Biography
Earl W. Wallace (23 October 1942 – 12 May 2018) was an American screen and television writer. He began his career in the 1970s writing episodes of the CBS Western series Gunsmoke, eventually becoming its head writer. He later contributed to series including How the West Was Won and created the 1979 series Supertrain.
Wallace co-wrote the story and screenplay for the 1985 film Witness with William Kelley; the story was also credited to his wife, Pamela Wallace. The film earned him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay, and the Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. He also adapted the novel War and Remembrance for a 1988–1989 ABC miniseries and wrote several television films, including If These Walls Could Talk (1996) and Borrowed Hearts (1997). He received a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America for his work on How the West Was Won.
