is a 1973 American Western film directed by Barry Shear and starring Richard Harris, Rod Taylor and Al Lettieri. It is based on the novel ''Riata'' by Samuel Fuller. Plot Sheriff Sean Kilpatrick (Harris) is a pacifist. H ...

'' (1973) (with

Samuel Fuller Samuel Michael Fuller (August 12, 1912 – October 30, 1997) was an American film director, screenwriter, novelist, journalist, and World War II veteran known for directing low-budget genre movies with controversial themes, often made ou ...

) *''

Damnation Alley ''Damnation Alley'' is a 1969 science fiction novel by American writer Roger Zelazny, based on a novella published in 1967. A film adaptation of the novel was released in 1977. Plot introduction The story opens in a post-apocalyptic Southern ...

'' (1977) (with Alan Sharp) *'' Son of Hitler'' (1979) (with

Burkhard Driest Burkhard Driest (; 28 April 1939 – 27 February 2020) was a German actor, writer and director, known for his acting work in Sam Peckinpah's '' Cross of Iron'' and Rainer Werner Fassbinder's ''Querelle''. He also wrote novels and screenplays. L ...

) *'' Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil'' (1985) (TV) *'' Blue City'' (1986)

References

External links

* 1930 births 1988 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery German male screenwriters Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United Kingdom Mass media people from Kiel German male writers Film people from Schleswig-Holstein 20th-century German screenwriters {{screen-writer-stub