Pamela Wallace

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pamela Wallace

Born 1949
Exeter, California
Pen name Dianne King, Elnora King, Pamela Simpson
Occupation screenwriter, novelist
Writing period 1980s - present
Genres novels - romance

Pamela Wallace (born 1949, Exeter, California) is an American screenwriter and author. She won an Academy Award for co-writing the screenplay for the movie Witness. Wallace has also written 25 romance novels, under her own name and the pseudonyms Pamela Simpson, Dianne King, and Elnora King.

Contents

[edit] Screenwriting

Pamela Wallace co-wrote her first screenplay in the early 1980s. The screenplay was rejected multiple times but was finally purchased by a producer. The resulting movie, Witness, was released in 1985 and starred Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. Wallace received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1986 for her work on Witness.[1] The script also won awards from the Mystery Writers of America and the Writers Guild of America.[2] The Writers Guild later named Witness to their list of the Top 101 Greatest Scripts.[3]

In the late 1980s, Wallace collaborated with fellow screenwriter Madeline DiMaggio on a screenplay they called "If The Shoe Fits." This was made into a low-budget movie that barely resembled their script. Wallace was given the opportunity to remove her name from the movie credits, but she chose to keep the credit for her resume despite her dislike of the movie.[4]

By the late 1990s, Wallace was once again writing successful screenplays. She wrote the first segment of the award-winning 1996 HBO movie, If These Walls Could Talk.[5] The following year, Borrowed Hearts became one of the highest-rated CBS movies.[2]

Wallace continued her collaboration with DiMaggio in the early 2000s. They sold two screenplays in 2002, a feature film called Catherine called Birdy and a Showtime movie called Murder with Privilege.[4] Neither has been filmed yet.

Wallace also adapted one of her own novels, Straight From the Heart into a screenplay. The resulting movie became the highest-rated Hallmark movie (as of 2003).[2]

[edit] Novels

Wallace has written 25 romance novels.[2] These have been published under her own name, as well as the pseudonyms Dianne King and Elnora King.[6] An additional pen name, Pamela Simpson, came about through a collaboration with [Carla Simpson]], who had previously written eleven historical romance novels under the pseudonym Quinn Taylor Evans. In the early 1990s the pair completed three contemporary romantic suspense novels. The novels were translated into seven languages. Two of them, Fortune's Child and Partners in Time, were optioned for film.[7]

In 2000, Wallace wrote a nonfiction book called You Can Write a Screenplay. Drawing on her own experiences in Hollywood, the book walked readers through the entire screenwriting process, beginning with the initial idea. It provided tips for writing the screenplay, as well as advice on how to sell the completed work.[1]

[edit] Producer

In the early twenty-first century, Wallace became a partner in Talk Story Productions. She has served as an executive producer for the cable television series "Beyond the Break",[3] as well as for the television movie Last Chance Cafe.

[edit] Filmography

  • Love's Unending Legacy (2007) (TV)
  • Last Chance Cafe (2006) (TV)
  • Though None Go with Me (2006) (TV)
  • Meet the Santas (2005) (TV) (characters)
  • Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus (2004) (TV)
  • Straight from the Heart (2003) (TV)
  • Borrowed Hearts (1997) (TV)
  • Alibi (1997) (TV)
  • If These Walls Could Talk (1996) (TV) (segment "1952")
  • A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story (1992) (TV)
  • If the Shoe Fits (1990) (TV)
  • Witness (1985)

[edit] Selected Bibliography

[edit] Fiction

  • Tears in the Rain
  • Dream Lost, Dreams Found
  • Love with the Perfect Stranger
  • Straight From the Heart

[edit] as Pamela Simpson

  • Fortune's Child (with Carla Simpson)
  • Partners in Time (with Carla Simpson)

[edit] Nonfiction

  • You Can Write a Screenplay (2001)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Wright, Lenore (September 10, 2001). Book review: You Can Write a Movie by Pamela Wallace. Script Market News. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
  2. ^ a b c d "Witness" Co-screenwriter Pamela Wallace Featured at Hollywood by the Bay Screenwriting Conference; 1986 Movie Won Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Business Wire, August 29, 2003, <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2003_August_29/ai_107050571>. Retrieved on 29 August 2007 
  3. ^ a b Conference Speakers - Pamela Wallace. The Screenwriter's Journey (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
  4. ^ a b Hamlett, Christina (April 7, 2003). Follow Your Dream: An Interview with Madeline DiMaggio. Writer-on-line.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
  5. ^ News Flash: Interview with Pamela Wallace. Producers' and Directors' Guild of Victoria (May 10, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-08-28.
  6. ^ Author Profile: Pamela Wallace. Romantic Times. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
  7. ^ Carla Simpson. Kensington Books. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.

[edit] External links