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.
William Rose has 23 screen credits in a career dating back to 1948. Their work spans 3 cinematic universes — most prominently Ealing comedies with 4 titles. Signature works include It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Ladykillers. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.
Universe traveler — spans 3 universes
