Gill Dennis

Gill Dennis
Born	James Gill Dennis[1] (1941-01-25)January 25, 1941 Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Died	May 13, 2015(2015-05-13) (aged 74) Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Education	Reed College American Film Institute (MFA)
Occupation(s)	Director, producer, screenwriter, actor
Years active	1973–2015
Spouses	Elizabeth Hartman ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1984)​ Kristen Peckinpah Dennis
Children	2

Gill Dennis (January 25, 1941 – May 13, 2015) was an American director and screenwriter.^[2][3]

Early life and career

Dennis was the son of psychologist Wayne Dennis, author of "The Hopi Child."^[1] He attended Reed College for two years and served in Korea in the U.S. Army.^[3] In 1971, he graduated from AFI Conservatory’s first class that began in 1969 and included Tom Rickman, Terrence Malick, David Lynch, and Caleb Deschanel. He later taught there as a master filmmaker-in-residence and conducted classes world-wide.^[3][4][5] He and Tom Rickman started and directed the Community of Writers Screenwriting Program. He was the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Direction in Theatre.^[6]

Personal life and death

His first wife was actress Elizabeth Hartman, whom he divorced in 1984. He died in Portland, Oregon, and was survived by his wife, Kristen Peckinpah Dennis, and two sons.

Filmography

Director

• Intermission (1973)
• Balaam (1975 ‧ Play ‧ World premiere)
• Without Evidence (1995)

Writer

• Intermission (1973)
• Return to Oz (1985).^[a]
• Home Fires (1987)
• On My Own (1991)
• Without Evidence (1995)
• Riders of the Purple Sage (1996)
• The Man on Lincoln's Nose (2000 ‧ Documentary ‧ Oscar-nominated)^[7]
• Walk the Line (2005) (Oscar-nominated)^[b]
• Forever (2015)

References

1. "Dr. Wayne Dennis, 70, a Psychologist". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
2. Barnes, Mike (May 15, 2015). "Gill Dennis, Screenwriter on 'Walk the Line,' Dies at 74".
3. Oregonian/OregonLive, Jeff Baker (May 16, 2015). "Gill Dennis, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, dies in Portland". oregonlive.
4. "Gill Dennis, 'Walk the Line' Screenwriter, Dies at 74". Variety. May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
5. "Gill Dennis Screenwriter-in-Residence 2011". ifta.ie. Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
6. "Gill Dennis (1941-2015)". communityofwriters.org. Community of Writers. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
7. "Gill Dennis". watch.afi.com. American Film Institute. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
8. Dennis, Gill. "Gill Dennis: "Unchained"". poetrynw.org. Poetry Northwest. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

Notes

1. Dennis wrote a 1985 storybook for this film - ‘’Return to Oz Storybook’’ published by Walt Disney Company ISBN 9780307158314, ISBN 0307158314
2. Dennis wrote an essay regarding his time with Johnny Cash in preparing the script for Walk the Line.^[8]

External links

• Gill Dennis at IMDb
• Gill Dennis at the TCM Movie Database