William Richert
Encyclopedia
William Richert is an American film director
, film producer
, screenwriter
and actor
. He is best known for his performance as Bob in the 1991 Gus van Sant
film My Own Private Idaho
.
At age 17, he hopped a bus to Hollywood. At the age of 19, he interviewed Richard Nixon
's daughters Tricia and Julie, as part of a planned documentary titled Presidents' Daughters. He directed several other documentaries (including Derby, and A Dancer's Life) and the feature films Winter Kills
, The American Success Company, A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon
, and The Man in the Iron Mask (also known as The Mask of Dumas).
Reardon was originally distributed by 20th Century Fox
, and has since been re-cut and re-issued independently as Aren't You Even Going To Kiss Me Goodbye?
Richert sued the Writers Guild of America
over not being credited on the screenplay of the film The American President. Richert claimed Sorkin's screenplay was a thinly-veiled plagiarism of Richert's 1981 'The President Elopes', and that the television series The West Wing was derived from part of the same screenplay. After Guild arbitration, Aaron Sorkin
was awarded full credit on American President.
Richert also sued the Directors Guild of America
over its collection of overseas levies for American directors who are not members.
He currently resides in Santa Monica, California, where he is developing a new mob drama, 'The Vindicator'.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is best known for his performance as Bob in the 1991 Gus van Sant
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
film My Own Private Idaho
My Own Private Idaho
My Own Private Idaho is a 1991 independent drama film written and directed by Gus Van Sant, loosely based on Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V, and starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves...
.
At age 17, he hopped a bus to Hollywood. At the age of 19, he interviewed Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's daughters Tricia and Julie, as part of a planned documentary titled Presidents' Daughters. He directed several other documentaries (including Derby, and A Dancer's Life) and the feature films Winter Kills
Winter Kills (film)
Winter Kills is a 1979 film based on the novel by Richard Condon. Its cast includes Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins, Eli Wallach, Richard Boone, Toshirō Mifune, Sterling Hayden, Dorothy Malone, Ralph Meeker, Elizabeth Taylor, Berry Berenson and Susan Walden.Most of the film was lensed by...
, The American Success Company, A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon is a 1988 film about a high school graduate who must find out if he wants to go to business school at the request of his father or go his own way and get a full time job. He shows he's rebellious throughout the film but eventually comes to understand what his...
, and The Man in the Iron Mask (also known as The Mask of Dumas).
Reardon was originally distributed by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, and has since been re-cut and re-issued independently as Aren't You Even Going To Kiss Me Goodbye?
Richert sued the Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
over not being credited on the screenplay of the film The American President. Richert claimed Sorkin's screenplay was a thinly-veiled plagiarism of Richert's 1981 'The President Elopes', and that the television series The West Wing was derived from part of the same screenplay. After Guild arbitration, Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
was awarded full credit on American President.
Richert also sued the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
over its collection of overseas levies for American directors who are not members.
He currently resides in Santa Monica, California, where he is developing a new mob drama, 'The Vindicator'.
Filmography
- Law and DisorderLaw and Disorder (1974 film)Law and Disorder is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Ivan Passer, starring Carroll O'Connor, Ernest Borgnine, Ann Wedgeworth and Karen Black....
(with Kenneth Harris Fishman and Ivan PasserIvan PasserIvan Passer is a Czech-born film director and screenwriter.A significant figure in the Czech New Wave of the mid-1960s, Passer worked closely with Miloš Forman on many of his films, and directed his first feature in 1965...
) (1974) (Writer Only) - The Happy Hooker (1975) (Writer Only)
- Crime and Passion (with Ivan PasserIvan PasserIvan Passer is a Czech-born film director and screenwriter.A significant figure in the Czech New Wave of the mid-1960s, Passer worked closely with Miloš Forman on many of his films, and directed his first feature in 1965...
and Pat Silver) (1976) (Writer Only) - Winter KillsWinter KillsWinter Kills is a black comic novel exploring the assassination of a U.S. President. The novel parallels the real life assassination of John F. Kennedy and the various conspiracy theories that surround the event.-Plot summary:...
(1979) (also Director) - The American Success Company (a.k.a. "Success") (1980) (also Director)
- A Night in the Life of Jimmy ReardonA Night in the Life of Jimmy ReardonA Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon is a 1988 film about a high school graduate who must find out if he wants to go to business school at the request of his father or go his own way and get a full time job. He shows he's rebellious throughout the film but eventually comes to understand what his...
(a.k.a. "Aren't You Even Gonna Kiss Me Goodbye?") (1987) (also Director) - The Man In The Iron Mask (1998) (also Director)
External links
- WilliamRichert.com official web site
- Stream Episode 1 of 'The Vindicator'
- Stream the entirety of Richert's picture Success