Bill Wittliff

William Dale “Bill” Wittliff was born Jan 21, 1940 to William Albert Wittliff and Laura Sachtleben Wittliff in Taft, San Patricio County, Texas. Bill was the youngest of two brothers. By the 1950 federal census, the couple had divorced and the two boys (aged 11 and10) were living with their mother Laura in Edna, Jackson County, Texas where Laura worked as a telephone operator.

Bill graduated from Blanco High School. He attended several colleges including Texas State University (then known as Southwest Texas State University) before graduating from University of Texas at Austin in 1963 with a journalism degree. He and the former Sally Bowers were married in the 1960s. The couple had two children, a son and a daughter. They founded Encino Press during the short time they lived in Dallas. According to an article on the website of Texas State University, the goal for Encino was to produce material “about Texas and the Southwest.” Their headquarters have mostly been in Austin over the years.

Some time later, Bill turned his talent for writing to film, adapting screenplays from other works and writing his own original scripts. Internet Movie Database lists his various works as follows. All are films, unless otherwise noted.

Thaddeus Rose and Eddie (1978) written by Wittliff. Starred Johnny Cash, Diane Ladd, June Carter Cash and others. Made for television drama about two adults and their girlfriends. Filmed in Floresville, TX.

The Black Stallion (1979) screenplay co-written by Wittliff and based on a novel. Starred Kelly Reno when he was about 11 years old, Mickey Rooney, Teri Garr, Hoyt Axton and others. A boy and a horse are shipwrecked together and learn to trust each other. The horse was a Texas animal named Cass-Ole.

Honeysuckle Rose (1980) Wittliff is credited as co-writer of the screenplay, based on a story written by others. Starred Willy Nelson, Dyan Cannon, Amy Irving, Slim Pickens and many others, including well known musicians. A musical drama.

Raggedy Man (1981) writing credit shared with Sara Clark, but basic family situation consisting of the mother and sons is said to be autobiographical. Set in the 1940s. A divorced mother of two sons supports her family by working as the only telephone operator in a small town. She befriends and approaches falling in love with a sailor. The young man is passing through town after having hitchhiked to see his fiace only to find out that she has taken up with someone else. Besides the usual suspense of considering a love affair in a gossipy town, drama is added by a shadowy character, the Raggedy Man. Starred Sissy Spacek, Eric Roberts, Sam Shepard, a young Henry Thomas (in his first role) and others. Filmed in Maxwell, Texas, a small community located about halfway between San Marcos and Lockhart, TX

Barbarosa (1982) written by Wittliff. An comedy/drama/outlaw movie, starring Willie Nelson, Gary Busey, Isela Vega and others. Busey’s character is on the run to escape the consequences of an accidental killing. He teams up with outlaw Barbarosa (Nelson). Filmed around Lajitas, near Fredericksburg, Tx. The Wittliff children also appeared in the film.

Country (1984) written by Wittliff. Starred Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard, Wilford Brimley and others. Family struggles to keep their family farm.

Red Headed Stranger (1986) written and directed by Wittliff. Starred Willie Nelson, Morgan Fairchild, R. G. Armstrong, Katherine Ross. Called a “revisionist” western with a plot that includes murder, romance, fallen minister, drama. Filmed in Spicewood, TX. The other three members of the Wittliff family appear in the film.

Lonesome Dove (1992) screenplay written by Wittliff based on the Larry McMurtry historical novel. Two retired Texas Rangers decide to make a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. Miniseries in four episodes. Large cast including Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Duvall, Danny Glover, Diane Lane, Frederick Forrest, Ricky Schroder, Angelica Huston, Chris Cooper, Timothy Scott, Barry Corbin and many others. Texas filming locations include the old Alamo village in Bracketville and the former Bill Moody Ranch in the Del Rio area. A 1988 article in the Del Rio News tells a little more about that location, which was used for the Hat Creek Ranch, where the story begins. The crew cleared brush to enhance the look of the already sparse landscape. They also requested that flight trainers from nearby Laughlin Air Force Base kindly avoid flying over the location for the few weeks they were there. Wittliff was interviewed for the article and remarked at how he needed to condense the 800 page novel into a screenplay of about eight hours of video and still provide enough detail to allow the essence of the characters to be revealed.

Ned Blessing: The True Story of My Life (1992) Witliff was the writer. Starred Daniel Baldwin, Luis Avalos, Chris Cooper and others appear in this fictional western about the life of Baldwin’s convict character told in voice overs. Filmed near Austin, TX.

Ned Blessing: The Story of My Life and Times (1993) written by Wittliff. A short television series of four or five episodes based on the film. Starred Brad Johnson, Luis Avalos, Wes Studi and others. Also filmed around Austin.

The Cowboy Way (1994) written by Wittleff and one other. Starred Woody Harrelson and Keifer Sutherland as two New Mexico rodeo cowboys who come to New York City to look for a friend with whom they lost contact as the friend was searching for his missing daughter. Also starred Dylan McDermott and many other actors from film and television.

Legends of the Fall (1994) screenplay co-written by Wittliff and one other based on a novel. Starred Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond, Henry Thomas and many others. Epic drama about three brothers and their father, set in Montana in the 1900s.

Lone Justice 2 (1995) written by Wittliff. Another chapter in the Ned Blessing story. Starred actors from the television series. Also known as “Return to Plum Creek.” Direct to video.

Lone Justice: Showdown at Plum Creek (1996) co-written by Wittliff and one other. Also known as Lone Justice 3. Another Ned Blessing story, starring actors from the television series. Possibly includes portions of the television series. Direct to video.

The Perfect Storm (2000) screenplay written by Wittliff based on a novel. Story of a commercial fishing boat caught in a monster storm. Starred George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilley, Diane Lane, Karen Allen and many others.

A Night in Old Mexico (2013) written by Wittliff. Starred Robert Duvall, Jeremy Irvine, Angie Cepeda, Luis Tosar and others. Duvall’s character is a rancher driven off his home place. Plot involves his character and grandson (Irvine’s character) going to Mexico to look for a son of Duvall’s character. Some of the scenes are filmed in Brownsville, TX.

Bill was fascinated by the stories and tales he heard as a youth. Bill wove some of these stories into several novels that he wrote. He was a gifted photographer as well. His novels include “The Devil’s Backbone,” “The Devil’s Sinkhole” and “The Devil’s Fork.” His books that include his photography include “La Vida Brinca,” “Vaquero: Genesis of the Texas Cowboy” and “A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove.”

Wittliff has won many awards for his creative writing including two Bronze Wrangler awards from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and a Writers Guild of American Award for his work on the Lonesome Dove miniseries.

He and Sally had donated their large collection of memorabilia from Lonesome Dove and other authors to Texas State University in San Marcos. The Wittliff Collections are exhibited on campus.

Bill Wittliff died in Austin in 2019 after suffering from a heart ailment. He is buried in the Texas State Cemetery there.

© 2025, all rights reserved.