---
name: "Earl W. Wallace"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/earl-w-wallace"
fi1m_id: "earl-w-wallace"
imdb_id: "nm0908620"
tmdb_id: 57123
wikidata_id: "Q1277190"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "23 October 1942"
died: "12 May 2018"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-24T06:31:05.168642+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Earl W. Wallace

## Identity

Earl W. Wallace

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/earl-w-wallace
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** earl-w-wallace
- **IMDb ID:** nm0908620
- **TMDB ID:** 57123
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1277190
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_W._Wallace, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1277190, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908620/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/57123

Writer. Born 23 October 1942. Died 12 May 2018.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 23 October 1942
- **Died:** 12 May 2018
- **Active:** 1955–1985
- **Frequently works with:** [William Kelley](https://film.one/person/william-kelley.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_W._Wallace, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1277190, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908620/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/57123

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*Witness*](https://film.one/film/witness.md) (84)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## 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*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Witness* (1985), Fi1m 84, Story, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/witness.md)

## Complete filmography (22)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Borrowed Hearts* (1997), Writer
- *Song of Hiawatha* (1997), Screenplay
- *Rose Hill* (1997), Teleplay
- *If These Walls Could Talk* (1996), Story
- *The Broken Chain* (1993), Writer
- *A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story* (1992), Writer
- *Gunsmoke: To the Last Man* (1992), Writer
- *Gunsmoke: The Last Apache* (1990), Writer
- *War and Remembrance* (1988), series, Writer
- *Witness* (1985), Screenplay, Story — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/witness.md)
- *The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch* (1982), Writer
- *Seven Brides for Seven Brothers* (1982), series, Writer
- *She's in the Army Now* (1981), Writer
- *The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang* (1979), Writer
- *Supertrain* (1979), series, Writer, Creator
- *Express to Terror* (1979), Teleplay
- *Wild and Wooly* (1978), Producer, Writer
- *Curse of the Black Widow* (1977), Teleplay
- *How the West Was Won* (1977), series, Writer
- *Bronk* (1975), series, Writer
- *Baretta* (1975), series, Writer
- *Gunsmoke* (1955), series, Writer

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 1986: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (won), for *Witness*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/earl-w-wallace