David Seltzer (born February 12, 1940) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

screenwriter, producer and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, perhaps best known for writing the screenplays for ''

The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spen ...

'' (1976) and '' Bird on a Wire'' (1990). As writer-director, Seltzer's credits include the 1986 teen tragi-comedy '' Lucas'' starring

Corey Haim Corey Ian Haim (December 23, 1971 – March 10, 2010) was a Canadian actor. He starred in a number of 1980s films, such as '' Lucas'', '' Silver Bullet'', ''Murphy's Romance'', '' License to Drive'' and '' Dream a Little Dream''. His role along ...

Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Platoon'' (1986), ''Wall Street'' (1987), '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' The Rookie'' (1990), ''The Thr ...

and

Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...

, the 1988 comedy ''

Punchline A punch line (a. k. a. punch-line or punchline) concludes a joke; it is intended to make people laugh. It is the third and final part of the typical joke structure. It follows the introductory framing of the joke and the narrative which sets up ...

'' starring Sally Field and

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

, and 1992's ''

Shining Through ''Shining Through'' is a 1992 American World War II drama film which was released to United States cinemas on January 31, 1992, written and directed by David Seltzer and starring Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith, with Liam Neeson, Joely Ric ...

'' starring

Melanie Griffith Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career in the 1970s, appearing in several independent thriller films before achieving mainstream success in the mid-1980s. Born in Manhattan, New York City, ...

and

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the A ...

Biography

Born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family, Seltzer was uncredited for his contributions to the 1971 musical film ''

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. It is an adaptation of the 1964 novel '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' by Roald Dahl. The fi ...

'', the author of the original book, Roald Dahl, is credited as sole screenwriter; however it has been revealed that Seltzer rewrote 30% of Dahl's script, adding such elements as the "Slugworth subplot", music other than the original

Oompa Loompa This is a list of characters in the 1964 Roald Dahl book ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'', his 1972 sequel ''Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator'', and the former's film adaptations, ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' (1971) and ' ...

compositions (including ''

Pure Imagination "Pure Imagination" is a song from the 1971 film ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory''. It was written by British composers Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley specifically for the movie. It was sung by Gene Wilder who played the character of ...

'' and ''

The Candy Man "The Candy Man" (or alternatively, "The Candy Man Can") is a song that originally appeared in the 1971 film ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory''. It was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley specifically for the film. Although the ori ...

''), and the ending dialogue for the movie. Seltzer's writing credits include the screenplays for ''

'', ''

Prophecy In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a '' prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or pr ...

'', ''

Six Weeks ''Six Weeks'' is a 1982 American drama film directed by Tony Bill and based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Fred Mustard Stewart. It stars Dudley Moore, Mary Tyler Moore, and Katherine Healy. Plot Charlotte Dreyfus, a wealthy cosmetic ty ...

'', ''

My Giant ''My Giant'' is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann. The film stars Billy Crystal, who also produced and co-wrote the story for the film, and Romanian NBA player Gheorghe Mureșan in his only film appearance. David Seltzer' ...

'', '' Dragonfly'' and '' Bird on a Wire'', starring

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...

and

Goldie Hawn Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, dancer, producer, and singer. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (1968–1970), before going on to receive the Academy Award and Go ...

. He wrote and directed '' Lucas'' (1986), ''

'' (1988), ''

'' (1992), and '' Nobody's Baby'' (2001). Seltzer was reported to be writing an "Untitled Earthquake Project" for Hollywood director and producer

J. J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' F ...

, the plot of which is closely guarded, though it has been confirmed that the film is not a remake of 1974's disaster film ''

Earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

.'' Seltzer is also reportedly working on a UK remake of Alfred Hitchcock's '' Strangers on a Train,'' from the novel by

Patricia Highsmith Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley. She wrote 22 novel ...

Partial filmography

(as Producer, Director, or Writer) * ''

'' (1971) - Writer (uncredited) * '' Two Is a Happy Number'' (1972) - Writer * ''

Larry Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment * Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer *Larry Boone ...

'' (1974) - Co-writer * ''

The Other Side of the Mountain ''The Other Side of the Mountain'' is a 1975 American drama romance film based on the true story of ski racing champion Jill Kinmont. The UK title of the film was ''A Window to the Sky''. In early 1955, Kinmont was the national champion in sla ...

'' (1975) - Writer * ''

'' (1976) - Writer * '' Green Eyes'' (TV-1977) - Producer and Co-writer * '' Damien: Omen II'' (1978) - Character creator * ''

'' (1979) - Writer * '' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981) - Character creator * ''

'' (1982) - Writer * '' Table for Five'' (1983) - Writer * ''

Private Sessions ''Private Sessions'' is a 2007 television series produced by the A&E Network featuring top entertainers interviewed by host Lynn Hoffman. Most guests are musicians that perform several of their songs during the hour-long episode, but actors also h ...

'' (TV-1985) - Co-writer * '' Lucas'' (1986) - Director and Writer * ''

'' (1988) - Director and Writer * '' Bird on a Wire'' (1990) - Co-writer * '' Omen IV: The Awakening'' (TV-1991) - Character creator * ''

'' (1992) - Producer, Director, and Writer * '' The Eighteenth Angel'' (1997) - Writer * ''

'' (1998) - Co-writer * '' Dragonfly'' (2002) - Co-writer * ''

'' (2006) - Writer

References

External links

The Dialogue: Learn from the Masters Interview
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seltzer, David American male screenwriters Television producers from Illinois Jewish American screenwriters German-language film directors People from Highland Park, Illinois 1940 births Living people Film directors from Illinois Screenwriters from Illinois 21st-century American Jews