Gill Dennis (January 25, 1941 – May 13, 2015) was an American

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 ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. He was the son of psychologist Wayne Dennis, author of "The Hopi Child."

Early life

Dennis graduated from

AFI Conservatory The AFI Conservatory is a private not-for-profit graduate film school in the Hollywood Hills district of Los Angeles. Students (called "Fellows") learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on st ...

’s first class (in 1969), which also included Tom Rickman,

Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. His films include '' Days of Heaven'' (1978), '' The Thin Red Line'' (1998), for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenp ...

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

and

Caleb Deschanel Joseph Caleb Deschanel, (born September 21, 1944) is an American cinematographer and director of film and television. He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography six times. He is a member of the National Film Preservat ...

Personal life and death

His first wife was actress

Elizabeth Hartman Mary Elizabeth Hartman (December 23, 1943 – June 10, 1987) was an American actress of the stage and screen. She debuted in the popular 1965 film ''A Patch of Blue'', playing a blind girl named Selina D'Arcy, opposite Sidney Poitier, a role for ...

, whom he divorced in 1984. He died in Portland, Oregon, and is survived by his wife, Kristen Peckinpah Dennis, and two sons.

Filmography

;Director * ''

Without Evidence ''Without Evidence'' is a 1996 thriller film directed and co-written by Gill Dennis in his first and last film he directed. It stars Scott Plank, Anna Gunn, Angelina Jolie, Paul Perri, and Andrew Prine. It was co-written by Dennis and Phil Stanf ...

'' (1995) ;Writer * ''

Return to Oz ''Return to Oz'' is a 1985 dark fantasy film released by Walt Disney Pictures, co-written and directed by Walter Murch. It stars Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, Piper Laurie, and Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale in her first screen role. The film is ...

'' (1985) * '' On My Own'' (1991) * ''

'' (1995) * ''

Walk the Line ''Walk the Line'' is a 2005 American biographical musical romantic drama film directed by James Mangold. The screenplay, written by Mangold and Gill Dennis, is based on two autobiographies authored by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, 1975's '' M ...

'' (2005)

References

External links

* 1941 births 2015 deaths American male screenwriters Writers from Charlottesville, Virginia AFI Conservatory alumni Film directors from Virginia Screenwriters from Virginia {{US-screenwriter-stub