Willard Huyck

Willard Miller Huyck, Jr. (born September 8, 1945) is an American screenwriter, director and producer,[1] best known for his association with George Lucas.[2]

Willard Huyck
Born
Willard Miller Huyck, Jr.

(1945-09-08) September 8, 1945
OccupationScreenwriter, film director
Years active1969–present
Spouse(s)
(m. 1969; died 2018)
AwardsNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay
1973 American Graffiti

New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay
1973 American Graffiti
Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Screenplay American Graffiti

Career

Huyck and Lucas met as students at the film school of the University of Southern California, and became members of Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope group of filmmakers. Along with his wife Gloria Katz, Huyck wrote screenplays for films including American Graffiti, Lucky Lady, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Radioland Murders,[1] and performed uncredited work on the original Star Wars.[3][4] He also directed four films he co-wrote with Gloria Katz: Messiah of Evil, French Postcards, Best Defense, and Howard the Duck.[2] The latter film received universally negative reviews but in subsequent years has become a cult classic. Katz and Huyck also wrote and produced the NBC television films "A Father's Homecoming" and "American River." Willard Huyck is a current member of the Writers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America.

In addition to their work in the film industry, Katz and Huyck are well known as art collectors, having collected Indian miniature paintings beginning in the 1970s. This collection was sold at a Sotheby's auction in New York City in 2001. In subsequent years, they amassed a collection of Japanese photography that spanned from the late 1850s to the present. This collection was acquired in 2018 by the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art. The couple also wrote a photographic catalogue of the collection entitled "Views of India," designed and edited by Manfred Heiting and published by Steidl. Huyck is a member of the Getty Museum Photography Council.

Personal life

Huyck married Katz in 1969.[5] They remained married until her death in 2018. They have one daughter, Rebecca, born in 1983.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Writer Notes
1968 The Devil's 8 No Yes
1973 Messiah of Evil Yes Yes Also uncredited producer and actor
Role: Zombie in a car
American Graffiti No Yes
1975 Lucky Lady No Yes
1979 French Postcards Yes Yes
1984 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom No Yes
Best Defense Yes Yes
1986 Howard the Duck Yes Yes
1994 Radioland Murders No Yes

Other credits

Year Title Role Notes
1977 Star Wars Script doctor Uncredited
1979 More American Graffiti Based on the characters created by
2009 Remembering Messiah of Evil Special thanks Video documentary short
2013 A Fuller Life Thanks Documentary film

Television

Year Title Writer Executuve producer Notes
1988 A Father's Homecoming Yes Yes
1989 Mothers, Daughters and Lovers Yes Yes
2008 Secrets of a Hollywood Nurse Yes No Also actor
Role: Electronic Larynx Man

References

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