Bettina Gilois (July 9, 1961July 5, 2020) was a

German-American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

screenwriter and author, known for her work on the HBO film '' Bessie'', and Disney's '' Glory Road'' and ''

McFarland, USA ''McFarland, USA'' (also known as ''McFarland'') is a 2015 American sports drama film directed by Niki Caro, produced by Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, written by Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Gilois and Grant Thompson with music composed by An ...

''. Gilois won an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Writing of a Television Movie and a Black Reel Awards of 2016 nomination for ''Bessie''. She also won two Image Award nominations for ''Bessie'' and ''McFarland, USA''. Gilois was a

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an American award for film and television writing, presented to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful manner. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of ...

nominee in 2006 and a Black Reel Awards of 2007 nominee for ''Glory Road''. Gilois was an associate professor in the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at

Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its foundi ...

Biography

Gilois graduated from

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

with an art history degree in 1985. She was hired as director Slava Tsukerman's assistant in the independent science fiction film, '' Liquid Sky''. She later worked at Andy Warhol's Factory in New York on the television series '' Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes''. Gilois began her screenwriting career working with

Joel Silver Joel Silver (born July 14, 1952) is an American film producer. Life and career Silver was born and raised in South Orange, New Jersey, the son of a writer and a public relations executive. His family is Jewish. He attended Columbia High School ...

and

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American film studio, filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and th ...

. Gilois was co-screenwriter with Christopher Cleveland on the Disney film, '' Glory Road'' (2006). The film was based on a true story about Texas Western's men's basketball coach Don Haskins, and his first all African-American starting lineup and their journey to the 1966 NCAA Championship. Gilois co-wrote the screenplay for the HBO television movie, '' Bessie'' (2015) with director

Dee Rees Diandrea Rees (born February 7, 1977) is an American screenwriter and director. She is known for her feature films ''Pariah (2011 film), Pariah'' (2011), ''Bessie (film), Bessie'' (2015), ''Mudbound (film), Mudbound'' (2017), and ''The Last Thing ...

and Christopher Cleveland. The film, starring

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe ...

, is the life story of blues singer

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...

. Gilois and her co-writers won an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Writing of a Television Movie, a Black Reel Awards of 2016 nomination and two

Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

nominations for their work. She worked on the Disney film ''

'' along with screenwriters Christopher Cleveland and Grant Thompson. The sports drama centers around a 1987 Central Valley, California high school cross-country team. The coach, played by

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Costner, various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primeti ...

, along with multiple challenges, leads his Hispanic runners to a state championship. Gilois later worked on a series based on

Rick Hall Roe Erister "Rick" Hall (January 31, 1932 – January 2, 2018) was an American record producer, songwriter, and musician who became known as the owner of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. As the "Father of Muscle Shoals Music", he was ...

's autobiography: ''The Man From Muscle Shoals: My Journey from Shame to Fame'' and a 2020 television movie for Lifetime. Gilois was co-author of the books ''Mi Vida Loca: The Crazy Life of

Johnny Tapia John Lee Anthony Tapia (February 13, 1967 – May 27, 2012) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2011. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the unified IBF and WBO super flyweight title ...

'' and ''Billion Dollar Painter: The Triumph and Tragedy of

Thomas Kinkade William Thomas Kinkade III (January 19, 1958 – April 6, 2012) was an American painter of popular Realism (arts), realistic, pastoral, and Wikt:idyllic, idyllic subjects. He is notable for achieving success during his lifetime with the mas ...

Painter of Light''. She also wrote for the ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

'' in the Arts and Culture section.

Death

Gilois died in her sleep on July 5, 2020, four days before her 59th birthday. She had been suffering from an advanced cancer.

Film and television

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilois, Bettina American women screenwriters 2020 deaths Emigrants from West Germany to the United States 1961 births Writers from Berlin Barnard College alumni Deaths from cancer in California