William Rose (August 31, 1918 – February 10, 1987) was an American screenwriter of British and Hollywood films.

Life

Born in Jefferson City, Missouri, Rose traveled to Canada after the 1939 outbreak of World War II and volunteered to fight with the Black Watch. After being stationed at bases in Scotland and Europe, he 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. Rose settled in Jersey in the Channel Islands in 1964. After the couple separated/divorced, Tania returned to live in London in the autumn of 1967. Tania died in 2015 aged 95. In the 1970s, he had a brief relationship with Katharine Hepburn. He died in Jersey in 1987. He is buried in the Churchyard at St. Clement Parish Church, Jersey.

Career

Blessed with the ability to adapt to two distinct cultures, William Rose wrote a number of successful British comedies including Genevieve (1953). He became a working associate of the American-born director Alexander Mackendrick notably for his collaboration on The Maggie (US:High and Dry, 1954) and The Ladykillers (1955). He also provided scripts for Hollywood studios, earning several Academy Award nominations for his screenwriting and winning the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). Rose also won the Writers Guild of America award for Best Written American Comedy for The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966). In 1973, Rose's lifetime achievements were recognized by the Writers Guild of America with their Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement.

Screenwriting awards

Filmography