Bill Lancaster

William Henry Lancaster (November 17, 1947[2] – January 4, 1997) was an American screenwriter and actor.

For the pioneer aviator, see Bill Lancaster (aviator).
Bill Lancaster
Lancaster in The Big Valley (1967)
Born
William Henry Lancaster

(1947-11-17)November 17, 1947
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 4, 1997(1997-01-04) (aged 49)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeWestwood Memorial Park
OccupationScreenwriter, actor
Years active1965–1997
Spouse(s)
Kippie Kovacs
(
m. 1965)
Children1[1]
Parent(s)Burt Lancaster
Norma Anderson
RelativesErnie Kovacs (father-in-law)

Early life

He was born November 17, 1947, in Los Angeles, California, the son of Burt Lancaster (1913–1994) and Norma Anderson (1917–1988). He contracted polio at an early age, leaving one of his legs shorter than the other.

Career

Lancaster, a look-alike for his famous father at the time, guest-starred in an episode of the television series The Big Valley in 1967. In 1973, Lancaster played the role of "King", the boyfriend of a murdered college coed in The Midnight Man, a mystery film starring and co-directed by his father, released in 1974.

Lancaster's best-known work is his adapted screenplay for John Carpenter's The Thing.[3] He also penned the original screenplays for The Bad News Bears films.[4]

In 1982, he worked on a first-draft script of an adaptation of Stephen King's novel of Firestarter for Carpenter to direct. But months later of the same year, Carpenter hired Bill Phillips to work on a rewrite of Lancaster's draft. When The Thing bombed, Universal replaced Carpenter with Mark L. Lester and both drafts were scrapped in favor of Stanley Mann's draft.[5]

Lancaster is featured in the documentary The Thing: Terror Takes Shape, found on the collector's edition DVD of The Thing. Lancaster states that he did not think Who Goes There? was a "great" story, but that he responded to the tale's sense of claustrophobia and paranoia. The documentary is dedicated to him.

Personal life

Lancaster was married to Kippie Kovacs, daughter of the comedian Ernie Kovacs.[6] They had one child, daughter Keigh Kristin.[7]

Death

Lancaster died of a heart attack at the age of 49. His ashes were buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, where his father's ashes are also interred.[8] The ashes of his daughter Keigh, who died in 2017 at age 51,[7] were buried with her father's in the same plot.

Filmography

Screenplays

Acting
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References
  1. Welkos, Robert W. (June 12, 2005). "Pursuing a legacy". Los Angeles Times.
  2. California Births 1905–1995
  3. Canby, Vincent (June 25, 1982). "The Thing, Horror and Science Fiction". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  4. "Bill Lancaster". The New York Times.
  5. Abrams, Simon; Seitz, Matt Zoller (October 13, 2016). "The Men Who Were The Thing Look Back on a Modern Horror Classic". LA Weekly.
  6. "People in the News – Took No Chances". Reading Eagle. 14 December 1965. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
  7. Keigh Kristin Lancaster Obituary - Legacy.com
  8. https://www.variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/william-lancaster-1117433759/amp/
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