Michael Wilson
Birth Name:
Michael Wilson
Birth Place:
McAlester, Oklahoma, United States
Profession
Writer
Fast Facts
- Awarded a Laurel Award in 1975 by the Writers Guild of America
- Graduated from Berkeley in 1936 with a bachelor's degree in history and literature
- Unexpectedly died of a heart attack at age 63 in 1978
- After returning from Europe, he would go on to re-establish himself as a prominent screenwriter with "Planet of the Apes", "Bridge Over the River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia", the latter of which would earn him an Oscar nomination
- Began his career as a screenwriter of William Boyd Westerns before retreating to Europe after being blacklisted in the early 1950s
- Served in the Marine Corps during WWII before returning to Hollywood in 1945
- While in between films in Hollywood, he would teach literary English classes at a community college to supplement his income
- Worked under numerous pseudonyms while blacklisted in Hollywood and was subsequently awarded screenwriting credits to his films during this time period several decades later
Awards
- 1952Oscar - Best Writing, Screenplay:Winner
- 1952WGA Award (Screen) - Best Written American Drama:Winner
- 1952WGA Award (Screen) - The Robert Meltzer Award (Screenplay Dealing Most Ably with Problems of the American Scene):Nominated
- 1953Oscar - Best Writing, Screenplay:Nominated
- 1953Edgar - Best Motion Picture:Winner
- 1953Golden Globe - Best Screenplay:Winner
- 1953WGA Award (Screen) - Best Written American Drama:Nominated
- 1957Oscar - Best Writing, Best Screenplay - Adapted:Nominated
- 1957WGA Award (Screen) - Best Written American Drama:Winner
- 1958Oscar - Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium:Winner
- 1963Oscar - Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium:Nominated
- 1963Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award - Best British Dramatic Screenplay:Winner