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.
Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks 1974
Screenplay
The Secret of Santa Vittoria 1970
Screenplay
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 1967
Writer
The Flim-Flam Man 1967
Screenplay
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! 1966
Screenplay
Island Splendor 1966
Writer
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World 1963
Screenplay, Story
Davy 1958
Screenplay
The Smallest Show on Earth 1957
Screenplay
The Man in the Sky 1957
Screenplay, Story
The Ladykillers 1955
Screenplay, Story
Touch and Go 1955
Screenplay
The 'Maggie' 1954
Screenplay
Genevieve 1953
Story, Screenplay
Song of Paris 1952
Story
I'll Get You for This 1951
Screenplay
My Daughter Joy 1950
Screenplay
Once a Jolly Swagman 1949
Screenplay
Esther Waters 1948
Screenplay
Dhamaal 2007
Original Story
The Ladykillers 2004
Original Film Writer
Made In Ealing: The Story of Ealing Studios 1986
as Interviewee
Gift Horse 1952
Adaptation
Credits from TMDB.