William Rose (31 August 1918 – 10 February 1987) was an Americanscreenwriter ofBritish andHollywood films.[1]
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Rose was born inJefferson City, Missouri. He traveled to Canada after the 1939 outbreak ofWorld War II and volunteered to fight with theBlack Watch.[2] After being stationed at bases inScotland andEurope, Rose returned to live in Britain at war's end to work as a screenwriter, marrying an English woman,Tania Price, with whom he would later collaborate.[3]
In 1964, Rose settled inJersey in theChannel Islands.[4] His marriage to Tania did not last.
After the couple separated/divorced, Tania returned to live in London in the autumn of 1967. She died in 2015, aged 95.[5][6]
In the 1970s, Rose had a brief relationship with actressKatharine Hepburn.[7]
Rose died in Jersey in 1987.[8] He is buried in the Churchyard at St. Clement Parish Church, Jersey.[citation needed]
Blessed with the ability to adapt to two distinct cultures, William Rose wrote a number of successful British comedies includingGenevieve (1953).[3] Rose became a working associate of American-born directorAlexander Mackendrick, notably for his collaboration onThe Maggie (US:High and Dry, 1954) andThe Ladykillers (1955).[3] He also provided scripts for Hollywood studios, earning severalAcademy Award nominations for his screenwriting and winning theAcademy Award for Writing Original Screenplay forGuess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967).[9] Rose also won theWriters Guild of America award for Best Written American Comedy forThe Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966).[10]
In 1973, Rose's lifetime achievements were recognized by the Writers Guild of America with theirLaurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement.[11]
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Once a Jolly Swagman | Jack Lee | Credited with Jack Lee & Cliff Gordon |
| Esther Waters | Ian Dalrymple Peter Proud | Credited withMichael Gordon & Gerard Tyrrell | |
| 1950 | I'll Get You for This | Joseph M. Newman | Credited with George Callahan |
| My Daughter Joy | Gregory Ratoff | Credited withRobert Thoeren | |
| 1952 | Gift Horse | Compton Bennett | Credited withWilliam Fairchild & Hugh Hastings |
| 1953 | Genevieve | Henry Cornelius | |
| 1954 | The Maggie | Alexander Mackendrick | |
| 1955 | The Ladykillers | ||
| Touch and Go | Michael Truman | ||
| 1957 | The Man in the Sky | Charles Crichton | Credited withJohn Eldridge |
| The Smallest Show on Earth | Basil Dearden | Credited with John Eldridge | |
| 1963 | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | Stanley Kramer | Credited with Tania Rose |
| 1966 | The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming | Norman Jewison | |
| 1967 | The Flim-Flam Man | Irvin Kershner | |
| Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | Stanley Kramer | ||
| 1969 | The Secret of Santa Vittoria |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
