William Wiard

{{short description|American film director}} {{Infobox person | name = William Orphie Wiard | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1927|12|03}} | birth_place = [[Santa Monica]], [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1987|07|03|1927|12|03}} | death_place = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S. | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates =  | nationality = | occupation = [[Film director]] | years_active = 1955–1985 | known_for = | notable_works = | spouse = {{marriage|Georgiana Judith Sherman|June 16, 1951}} | children = 3 | father = | mother = | awards = }}

'''William Wiard''' (3 December 1927 – 3 July 1987) was an American film and television director. He directed over 150 episodes of television, several TV films, and the theatrical film ''[[Tom Horn (film)|Tom Horn]]''.

==Life and work== William Orphie Wiard was born in Los Angeles and began his film career in 1955 as a sound editor for ''[[Dragnet (1951 TV series)|Dragnet]]''. In the mid-1960s he moved on to directing.

Wiard was best known as a director of television westerns and detective shows, such as ''[[Mister Roberts (TV series)|Mister Roberts]]'', ''[[Get Smart]]'', ''[[Daniel Boone (1964 TV series)|Daniel Boone]]'', ''[[The High Chaparral]]'', ''[[Room 222]]'', ''[[Bonanza]]'', ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'', ''[[The F.B.I. (TV series)|The F.B.I.]]'', ''[[Barnaby Jones]]'', ''[[Cannon (TV series)|Cannon]]'', ''[[The Streets of San Francisco]]'', ''[[The Rockford Files]]'',<ref name=Abbott>{{cite book|first=Jon|last=Abbott|title=Stephen J. Cannell Television Productions: A History of All Series and Pilots|isbn=978-0786441730|date=2009|publisher=McFarland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dc0TF0GHAmAC&q=William+Wiard&pg=PA67}}</ref> ''[[Bret Maverick]]'', ''[[Scarecrow and Mrs. King]]'', and ''[[Spenser: For Hire]]''.

From 1976 to 1986 he directed several television films in the horror and thriller genres,<ref name=Deal>{{cite book|first=David|last=Deal|title=Television Fright Films of the 1970s|date=2007|isbn=978-0786493838|publisher=McFarland}}</ref> including ''Scott Free'' (1976) with [[Michael Brandon]], ''When Walls Kill'' (1981) with [[Parker Stevenson]], ''Help Wanted: Male'' (1982) with [[Suzanne Pleshette]] and [[Gil Gerard]], ''High School Killer'' (1983) with [[Diane Franklin]], and ''Kicks'' (1985) with [[Anthony Geary]] and [[Shelley Hack]].

Though he worked mainly in television, Wiard also directed the theatrical film ''[[Tom Horn (film)|Tom Horn]]'', starring [[Steve McQueen]] in one of his last roles.

Wiard was married to Georgiana Sherman, daughter of director [[George Sherman]],<ref>William O. Wiards Take Wedding Trip. ''The Los Angeles Times,'' Los Angeles, California, Thursday, July 5, 1951, Page 54. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-wiard-wedding-tr/153907824/ newspapers.com] </ref> they had three children. He died in Los Angeles of cancer at the age of 59.<ref>William O. Wiard - funeral announcement. ''The Los Angeles Times,'' Los Angeles, California, Tuesday, July 7, 1987, Page 61. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-william-o-wiard/153906235/ newspapers.com]</ref>

==Selected filmography== ===Film=== * 1980: ''[[Tom Horn (film)|Tom Horn]]''

===TV films=== * 1976: ''Scott Free'' * 1978: ''Ski Lift to Death'' * 1980: ''[[The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything (film)|The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything]]'' * 1981: ''[[This House Possessed]]'' * 1981: ''The Seal'' * 1982: ''Help Wanted: Male'' * 1982: ''Fantasies'' * 1983: ''[[Deadly Lessons]]'' * 1985: ''Kicks''

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0911926}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160325132406/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/116686/William-Wiard Filmography of William Wiard in The New York Times]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiard, William}} [[Category:1927 births]] [[Category:1987 deaths]] [[Category:Film directors from Los Angeles]] [[Category:American television directors]]