From The Hollywood Reporter · Mike Barnes · · 1m 20s
Bill Kerby, who wrote the first draft of The Rose, dies at 88
A maverick Hollywood screenwriter behind The Rose and Hatfields & McCoys has died at 88.
In brief
A maverick Hollywood screenwriter behind The Rose and Hatfields & McCoys has died at 88. Bill Kerby spent 30 years writing films with a restless, outsider streak, and his last big credit, Hatfields & McCoys, brought him an Emmy nomination and a WGA award. Originally reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
A maverick screenwriter dies
Bill Kerby, the screenwriter behind some of the grittier American films of the 1970s, has died at 88.
He wrote The Rose first
Kerby wrote the first draft of the rock drama The Rose, the 1979 film that starred Bette Midler as a self-destructing singer.
Fast cars and stunt men
He also worked on The Last American Hero, The Gravy Train and Hooper, films built around racing, crime and Hollywood stunt work.
Died on Whidbey Island
Kerby died Aug. 13 on Whidbey Island in Washington state. He had been in hospice care at home and had fallen and suffered a fracture.
Thirty years in the trade
He was a full-time Hollywood writer for three decades, a rare run in a business where most screenwriting careers are short.
A late career high
His 2012 miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton, was a ratings hit for History and won him a WGA award plus an Emmy nomination.
What to remember
Bill Kerby spent 30 years writing films with a restless, outsider streak, and his last big credit, Hatfields & McCoys, brought him an Emmy nomination and a WGA award.
