Pamela Wallace | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949 (age 75–76) |
| Pen name | Dianne King, Pamela Simpson |
| Occupation | Screenwriter, novelist |
| Period | 1980s–present |
| Genre | Romance |
| Spouse | |
Pamela Wallace (born 1949 in Exeter, California) is an American screenwriter and author. She won anOscar for co-writing the screenplay for the movieWitness. Wallace has also written 25romance novels, under her own name and the pseudonymsPamela Simpson andDianne King.
The original script forWitness was conceived by Pamela Wallace in the 1970s and was inspired by an episode of thewestern drama seriesGunsmoke. The idea was turned into a screenplay by her husband Earl W. Wallace and his colleagueWilliam Kelley in 1983.[1][2] The script was rejected multiple times but was finally purchased by producerEdward S. Feldman. The resulting film,Witness, was released in 1985 and starredHarrison Ford andKelly McGillis. The following year, Wallace received theAcademy Award forBest Original Screenplay along with William Kelley and Earl W. Wallace forWitness.[3] The script also won awards from theMystery Writers of America and theWriters Guild of America.[4] The Writers Guild later namedWitness to their list of the Top 101 Greatest Scripts.[5]
In the late 1980s Wallace collaborated with fellow screenwriterMadeline Dimaggio on a screenplay they calledIf The Shoe Fits. This was made into a low-budget movie that barely resembled their script. Wallace was given the opportunity to remove her name from the movie credits, but she chose to keep the credit for her resume despite her dislike of the movie.[6]
By the late 1990s Wallace was once again writing successful screenplays. She wrote the first segment of the award-winning 1996HBO movie,If These Walls Could Talk.[7] The following year,Borrowed Hearts became one of the highest-ratedCBS movies.[4]
Wallace also adapted one of her own novels,Straight From the Heart into a screenplay forHallmark Channel. Theresulting movie became the highest-rated film for the network in 2003.[4] She also penned the screenplay for the 2006Hallmark Channel movieThough None Go with Me, starringCheryl Ladd. She has written several other Hallmark Channel and Lifetime Network movies.
Wallace has written 25 romance novels.[4] These have been published under her own name, as well as the pseudonyms Dianne King and Pamela Simpson.[8] An additional pen name, Pamela Simpson, came about through a collaboration withCarla Simpson, who had previously written elevenhistorical romance novels under the pseudonym Quinn Taylor Evans. In the early 1990s the pair completed three contemporary romantic suspense novels. The novels were translated into seven languages. Two of them,Fortune's Child andPartners in Time, were optioned for film.[9]
In 2000 Wallace wrote a non-fiction book calledYou Can Write a Screenplay. Drawing on her own experiences in Hollywood, the book walked readers through the entire screenwriting process, beginning with the initial idea. It provided tips for writing the screenplay, as well as advice on how to sell the completed work.[3]
She has served as an executive producer for the cable television seriesBeyond the Break,[5] as well as for the television moviesLast Chance Cafe andA Very Merry Daughter of the Bride.
