William Fruet (born January 1, 1933) is a Canadian film and television director, playwright and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut with the drama ''

Wedding in White ''Wedding in White'' is a 1972 Canadian drama film written and directed by William Fruet, based on his earlier play. The film stars Carol Kane, Donald Pleasence, Doris Petrie, Doug McGrath, and Paul Bradley. Synopsis Set during World War I ...

'' (1972), based on a play he had also written. The film won Best Picture at the

Canadian Film Awards The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

in 1973. His later career included several horror films, including '' Death Weekend'' (1972), '' Cries in the Night'' (1980), and '' Killer Party'' (1986), as well as television series, including ''

Goosebumps ''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Publishing. The protagonists in these stories are tweens or young teens who find themselves in scary circumstances usually ...

'' and '' Poltergeist: The Legacy''. Other writing credits include the influential Canadian film ''

Goin' Down the Road ''Goin' Down the Road'' is a 1970 Canadian film directed by Donald Shebib, co-written by William Fruet and Donald Shebib. It tells the story of two young men who decide to leave the Maritimes, where jobs and fulfilling lives are hard to find, fo ...

'', which he co-wrote with Donald Shebib.

Career

Fruet began his career as a writer after attending the Canadian Theatre School. His screenwriting credits include ''Rip-Off'', ''

'', ''

Slipstream A slipstream is a region behind a moving object in which a wake of fluid (typically air or mustard) is moving at velocities comparable to that of the moving fluid, relative to the ambient fluid through which the object is churning. The term sli ...

'', '' Death Weekend'', '' Spasms'' and ''

Imaginary Playmate ''Imaginary Playmate'' is a thriller film which debuted on HBO in 2006. The film stars Dina Meyer, Rick Ravanello, Cassandra Sawtell, and Pablo Coffey. Plot Suzanne (Dina Meyer) and her 7-year-old stepdaughter Molly Driscoll move into a new ho ...

'', while his film directing credits include ''

'', ''Death Weekend'', ''Spasms'', ''

Search and Destroy Search and destroy, seek and destroy, or simply S&D is a military strategy best known for its employment in the Malayan Emergency and the Vietnam War. The strategy consists of inserting ground forces into hostile territory, ''search''ing out ...

'', '' Killer Party'', '' Cries in the Night'' and '' Bedroom Eyes''. ''Wedding in White'', his 1972 film debut starring Carol Kane and

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

, was based on a stage play he had written, and won the

Canadian Film Award The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

for Best Picture in 1973. His television credits include episodes of '' The Ray Bradbury Theatre'', ''

My Secret Identity ''My Secret Identity'' is a television series starring Jerry O'Connell and Derek McGrath. Originally broadcast from October 9, 1988 to May 25, 1991 on CTV in Canada, the series also aired in syndication in the United States. It was later shown ...

'', ''

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, bu ...

'', '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', '' Friday the 13th'', ''

War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appearance in hardcover was i ...

'', '' Counterstrike'', '' The Outer Limits'', ''

'', '' Poltergeist: The Legacy'', ''

The Zack Files ''The Zack Files'' is a science fiction television program based on a book series of the same name, written by Dan Greenburg. This series was shot in Toronto, Ontario. In August 2004, Goldhill Home Media released the first season on DVD. Plot The ...

'', ''

Da Vinci's Inquest ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is a Canadian dramatic television series which originally aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, the critically acclaimed show did attract a loyal following, and ultimately seven seaso ...

'', '' Chasing Rainbows'', '' Code Name: Eternity'' and '' Zoe Busiek: Wild Card''. Prior to his career as a writer and director, Fruet also had an acting role in the 1963 film '' Drylanders''.

Filmography

Directing

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fruet, William 1933 births Living people 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Film directors from Alberta Canadian television directors Canadian male screenwriters Canadian television writers Writers from Lethbridge Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male writers Canadian male television writers 21st-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian screenwriters