Everett De Roche (July 12, 1946 - April 2, 2014) was an American-Australian screenwriter who worked extensively in the Australian film and TV industry. He was best known for his work in the thriller and horror genre, with such credits as ''

Long Weekend A long weekend is a weekend that is at least three days long (i.e. a three-day weekend), due to a public or unofficial holiday occurring on either the following Monday or preceding Friday. Many countries also have four-day weekends, in which ...

'', ''

Patrick Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

'' and ''

Roadgames ''Roadgames'' (stylized as ''Road Games'') is a 1981 Australian thriller film directed by Richard Franklin and starring Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film follows a truck driver travelling across Australia who, along with the help of a ...

''.

Career

De Roche was born in Lincoln, Maine and moved to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

with his family when he was six. De Roche emigrated to Australia with his wife when he was 22 in 1968 and originally worked as a journalist for the Queensland Health Education Council. He wanted to be a writer and wrote a spec script for ''

Division Four The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

''. Nine months later he received a telegram inviting him to write for the show. From 1970-74 he was a staff writer at Crawford Productions mainly working on police shows, then he freelanced. In the late 70s and early 80s he established himself as the leading screenwriter of thrillers in Australia. He often worked with director Richard Franklin who said of him:

Everett is a very inspirational writer... Everett gives one too much of everything and you don’t always know what to use. You start editing down and you end up with words and single lines of dialogue that were once scenes. That is maybe how this problem, as you see it, comes about. But that only has to do with Everett’s extraordinarily fertile imagination and his writing speed.Scott Murray, "Richard Franklin: Director/Producer", ''Senses of Cinema'', 12 July 2008
accessed 26 October 2012

Death

De Roche had cancer during the last three years of his life and died of the disease in 2014. He was survived by his wife, six daughters and several grandchildren.

Select credits

*''

'' (1978) *''

Snapshot Snapshot, snapshots or snap shot may refer to: * Snapshot (photography), a photograph taken without preparation Computing * Snapshot (computer storage), the state of a system at a particular point in time * Snapshot (file format) or SNP, a file ...

'' (1979) *''

Harlequin Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque dialect, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian language, Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city o ...

'' (1980) *''

'' (1981) *''

Race for the Yankee Zephyr ''Race for the Yankee Zephyr'' (also known as ''Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr'') is a 1981 action adventure film directed by David Hemmings and starring Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, George Peppard and Donald Pleasence. Plot Gibbie Gibson (Donal ...

'' (1981) *''

Razorback The feral pig is a domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorback and wild hog are Americanisms applied to feral pigs or boar-pig hybrids. Definition A feral pi ...

'' (1984) *''

Fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

'' (1985) *''

Frog Dreaming ''Frog Dreaming'' is a 1986 Australian family adventure film written by Everett De Roche and directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith. It starred Henry Thomas, Tony Barry, Rachel Friend and Tamsin West. Plot An American boy, Cody (Thomas), whose pare ...

'' (1985) *'' Link'' (1986) *''

Windrider WindRider LLC is a United States manufacturer of sailing dinghy and trimaran sailboats. As of late 2020 production of boats by WindRider LLC has ceased. The company now sells outdoor gear through their online store. Note that WindRider was the ...

'' (1986) *'' Stingers'' (TV series) (1998-2001) *''

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'' (2003) *''

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'' (2007) *''

'' (2008) *''

Nine Miles Down ''Nine Miles Down'' is a 2009 horror film based on the Well to Hell, a widespread urban legend (spread mostly in the 1990s) that Russian scientists had drilled so deep that they had broken through into hell and recorded the screams of the damned ...

'' (2009)

Television

*''Homicide'' *''

Division 4 ''Division 4'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 301 episodes. Synopsis The series was one of the first dramas to follow up on the enormous success o ...

'' *''

Matlock Police ''Matlock Police'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network (now known as the 10 Network) between 1971 and 1976. The series focused on the police station and crime in the Victorian town o ...

'' *''Moon Monkey'' (1972) *''Fibber, the Dancing Galah'' (1972) *''Three-Legged Duck'' (1972) *''Ryan'' *''Bedlam'' (1973) *''Poppy and the Closet Junkie'' (1973) *''A Song for Julie'' (1973) *''Little Raver'' (1974) *''The Curse of the Bangerang'' (1975) *''My Bonnie My Bonny'' (1975) *''Scout's Honour'' (1975) *'' Bluey'' (1976) *''

Tandarra ''Tandarra'' is an Australian television series which screened on the Seven Network in Australia in 1976 and on ITV (including the London Weekend Television and Anglia regions) in the UK. It was a follow-up series to '' Cash and Company'' whic ...

'' (1976) *''

Solo One ''Solo One'' is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for the Seven Network and screened in 1976. There were 13 half-hour episodes. Synopsis The series was a spin-off from Crawford's other police show ''Matlock Police' ...

'' (1976) *''The Mooball Man'' (1976) *''

The Hydra ''The Hydra'' was a magazine produced by the patients of the Craiglockhart War Hospital, noteworthy for having been edited at one time by Wilfred Owen, and for including poems by Siegfried Sassoon. The magazine was headquartered in Edinburgh. ...

'' (1976) *''

Chopper Squad ''Chopper Squad'' is an Australian television series produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the 0-10 Network (as it was then known).Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 p 115 The series recounted the work o ...

'' (1978) – pilot *''

Skyways Skyways may refer to: *Skyway A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very ...

'' (1979) *''

Locusts and Wild Honey ''Locusts and Wild Honey'' is a 1980 Australian mini series about a small town where they spot UFOs.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p211 Cast The series starred Julia Blake and her two real- ...

'' (1980) *'' Special Squad'' (1984) *''All the Way'' (1988) *''Police Rescue'' (1989) – pilot *''Bony'' (1990) - TV movie *''The Flying Doctors'' (1991) *''

Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left ''Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left'' is a 1985 novel by Australian children's author Robin Klein which also became a children's television series. The story focuses on an alien family who seek refuge on Earth, in the small town of Bell ...

'' (1992) *'' R.F.D.S.'' (1993) *''Secrets'' (1993) *''

Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for 12 years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted the ever ...

'' (1994) *'' Snowy River: The McGregor Saga'' (1994–95) *'' Flipper'' (1995) *''

Ship to Shore ''Ship to Shore'' is an Australian children's television series devised by David Rapsey and written by Glenda Hambly, John Rapsey, Mary Morris, Everett de Roche, Ysabelle Dean, Jon Stephens and others. The program was shown on the ABC and Chann ...

'' (1993–96) *''Fire'' (1995–96) *''The Feds: Seduction'' (1993) *'' Medivac'' (1996–97) *''

Good Guys, Bad Guys ''Good Guys, Bad Guys'' was an Australian comedy/drama TV series that screened on the Nine Network between 1997 and 1998, with a telemovie and twenty-six episodes produced. The crime-themed show was set in Melbourne. The program and its lead cha ...

'' (1997–98) *''

Ocean Girl ''Ocean Girl'' (titled ''Ocean Odyssey'' in the UK) is an Australian science fiction TV series aimed for family audiences and starring Marzena Godecki as the lead character. The show is set in the near future, and focuses on an unusual girl na ...

'' (1997) *'' Thunderstone'' (1999) *'' Stingers'' (1998–2001) *''

Something in the Air "Something in the Air" is a song by English rock band Thunderclap Newman, written by Speedy Keen who also sang the song. It was a No. 1 single for three weeks in the UK Singles Chart in July 1969. The song has been used for films, television a ...

'' (2000–01) *''

Cybergirl ''Cybergirl'' is an Australian-French children's television series that first screened on Network Ten in Australia. The 26-episode series was created by Jonathan M. Shiff, whose previous series include the BAFTA-award-winning ''Ocean Girl''. ...

'' (2001) *''

The Saddle Club ''The Saddle Club'' is an Australian-Canadian children's television series developed by Sarah Dodd, based on the books written by Bonnie Bryant. Like the book series, the scripted live action series follows the lives of three best friends in ...

'' (2003) *''

Parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to foreshortening, nearby objects ...

'' (2004) – 4 episodes *''

Two Twisted ''Two Twisted'' is an Australian TV mystery anthology drama which premiered on the Nine Network on 14 August 2006. Narrated by Bryan Brown, who also produced the series' predecessor, '' Twisted Tales'', each episode of the series contains two sh ...

'' (2006) – episode "A Date with Doctor D" *''K-9'' (2009) – episode "Alien Avatar"

Unmade projects

*''Firestorm'' (circa 1984) - film about bushfires in Mornington Peninsula that was to mark his directorial debut."Production Survey", ''Cinema Papers'', August 1984 p259 The budget was given at $6 million. *''Breakwater'' (early 1990s) - a science fiction adventure story set around Half Moon Bay's hulk of the ''

Cerberus In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; grc-gre, Κέρβερος ''Kérberos'' ), often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring of the mo ...

'' with director Richard Franklin *''Making Noises'' (2010) - co-writer *''High Seas'' (2010) - a pirate film'Everett De Roche pens modern pirate flick' ''Quiet Earth'' 20 Jan 2010
accessed 2 Oct 2012

Accolades

In 2014, Everett DeRoche was posthumously awarded the Dorothy Crawford Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession. During his career he also received nominations for two AFI Awards; one for

Best Adapted Screenplay This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

for ''

'' and one for

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with the ...

for ''

''. He didn't win either one of those awards.

References

External links

*
Everett de Roche
at

AustLit AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource (also known as AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway; and AustLit: The Resource for Australian Literature), usually referred to simply as AustLit, is an internet-based, non-profit collaboration betwee ...

1980 interview at ''Senses of Cinema''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, Everett De American male screenwriters 1946 births 2014 deaths