William J. Macdonald is an American film and television producer and writer.
Career
Macdonald has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor degree from the Fordham University School of Law in New York.[1][2]
Macdonald worked in international trade and business affairs. Eventually he rose to run Hollywood producer Robert Evans' production company at Paramount Pictures.
Macdonald has a producer, co-producer or executive producer credit on Sliver, Jade, An Occasional Hell, Rough Riders, Molly and One Man's Hero. He co-wrote one episode for the TNT series, Witchblade, which ran from 2001–2002.
He was also a co-creator of the HBO original series Rome (in association of the BBC) along with John Milius and Bruno Heller.[3] MacDonald served as an executive producer and writer on the series. The episode "Caesarion" (2005) was written by Macdonald.
Macdonald also wrote a drama series about the history of New Orleans called Storyville that had begun filming a pilot by January 2016.[4]
Macdonald wrote an unproduced screenplay based on Iris Chang's novel The Rape of Nanking.[5]
Filmography
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Sliver | Co-producer |
| 1995 | Jade | Executive producer |
| 1996 | An Occasional Hell | Executive producer |
| 1997 | The Saint | |
| 1999 | Molly | |
| One Man's Hero | ||
| 2017 | Grow House | Executive producer |
- As an actor
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | An Occasional Hell | Arresting Officer #1 |
Television
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Rough Riders | Executive producer | Television film |
| 2005−07 | Rome | Executive producer | |
| 2017 | The Saint | Executive producer | Television film |
- As writer
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2002 | Witchblade |
| 2005−07 | Rome |
References
- "William J. Macdonald, Advisor". Zeros & Ones. January 8, 2007. Archived from the original on May 7, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- "Bill Macdonald". America Abroad Media. June 13, 2021. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- "10 TV Shows That Remained Great Throughout Their Entirety, According to Reddit". Collider. April 4, 2023. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- Andreeva, Nellie (January 21, 2016). "'Storyville' New Orleans Drama Pilot From Bill Macdonald & Walt Becker Set To Film". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- Coonan, Clifford (October 15, 2006). "Pic projects revisit Nanking massacre: Produce Green's $50 mil pic based on Chang's tome". Variety. Retrieved January 9, 2007.