William Rose

Image of William Rose

Biography

William Rose was born in Jefferson City, Missouri, USA, and travelled to Canada at the outbreak of World War II, while the US was still neutral, in order to join up and fight the Nazis. This took him to Britain, where he decided to stay after the war.  

He spent his demobilisation money on a course in screenwriting, and then became a writer of British and American comedies such as Ladykillers, Genevieve, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, and The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!, as well as more serious films such as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. 

He retired to Jersey, where he died in 1987 at the age of 72.

Timeline

2007Aged 93

  • Poster for Dhamaal

    Original Story

2004Aged 90

  • Poster for The Ladykillers

    Original Film Writer

1986Aged 72

  • Poster for Made In Ealing: The Story of Ealing Studios

    Interviewee

1974Aged 60

  • Poster for Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks

    Screenplay

1970Aged 56

  • Poster for The Secret of Santa Vittoria

    Screenplay

1967Aged 53

  • Poster for The Flim-Flam Man

    Screenplay

  • Poster for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

    Writer

1966Aged 52

1963Aged 49

  • Poster for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

    Story

1958Aged 44

  • Poster for Davy

    Screenplay

1957Aged 43

  • Poster for The Man in the Sky

    Story

  • Poster for The Smallest Show on Earth

    Screenplay

1955Aged 41

  • Poster for Touch and Go

    Screenplay

  • Poster for The Ladykillers

    Story

1954Aged 40

  • Poster for The 'Maggie'

    Screenplay

1953Aged 39

  • Poster for Genevieve

    Screenplay

1952Aged 38

  • Poster for Bachelor in Paris

    Story

  • Poster for Gift Horse

    Adaptation

1951Aged 37

  • Poster for I'll Get You for This

    Screenplay

1950Aged 36

  • Poster for My Daughter Joy

    Screenplay

1949Aged 35

  • Poster for Once a Jolly Swagman

    Screenplay

1948Aged 34

  • Poster for Esther Waters

    Screenplay