Chuck Pfarrer
Encyclopedia
Charles Patrick "Chuck" Pfarrer, III (born April 13, 1957, Boston, Massachusetts) is an American novelist, screenwriter
, and former U.S. Navy SEAL
from Biloxi, Mississippi
.
officer, and Joan Marie Pfarrer, a registered nurse.
Pfarrer is a graduate of the Staunton Military Academy
, and studied Clinical Psychology at California State University at Northridge and the University of Bath
in the United Kingdom. Pfarrer went through Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) in 1981 and spent 8 years as a Navy SEAL
. He served as a military advisor in Central America
, trained NATO forces in Europe and the Mediterranean, undertook duties in the Middle East, notably in Lebanon
during the Lebanese Civil War
. As executive officer of the SEAL Team assigned to the Multi-National Peacekeeping Force, he witnessed the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut
. Pfarrer was one of the SEAL Team leaders responsible for the apprehension of Abu Abbas
and the hijackers of the cruise ship Achille Lauro
. Pfarrer ended his service as Assault Element Commander at the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group
(DEVGRU), formerly known as SEAL Team 6.
After leaving the military, Pfarrer embarked on a career as a Hollywood screenwriter. His film credits include writing, acting and production work in Navy SEALs
, Darkman
, and Hard Target
. Pfarrer was the screenwriter on The Jackal. His spec screenplay
s for Virus and Red Planet
were also made into movies. He is an uncredited writer on the films Arlington Road, Second Nature, Sudden Impact and Green Hornet. Pfarrer was active in the 2004 effort to recall Writer's Guild of America president Charles Holland, who had claimed, wrongly, to be a wounded combat veteran, intelligence officer and Green Beret. Holland eventually resigned under fire.
Pfarrer’s best-selling autobiography, Warrior Soul, The Memoir of a Navy SEAL
, was published by Random House in 2004. His debut novel, Killing Che, was published by Random House in 2007. He is the author/creator of six graphic novels for Dark Horse Comics
, and wrote and produced two interactive full motion videos, Flash Traffic and Silent Steel
, both for Tsunami Media.
and terrorist employment of weapons of mass destruction. He has written Op Ed for the New York Times and the Knight Ridder
syndicate, appeared as an author and counter-terrorism expert on CSPAN-2, NPR
, the Arabic network Al Hurra, IPR
, Voice of America
, Fox News and ABC, America Tonight and The Australian Broadcast Company. Pfarrer serves presently an Associate Editor of "The Counterterrorist", a journal of international security, special operations, counter insurgency and counterterrorism.
Pfarrer is presently at work on an investigative article sourcing the various “versions” of Neptune’s Spear, quoting administration officials and their various walk backs. Pfarrer is also seeking to interview bin Laden’s relatives and Pakistani civilians who witnessed the assault. Preliminary information from these witnesses corroborates the story that the helicopter crashed after, and not before bin Laden was killed.
In addition to working on a film version of the raid, yet untiled. Pfarrer also has a novel, Phillip Nolan, due out in 2012.
http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/92-196/Virus-1-of-4
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, and former U.S. Navy SEAL
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
from Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
.
Biography
Pfarrer is the son of Charles Patrick Pfarrer, Jr., a career navalUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
officer, and Joan Marie Pfarrer, a registered nurse.
Pfarrer is a graduate of the Staunton Military Academy
Staunton Military Academy
Staunton Military Academy was an all-male military academy located in Staunton, Virginia for much of its 116-year history. The school closed in 1976. Many notable American political and military leaders are graduates...
, and studied Clinical Psychology at California State University at Northridge and the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
in the United Kingdom. Pfarrer went through Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) in 1981 and spent 8 years as a Navy SEAL
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
. He served as a military advisor in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, trained NATO forces in Europe and the Mediterranean, undertook duties in the Middle East, notably in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
during the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
. As executive officer of the SEAL Team assigned to the Multi-National Peacekeeping Force, he witnessed the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. Pfarrer was one of the SEAL Team leaders responsible for the apprehension of Abu Abbas
Abu Abbas
Muhammad Zaidan also known as Abū ‘Abbās or Muhammad ‘Abbās, was the founder and leader of paramilitary group the Palestine Liberation Front .- Political background :...
and the hijackers of the cruise ship Achille Lauro
MS Achille Lauro
MS Achille Lauro was a cruise ship based in Naples, Italy. Built between 1939 and 1947 as MS Willem Ruys, a passenger liner for the Rotterdamsche Lloyd. It is most remembered for its 1985 hijacking...
. Pfarrer ended his service as Assault Element Commander at the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group
United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group
The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group , commonly known as DEVGRU and informally by its former name SEAL Team Six , is one of the United States' four secretive counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units .The vast majority of information about DEVGRU is highly classified, and...
(DEVGRU), formerly known as SEAL Team 6.
After leaving the military, Pfarrer embarked on a career as a Hollywood screenwriter. His film credits include writing, acting and production work in Navy SEALs
Navy SEALs (film)
Navy SEALs is a 1990 action film, directed by Lewis Teague, written by Chuck Pfarrer and Gary Goldman, and produced by Brenda Feigen and Bernard Williams with consultant William Bradley.-Plot:...
, Darkman
Darkman
Darkman is a 1990 superhero action film directed by Sam Raimi. It is based on a short story Raimi wrote that paid homage to Universal's horror films of the 1930s...
, and Hard Target
Hard Target
Hard Target is a 1993 American action film directed by Chinese director John Woo. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Chance Boudreaux, an out-of-work Cajun merchant seaman who saves a young woman, Natasha Binder , from a gang of thugs in New Orleans...
. Pfarrer was the screenwriter on The Jackal. His spec screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
s for Virus and Red Planet
Red Planet (film)
Red Planet is a 2000 Technicolor science fiction film directed by Antony Hoffman, starring Val Kilmer and Carrie-Anne Moss. It was released on November 10, 2000.-Plot:...
were also made into movies. He is an uncredited writer on the films Arlington Road, Second Nature, Sudden Impact and Green Hornet. Pfarrer was active in the 2004 effort to recall Writer's Guild of America president Charles Holland, who had claimed, wrongly, to be a wounded combat veteran, intelligence officer and Green Beret. Holland eventually resigned under fire.
Pfarrer’s best-selling autobiography, Warrior Soul, The Memoir of a Navy SEAL
Warrior Soul, The Memoir of a Navy SEAL
Warrior Soul, The Memoir of a Navy SEAL, Chuck Pfarrer, Random House, 2004. ISBN 0-89141-863-6. Warrior Soul is a memoir of former U.S. Navy SEAL Chuck Pfarrer from the start of his career to his last mission....
, was published by Random House in 2004. His debut novel, Killing Che, was published by Random House in 2007. He is the author/creator of six graphic novels for Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
, and wrote and produced two interactive full motion videos, Flash Traffic and Silent Steel
Silent Steel
Silent Steel is an unorthodox submarine simulator computer game by Tsunami Games. It was created during the influx of 'interactive movies' during the 1990s. The game is made entirely in FMV with real actors and surroundings...
, both for Tsunami Media.
Continuing Work
Pfarrer has written broadly on terrorism and counter-terrorism, and serves government and industry as a subject matter expert on special operations, terrorist operational methodology, counter-proliferationCounter-proliferation
Counter-proliferation refers to diplomatic, intelligence, and military efforts to combat the proliferation of weapons, including both conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction...
and terrorist employment of weapons of mass destruction. He has written Op Ed for the New York Times and the Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of...
syndicate, appeared as an author and counter-terrorism expert on CSPAN-2, NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, the Arabic network Al Hurra, IPR
IPR
IPR is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, including:In media:*Indiana Public Radio*Independent Public Radio, a radio network in Minnesota*Interlochen Public Radio...
, Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
, Fox News and ABC, America Tonight and The Australian Broadcast Company. Pfarrer serves presently an Associate Editor of "The Counterterrorist", a journal of international security, special operations, counter insurgency and counterterrorism.
Pfarrer is presently at work on an investigative article sourcing the various “versions” of Neptune’s Spear, quoting administration officials and their various walk backs. Pfarrer is also seeking to interview bin Laden’s relatives and Pakistani civilians who witnessed the assault. Preliminary information from these witnesses corroborates the story that the helicopter crashed after, and not before bin Laden was killed.
In addition to working on a film version of the raid, yet untiled. Pfarrer also has a novel, Phillip Nolan, due out in 2012.
Non-fiction
- Warrior Soul, The Memoir of a Navy SEALWarrior Soul, The Memoir of a Navy SEALWarrior Soul, The Memoir of a Navy SEAL, Chuck Pfarrer, Random House, 2004. ISBN 0-89141-863-6. Warrior Soul is a memoir of former U.S. Navy SEAL Chuck Pfarrer from the start of his career to his last mission....
(2004) - SEAL Target Geronimo, The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden (2011)
Graphic novels
- Virus 1, 2, 3, 4 (1996)
- The Thing from Another World: Climate of Fear (1995)
http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/92-196/Virus-1-of-4
Screenplays
- Navy SEALsNavy SEALs (film)Navy SEALs is a 1990 action film, directed by Lewis Teague, written by Chuck Pfarrer and Gary Goldman, and produced by Brenda Feigen and Bernard Williams with consultant William Bradley.-Plot:...
- DarkmanDarkmanDarkman is a 1990 superhero action film directed by Sam Raimi. It is based on a short story Raimi wrote that paid homage to Universal's horror films of the 1930s...
- Hard TargetHard TargetHard Target is a 1993 American action film directed by Chinese director John Woo. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Chance Boudreaux, an out-of-work Cajun merchant seaman who saves a young woman, Natasha Binder , from a gang of thugs in New Orleans...
- VirusVirus (1999 film)Virus is a 1999 science fiction-horror film directed by visual effects artist John Bruno and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin and Donald Sutherland...
- The Jackal
- Red PlanetRed Planet (film)Red Planet is a 2000 Technicolor science fiction film directed by Antony Hoffman, starring Val Kilmer and Carrie-Anne Moss. It was released on November 10, 2000.-Plot:...
- Barb WireBarb Wire (film)-Cast:* Pamela Anderson Lee as Barbara "Barb Wire" Kopetski* Temuera Morrison as Axel Hood* Victoria Rowell as Dr. Corrina "Cora D" Devonshire* Jack Noseworthy as Charlie Kopetski* Xander Berkeley as Alexander Willis* Udo Kier as Curly...
Uncredited Screenplays
- Arlington RoadArlington RoadArlington Road is a 1999 American drama/mystery film, which tells the story of a widowed George Washington University professor who suspects his new neighbors are involved in terrorism and becomes obsessed with foiling their terrorist plot. The film stars Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, and...
- The Green HornetThe Green HornetThe Green Hornet is an American radio and television masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell, in 1936. Since his radio debut in the 1930s, the Green Hornet has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media...
- Point of ImpactPoint of ImpactPoint of Impact is a 1993 thriller novel by award-winning author Stephen Hunter.-Plot introduction:The plot revolves around a former Vietnam sniper named Bob Lee Swagger or Bob 'the Nailer'. This character is loosely based upon the real Vietnam sniper and Marine Corps legend Carlos Hathcock...
- Second NatureSecond NatureSecond Nature may refer to:*Second Nature *Second Nature *"Second Nature" *"Second Nature" *Second Nature , a short film by Colin Blackshear...