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William Broyles Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Dodson Broyles Jr. (1944-10-08)October 8, 1944 (age 80) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Rice University(BA) University of Oxford(MA) |
| Occupations |
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| Children | 4 |
William Dodson Broyles Jr.[1] (born October 8, 1944) is an American journalist, screenwriter, and formerUnited States Marine Corps officer.
He created the television seriesChina Beach (1988–91) andSix (2017-18), and wrote such films asApollo 13 (1995),Cast Away (2000),Planet of the Apes (2001),Unfaithful (2002),The Polar Express (2004),Jarhead (2005) andFlags of Our Fathers (2006). His work onApollo 13 earned him anAcademy Award nomination forBest Adapted Screenplay.
Broyles' co-foundedTexas Monthly magazine,[2] and served as editor ofNewsweek from 1982 to 1984.
Broyles was born inHouston, Texas, the son of Elizabeth (née Bills) and William Dodson Broyles.[1] He was raised inBaytown, Texas, graduated fromRobert E. Lee High School and attendedRice University, earning aB.A. degree inHistory in 1966. While at Rice, Broyles was an active member of the student body and a contributing editor to the student newspaper, theRice Thresher. As early as 1966, Broyles was also contributing articles to theHouston Post. Broyles served as president of the Rice student association during the 1965–1966 academic year, and was awarded the Hugh Scott Cameron award for outstanding community service. He has remained a strong supporter of the University throughout his career, delivering the commencement speech in 1983, and receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1993.
After graduating from Rice, Broyles studied as aMarshall Scholar atOxford University where he earned anM.A. degree inPolitics,Philosophy, andEconomics in 1968. While at Oxford, Broyles pursued his interests in both journalism andpublic service. He wrote political columns for the Oxford University magazine and contributed articles toThe Economist magazine ofLondon. He also spoke throughoutEngland for theUnited States Information Service. He later worked briefly for Leo Kramer, Inc., aWashington, D.C. social sciences consulting firm as a consultant on Model Cities, Manpower, and VISTA training programs.
In 1968, Broyles's career was put on hold when he enlisted into theUnited States Marine Corps. Between 1969 and 1971, he rose to the rank ofFirst Lieutenant and served inVietnam, first as aninfantry platoon commander, and later as an aide-de-camp to the Assistant Division Commander,1st Marine Division. Due to his educational background and experience, his assigned duties included social issues with an emphasis on the refugees in theQuang Nam Province. Broyles received theBronze Star and theVietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star.[citation needed]
Broyles's experiences in Vietnam inspired two of his most critically acclaimed projects. In 1984, he was one of the first veterans to return to Vietnam, and his bookBrothers in Arms: A Journey from War to Peace, recounts his visit and his impressions of the aftermath of war on himself and his fellow Marines, as well as on the country he fought against in battle.[3]
In 1988, Broyles once again drew upon his memories in Vietnam when he co-created the award-winning television series,China Beach, a weekly drama forABC about the doctors and nurses stationed at an American military base inDanang. Broyles also authored an article inEsquire "Why Men Love War".[4]
Upon returning from Vietnam in 1971, Broyles picked up his professional career. He taught Philosophy and Political Science at theUnited States Naval Academy inAnnapolis before returning to Texas as Chief Public Relations Officer for theHouston Independent School District. After a brief period of time in public service in Houston, Broyles was provided the opportunity to pursue his other primary interest, journalism. He became the founding editor ofTexas Monthly magazine in 1972.
Broyles's and Texas Monthly publisherMichael R. Levy's goal was to create a magazine of national quality in Texas. Within its first year, the publication won aNational Magazine Award for excellence; and during Broyles's tenure it quickly gained recognition as a "writer's magazine", offering intelligent and entertaining articles on Texas life ranging from politics, culture, art, sports, the environment, social issues, and entertainment. The award-winning magazine continues today as an example of quality journalism with a regional focus and a national readership.
In 1980, Broyles and business partners, including Michael Levy, purchasedNew West magazine fromRupert Murdoch. Broyles served as editor-in-chief of the magazine from 1980 to 1982, and saw it through its redesign and renaming asCalifornia. By 1982, Broyles's impressive track record in the magazine publishing world had caught the attention ofKatharine Graham who recruited him to serve as editor ofNewsweek magazine, replacingLester Bernstein. He held that position from 1982 to 1984, when he resigned to pursue other interests.
During the next few years, Broyles made one more foray into the magazine publishing world, serving as editor-in-chief ofCable Guide, but he focused primarily on developing his writing career. In addition toBrothers in Arms, he wrote a three-act play titledBoot, about three soldiers in a bunker in Vietnam joined by a new recruit that they nickname "Boot". The plot follows the four young men as they struggle to cope with the realities of war.
In 1988, Broyles found critical success with the television seriesChina Beach. In addition to co-creating the show withJohn Sacret Young, Broyles also wrote or co-wrote several of the early episodes, and remained producer and creative consultant throughout the run of the show. In 1991, the Golden Globe-winningChina Beach went off the air, but Broyles was well into production on his second television project,Under Cover, a political espionage series following the adventures of husband-and-wife secret service agents, Dylan and Kate Del'Amico. The series was short-lived, and Broyles next adapted theNigel Hamilton book,J.F.K.: Reckless Youth, for a 1993 television mini-series of the same name starringPatrick Dempsey asthe young future president.
Also in 1993, Broyles turned his attention from television projects to writing feature films. He shares his first screenwriting credit with former Texas Monthly writer Al Reinert forApollo 13. The film, based loosely on the bookLost Moon, co-authored by astronautJim Lovell andJeffrey Kluger, was directed byRon Howard. It was met with both critical and box office success, and Broyles and Reinert were nominated for theAcademy Award for best adapted screenplay.
AfterApollo 13, Broyles began work onCast Away, an original screenplay about a FedEx engineer stranded on a deserted island. Released in 2000, the film was produced by Tom Hanks, directed byRobert Zemeckis, and stars Hanks as the resilient Chuck Noland.Apollo 13 andCast Away secured Broyles's place as an A-list Hollywood screenwriter.
Other writing credits in motion pictures includeEntrapment (1999),Planet of the Apes (2001),Unfaithful (2002),The Polar Express (2004),Jarhead (2005), andFlags of Our Fathers (2006). He also assisted in the screenplay ofSaving Private Ryan, though he was uncredited.[5]
On November 5, 1988, Broyles married actressLinda Purl.[6] They later divorced.[7] His second wife was Sybil Ann Newman (later Mrs. James Raney), with whom he had two children. He married, thirdly, to Andrea Bettina Berndt. They have two daughters.[7]
| Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Under Cover | Written by, executive producer | TV movie |
| Before the Storm | Executive producer | TV movie | |
| 1995 | Apollo 13 | Screenplay by | Co-wrote withAl Reinert |
| 1999 | Entrapment | Screenplay by | Co-wrote screenplay withRon Bass, based on a story by Ron Bass andMichael Hertzberg; as William Broyles |
| 2000 | Cast Away | Written by | |
| 2001 | Planet of the Apes | Screenplay by | Co-wrote withLawrence Konner &Mark Rosenthal |
| 2002 | Unfaithful | Screenplay by | Co-wrote withAlvin Sargent |
| 2004 | The Polar Express | Screenplay by | Co-wrote withRobert Zemeckis |
| 2005 | Jarhead | Screenplay by | As William D. Broyles Jr. |
| 2006 | Flags of our Fathers | Screenplay by | Co-wrote withPaul Haggis |
| 2015 | McFarland, USA | Uncredited rewrite[8] |
Linda Purl was a radiant bride Saturday....
He began dating Linda Purl.... After a whirlwind romance, they married and bought a home in Pacific Palisades. But the marriage didn't last. ... [H]is second wife, Sybil (the mother of his two older children)...
