Pamela Wallace
Encyclopedia
Pamela Wallace is an American
screenwriter
and author
. She won an Academy Award for co-writing the screenplay for the movie Witness
. Wallace has also written 25 romance novels, under her own name and the pseudonym
s Pamela Simpson and Dianne King.
. The resulting film, Witness
, was released in 1985 and starred Harrison Ford
and Kelly McGillis
. Wallace received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1986 for her work on Witness. The script also won awards from the Mystery Writers of America
and the Writers Guild of America
. The Writers Guild later named Witness to their list of the Top 101 Greatest Scripts.
In the late 1980s, Wallace collaborated with fellow screenwriter Madeline DiMaggio on a screenplay they called If The Shoe Fits. This was made into a low-budget movie that barely resembled their script. Wallace was given the opportunity to remove her name from the movie credits, but she chose to keep the credit for her resume despite her dislike of the movie.
By the late 1990s, Wallace was once again writing successful screenplays. She wrote the first segment of the award-winning 1996 HBO movie, If These Walls Could Talk
. The following year, Borrowed Hearts became one of the highest-rated CBS
movies.
Wallace also adapted one of her own novels, Straight From the Heart into a screenplay for Hallmark Channel
. The resulting movie became the highest-rated film for the network in 2003. She also penned the screenplay for the 2006 Hallmark Channel
movie Though None Go with Me
, starring Cheryl Ladd
. She has written several other Hallmark Channel and Lifetime Network movies.
novels under the pseudonym Quinn Taylor Evans. In the early 1990s the pair completed three contemporary romantic suspense novels. The novels were translated into seven languages. Two of them, Fortune's Child and Partners in Time, were optioned for film.
In 2000, Wallace wrote a nonfiction book called You Can Write a Screenplay. Drawing on her own experiences in Hollywood, the book walked readers through the entire screenwriting process, beginning with the initial idea. It provided tips for writing the screenplay, as well as advice on how to sell the completed work.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter
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 author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. She won an Academy Award for co-writing the screenplay for the movie Witness
Witness (1985 film)
Witness is a 1985 American thriller film directed by Peter Weir and starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. The screenplay by William Kelley, Pamela Wallace, and Earl W...
. Wallace has also written 25 romance novels, under her own name and the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s Pamela Simpson and Dianne King.
Screenwriting
Pamela Wallace co-wrote her first screenplay in the early 1980s. It was rejected multiple times but was finally purchased by producer Edward S. FeldmanEdward S. Feldman
Edward S. Feldman is an American film and television producer.Born and raised in The Bronx, where he attended DeWitt Clinton High School, Feldman graduated from Michigan State University, after which he was hired by 20th Century Fox to work as a writer in the studio's press book department in its...
. The resulting film, Witness
Witness (1985 film)
Witness is a 1985 American thriller film directed by Peter Weir and starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. The screenplay by William Kelley, Pamela Wallace, and Earl W...
, was released in 1985 and starred Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
and Kelly McGillis
Kelly McGillis
Kelly Ann McGillis is an American actress. Her films include Top Gun, The Accused, and Witness, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.-Career:...
. Wallace received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1986 for her work on Witness. The script also won awards from the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
and the Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
. The Writers Guild later named Witness to their list of the Top 101 Greatest Scripts.
In the late 1980s, Wallace collaborated with fellow screenwriter Madeline DiMaggio on a screenplay they called If The Shoe Fits. This was made into a low-budget movie that barely resembled their script. Wallace was given the opportunity to remove her name from the movie credits, but she chose to keep the credit for her resume despite her dislike of the movie.
By the late 1990s, Wallace was once again writing successful screenplays. She wrote the first segment of the award-winning 1996 HBO movie, If These Walls Could Talk
If These Walls Could Talk
If These Walls Could Talk is a 1996 made for television movie, broadcast on HBO. It follows the plights of three different women and their experiences with abortion. Each of the three stories takes place in the same house, 22 years each: 1952, 1974, and 1996. All three segments were co-written by...
. The following year, Borrowed Hearts became one of the highest-rated CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
movies.
Wallace also adapted one of her own novels, Straight From the Heart into a screenplay for Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
. The resulting movie became the highest-rated film for the network in 2003. She also penned the screenplay for the 2006 Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
movie Though None Go with Me
Though None Go with Me
Though None Go With Me is a 2006 made for TV movie that premiered on Hallmark Channel. It is directed by Armand Mastroianni, and stars Cheryl Ladd. The film is based on the best-selling book by Jerry B. Jenkins.-Plot:...
, starring Cheryl Ladd
Cheryl Ladd
Cheryl Ladd is an American actress, singer and author. Ladd is best known for her role as Kris Munroe in the television series Charlie's Angels, hired amid a swirl of publicity prior to its second season in 1977 to replace the departing Farrah Fawcett-Majors...
. She has written several other Hallmark Channel and Lifetime Network movies.
Novels
Wallace has written 25 romance novels. These have been published under her own name, as well as the pseudonyms Dianne King and Pamela Simpson. An additional pen name, Pamela Simpson, came about through a collaboration with Carla Simpson, who had previously written eleven historical romanceHistorical romance
Historical romance is a subgenre of two literary genres, the romance novel and the historical novel.-Definition:Historical romance is set before World War II...
novels under the pseudonym Quinn Taylor Evans. In the early 1990s the pair completed three contemporary romantic suspense novels. The novels were translated into seven languages. Two of them, Fortune's Child and Partners in Time, were optioned for film.
In 2000, Wallace wrote a nonfiction book called You Can Write a Screenplay. Drawing on her own experiences in Hollywood, the book walked readers through the entire screenwriting process, beginning with the initial idea. It provided tips for writing the screenplay, as well as advice on how to sell the completed work.
Producer
She has served as an executive producer for the cable television series "Beyond the Break", as well as for the television movies Last Chance Cafe and A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride.Filmography
- Love's Unending LegacyLove's Unending LegacyLove's Unending Legacy is a 2007 Christian Drama made for TV movie based on a series of books by Janette Oke. It originally aired on Hallmark Channel on April 7, 2007. It was directed by Mark Griffiths and stars Erin Cottrell...
(2007) (TV) - Last Chance Cafe (2006) (TV)
- Though None Go with MeThough None Go with MeThough None Go With Me is a 2006 made for TV movie that premiered on Hallmark Channel. It is directed by Armand Mastroianni, and stars Cheryl Ladd. The film is based on the best-selling book by Jerry B. Jenkins.-Plot:...
(2006) (TV) - Meet the SantasMeet the SantasMeet the Santas is a TV movie starring Steve Guttenberg and Crystal Bernard. It premiered on Hallmark Channel in 2005. It is a sequel to 2004's Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus...
(2005) (TV) - Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus (2004) (TV)
- Straight From the Heart (2003) (TV)
- Borrowed Hearts (1997) (TV)
- Alibi (1997) (TV)
- If These Walls Could TalkIf These Walls Could TalkIf These Walls Could Talk is a 1996 made for television movie, broadcast on HBO. It follows the plights of three different women and their experiences with abortion. Each of the three stories takes place in the same house, 22 years each: 1952, 1974, and 1996. All three segments were co-written by...
(1996) (TV) (segment "1952") - A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story (1992) (TV)
- If the Shoe Fits (1990) (TV)
- Tears in the RainTears in the RainTears in the Rain is a 1988 television movie directed by Don Sharp and starred Sharon Stone and Christopher Cazenove. It was one of a series of films produced in the Harlequin Romance Movie Series...
(1988) (TV) - WitnessWitness (1985 film)Witness is a 1985 American thriller film directed by Peter Weir and starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. The screenplay by William Kelley, Pamela Wallace, and Earl W...
(1985)
Fiction
- Dream Lost, Dreams Found
- Love with the Perfect Stranger
- Straight From the Heart
- Tears in the Rain
as Pamela Simpson
- Fortune's Child (with Carla Simpson)
- Partners in Time (with Carla Simpson)