William Kelley

William Kelley (May 27, 1929 – February 3, 2003) was an American screenwriter and producer for television and film who is best known for his work on the Peter Weir-directed film Witness, which starred Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis, that earned him an Academy Award along with his co-writers Earl W. Wallace and Pamela Wallace.

Early life and education Kelley was born on May 27, 1929, to Thomas Edward and Alethia Kelley (both lawyers) in Staten Island, New York, a prominent political family. Kelley served in the United States Air Force in the late 1940s. He studied for the priesthood for three years in the early 1950s at Villanova University, but then transferred to Brown University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa He then went to Harvard Grad School for two years and earned a master's degree in Irish literature.

Career Kelley got his first writing credit in 1955, when he wrote an episode of the Marshall Dillon radio show.