Richard Gilliam
Encyclopedia
Richard Gilliam is a short story author and the editor of such theme anthologies as Confederacy of the Dead (1993), Phobias (1994) and the Grails series (1992–94). He has contributed fantasy short stories to numerous books and magazines, and his non-fiction includes Joltin' Joe DiMaggio (1999).
Gilliam began as a sportswriter and worked as a publicist to Coach Bear Bryant
at the University of Alabama
. A veteran anthologist, he worked from his home in Green Bay, Wisconsin
.
He devised the Movie Links online game in 1990, and it was played extensively on GEnie
four years before the quite similar Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
game was promoted in 1994. Gilliam's game is much more difficult in that a player is required to find the shortest number of movies linking actors as diverse as, say, Gloria Swanson
and Chris Farley
rather than links to the same specific actor (a feat which can be memorized).
.
Gilliam began as a sportswriter and worked as a publicist to Coach Bear Bryant
Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships...
at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. A veteran anthologist, he worked from his home in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
.
He devised the Movie Links online game in 1990, and it was played extensively on GEnie
GEnie
GEnie was an online service created by a General Electric business - GEIS that ran from 1985 through the end of 1999. In 1994, GEnie claimed around 350,000 users. Peak simultaneous usage was around 10,000 users...
four years before the quite similar Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a trivia game based on the concept of the small world phenomenon and rests on the assumption that any individual involved in the Hollywood, California film industry can be linked through his or her film roles to actor Kevin Bacon within six steps. The name of the game...
game was promoted in 1994. Gilliam's game is much more difficult in that a player is required to find the shortest number of movies linking actors as diverse as, say, Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the...
and Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
rather than links to the same specific actor (a feat which can be memorized).
Awards
His story "Caroline and Caleb" was a Best Novella nominee in the 1993 Bram Stoker Awards, given annually by the Horror Writers AssociationHorror Writers Association
The Horror Writers Association is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark Fantasy writers. It was formed in the 1980s with the help of many of the field's greats, including Joe Lansdale, Robert...
.