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{{short description|American writer}}
{{short description|American writer}}
{{other people||Victor Miller (disambiguation){{!}}Victor Miller}}
{{other people||Victor Miller (disambiguation){{!}}Victor Miller}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2018}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
Line 8: Line 9:
| birth_name = Victor Brooke Miller
| birth_name = Victor Brooke Miller
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1940|05|14}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1940|05|14}}
| birth_place = [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]]
| birth_place = [[New Orleans]], Louisiana
| occupation = Actor, film writer
| occupation = Actor, film writer
| years_active = 1968–present
| years_active = 1968–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Elizabeth Thurston|1962}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Elizabeth Thurston|1962}}
| website = http://victormiller.com/
| website = {{URL|https://victormiller.com/}}
}}
}}
'''Victor B. Miller''' (born May 14, 1940) is an [[United States|American]] [[Scriptwriter|writer]] for [[film]] and [[television]]. He is best known for his screenplay of the original ''[[Friday the 13th (1980 film)|Friday the 13th]]'' film, the popularity of which spawned a long [[Friday the 13th (franchise)|series of sequels]]. Miller was not involved with any of the sequels, though he remains credited for creating the characters of [[Jason Voorhees]], [[Pamela Voorhees|his mother Pamela]], and the heroine [[Alice (Friday the 13th)|Alice Hardy]].
'''Victor Brooke Miller''' (born May 14, 1940) is an American [[Scriptwriter|writer]] for [[film]] and [[television]]. He is best known for his screenplay of the original ''[[Friday the 13th (1980 film)|Friday the 13th]]'' film, the popularity of which spawned a long [[Friday the 13th (franchise)|series of sequels]]. Miller was not involved with any of the sequels, though he remains credited for creating the characters of [[Jason Voorhees]], [[Pamela Voorhees|his mother Pamela]], and the heroine [[Alice (Friday the 13th)|Alice Hardy]].


He has also written for several daytime television series, for which he has won three [[Daytime Emmy Award]]s. His television work includes ''[[Guiding Light]]'', ''[[One Life to Live]]'', ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'', and ''[[All My Children]]''. Much of his tenure of several shows has been working under [[head writer]] [[Megan McTavish]].
He has also written for several daytime television series, for which he has won three [[Daytime Emmy Award]]s. His television work includes ''[[Guiding Light]]'', ''[[One Life to Live]]'', ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'', and ''[[All My Children]]''. Much of his tenure of several shows has been working under [[head writer]] [[Megan McTavish]].
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==Directing and writing career==
==Directing and writing career==
''[[Friday the 13th (1980)|Friday the 13th]]'' is Miller's most successful film, grossing $59,754,601 worldwide on a very low budget of $550,000. The original is the only one of the series that had Miller's involvement; it grew into a [[Friday the 13th (franchise)|long series of sequels]] and became the highest grossing horror franchise in the United States, earning a worldwide total of $465,239,523. Miller says he hasn't seen any of the other ''Friday the 13th'' films because he does not approve of [[Jason Voorhees]] being the killer rather than Jason's [[Pamela Voorhees|mother]] as she was in the original.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Victor |title=Frequently Asked Questions |url=http://www.victormiller.com/faq.php |website=Victor Miller - Writer |publisher=victormiller.com |accessdate=11 July 2018 |ref=faq}}</ref> He also adapted two novels into films: he adapted ''[[A Stranger Is Watching]]'' by [[Mary Higgins Clark]] into the [[A Stranger Is Watching (film)|1982 film of the same name]] and the 1967 young adult novel ''[[The Black Pearl (Scott O'Dell)|The Black Pearl]]'' by [[Scott O'Dell]] into the [[The Black Pearl (1977 film)|1977 film of the same name]]. His horror film ''[[Rock Paper Dead]]'' is set to be released in 2018<ref>{{cite web |author=Matt Boiselle |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/261017/rock-paper-dead-2017/ |title=Rock Paper Dead Review – Tom Holland Returns With A Potential Future Franchise? |website=Dread Central |date=November 30, 2017 }}</ref> and he has co-written the script for the horror thriller ''Eden Falls''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bearclawfilms.mailerlite.com/m1x6g3/267230900587071425/b6o6 |title=Exorcist Star Joins Eden Falls |publisher=Bearclaw Films |type=press release |date=January 4, 2016 }}</ref> Miller has been involved in a protracted lawsuit to gain the rights to the first Friday 13th film, which remains unresolved.<ref>https://1428elm.com/2019/02/27/friday-the-13th-victor-miller-plans-win/</ref>
''[[Friday the 13th (1980)|Friday the 13th]]'' is Miller's most successful film, grossing $59,754,601 worldwide on a very low budget of $550,000. The original is the only one of the series that had Miller's involvement; it grew into a [[Friday the 13th (franchise)|long series of sequels]] and became the highest grossing horror franchise in the United States, earning a worldwide total of $465,239,523.

Miller says he hasn't seen any of the other ''Friday the 13th'' films because he does not approve of [[Jason Voorhees]] being the killer rather than Jason's [[Pamela Voorhees|mother]] as she was in the original.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Victor |title=Frequently Asked Questions |url=http://www.victormiller.com/faq.php |website=Victor Miller - Writer |publisher=victormiller.com |access-date=July 11, 2018 |ref=faq}}</ref> Miller has been involved in a protracted lawsuit to gain the rights to the first ''Friday the 13th'' film. The issue turned on whether Miller's was a "work for hire", resolved on September 30, 2021, when the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decided otherwise; consequently, Miller had the right to terminate rights to his work.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Producer's Copyright of Friday the 13th Screenplay Slashed In Screenwriter's Termination Lawsuit|url=https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/producer-s-copyright-of-friday-the-13th-9001586/|access-date=December 30, 2021|website=JD Supra|language=en}}</ref> For Copyright Act purposes, as a screenwriter, Victor Miller was an independent contractor of the film production company (Manny, Inc.) in 1979, when Miller wrote the screenplay (the film was released in 1980). The court concluded that copyright law, not labor law, controlled the "work for hire" determination, and thus affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to Miller.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Horror Inc. v. Miller, No. 18-3123 (2d Cir. 2021)|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca2/18-3123/18-3123-2021-09-30.html|access-date=December 31, 2021|website=Justia Law|language=en}}</ref>

He adapted two novels into films: ''[[A Stranger Is Watching]]'' by [[Mary Higgins Clark]] was adapted into the [[A Stranger Is Watching (film)|1982 film of the same name]] and the 1967 young adult novel ''[[The Black Pearl (Scott O'Dell)|The Black Pearl]]'' by [[Scott O'Dell]] into the [[The Black Pearl (1977 film)|1977 film of the same name]]. His horror film ''[[Rock Paper Dead]]'' was released in 2018<ref>{{cite web |author=Matt Boiselle |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/261017/rock-paper-dead-2017/ |title=Rock Paper Dead Review – Tom Holland Returns With A Potential Future Franchise? |website=Dread Central |date=November 30, 2017 }}</ref> and he has co-written the script for the horror thriller ''Eden Falls''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bearclawfilms.mailerlite.com/m1x6g3/267230900587071425/b6o6 |title=Exorcist Star Joins Eden Falls |publisher=Bearclaw Films |type=press release |date=January 4, 2016 }}</ref>


==Awards and nominations==
==Awards and nominations==
===[[Daytime Emmy Awards]]===
===Daytime Emmy Awards===


====Nominations====
====Nominations====
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*(1985, 1988 & 1998; Best Writing; ''All My Children'')
*(1985, 1988 & 1998; Best Writing; ''All My Children'')


===[[Writers Guild of America Award]]===
===Writers Guild of America Award===

====Nominations====
====Nominations====
*(1989 & 1999 Season; ''All My Children'')
*(1989 & 1999 Season; ''All My Children'')
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==Books==
==Books==
He was the author of several books titled, Telly Salavas [[Kojak]] in a numbered series. The books were published in New York by [[Pocket Books]] between 1974 through 1975. Several reprints were published by Star Books in the U.K. without the series number, but with same title. The series:
⚫
*''Windborne'', [[Bantam Books]]
* 1974, Kojak #1: ''Siege''
⚫
*''American Dynasty'' (3 Volumes), [[Dell Books]]
* 1974, Kojak #2: ''Requiem for a Cop''
⚫
*''Angel's Blood'', [[Playboy Press]]
* 1975, Kojak #3: ''Girl in the River''
⚫
*''Toga Party'', [[Fawcett Books]]
* 1975, Kojak #4: ''Therapy in Dynamite''
⚫
*''The Glory Sharer'', [[Jove Books]]
* 1975, Kojak #5: ''Death Is Not a Passing Grade''
⚫
*''Hide The Children'', [[Ballantine Books]]
* 1975, Kojak #6: ''A Very Deadly Game''
⚫
*''Fernanda'', [[Pocket Books]]
* 1975, Kojak #7: ''Take-Over''
*''Giving In To Get Your Way'', [[Delacorte Press]], reprinted as ''Aikido In Everyday Life'', [[North Atlantic Books]], [[Berkeley, California]]
* 1975, Kojak #8: ''Gun Business''
⚫
*''The Book Of Worries'', [[Warner Books]]
* 1975, Kojak #9: ''The Trade-off''

Other books:
⚫
*1976, ''Fernanda'', [[Pocket Books]]
⚫
*1978, ''Hide The Children'', [[Ballantine Books]]
*1978, ''Giving In To Get Your Way: The attack-tics system for winning your everyday battles'', [[Delacorte Press]]
⚫
*1979, ''Toga Party'', [[Fawcett Books]]
⚫
*1979, ''The Glory Sharer'', [[Jove Books]]
⚫
*1981, ''Angel's Blood'', [[Playboy Press]]
⚫
*1981, ''The Book Of Worries: Hundreds of Horrible Things that Can Happen to You'', [[Warner Books]]
⚫
*1983, ''Windborne'', [[Bantam Books]]
*1993, ''Aikido In Everyday Life: Giving In to Get Your Way'', [[North Atlantic Books]], [[Berkeley, California]] Reprint of 1978 with [[Terry Dobson (aikidoka)|Terry Dobson]] co-author.
⚫
*''American Dynasty'' (3 volumes), [[Dell Books]]


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
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*''[[Getting In]]'' (1994)
*''[[Getting In]]'' (1994)
*''[[Jury Duty (film)|Jury Duty]]'' (1995)
*''[[Jury Duty (film)|Jury Duty]]'' (1995)
*''[[Asylum (1997 film)|Asylum]]'' (1997)
*''[[On the Edge (2001 film)|On the Edge]]'' (2001)
*''[[On the Edge (2001 film)|On the Edge]]'' (2001)
*''[[Rock, Paper, Scissors (2017 film)|Rock, Paper, Scissors]]'' (2017)
*''[[Rock, Paper, Scissors (2017 film)|Rock, Paper, Scissors]]'' (2017)
*''Eden Falls'' (2019)
*''Eden Falls'' (2019)
*''[[The Once and Future Smash]]'' (2022)

===Based upon characters created by Victor Miller for [[Jason Voorhees]]===
*''[[Friday the 13th Part 2]]'' (1981)
*''[[Friday the 13th Part III]]'' (1982)
*''[[Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter]]'' (1984)
*''[[Friday the 13th: A New Beginning]]'' (1985)
*''[[Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives]]'' (1986)
*''[[Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood]]'' (1988)
*''[[Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan]]'' (1989)
*''[[Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday]]'' (1993)
*''[[Jason X]]'' (2001)
*''[[Freddy vs. Jason]]'' (2003)
*''[[Friday the 13th (2009)|Friday the 13th]]'' (2009)


===Television===
===Television===
⚫
*''[[One Life to Live]]''
⚫
**Associate head writer: 1982–1984
*''[[All My Children]]''
*''[[All My Children]]''
**Associate Head Writer: 1984–1986, 1987–1989, 1997–2001, July 2003 – July 10, 2006
**Associate head writer: 1984–1986, 1987–1989, 1997–2001, July 2003 – July 10, 2006
⚫
*''[[Guiding Light]]''
⚫
**Associate head writer: 1986–1987, 1995–1997
*''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]''
*''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]''
**Associate Head Writer: 1990–1995
**Associate head writer: 1990–1995
*''[[General Hospital]]''
*''[[General Hospital]]''
**Associate Head Writer: 2001–2002
**Associate head writer: 2001–2002
*''His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th'' (Documentary)
⚫
*''[[Guiding Light]]''
**Appearance: 2009
⚫
**Associate Head Writer: 1986–1987, 1995–1997
*[[Crystal Lake (TV Series)|''Crystal Lake'' (TV Series)]]
⚫
*''[[One Life to Live]]''
⚫
**Associate Head Writer: 1982–1984


{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
Line 105: Line 112:
{{succession box
{{succession box
|before= [[Megan McTavish]]
|before= [[Megan McTavish]]
|title=Co-[[head writer]] of ''[[Guiding Light]]'' with [[Michael Conforti]]
|title=Co-[[head writer]] of ''[[Guiding Light]]'' with [[Nancy Williams Watt]] and [[Michael Conforti]]
|after= [[James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten|James Harmon Brown]] and [[James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten|Barbara Esensten]]
|after= [[James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten|James Harmon Brown]] and [[James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten|Barbara Esensten]]
|years= 1996|}}
|years= October 25, 1996 – March 28, 1997|}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}


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==External links==
==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0589485|name=Victor Miller}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0589485|name=Victor Miller}}
*[http://victormiller.com/ Official Website]
*{{Official website|https://victormiller.com/}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071014205811/http://www.campcrystallake.com/interviews/victormiller.htm 13 Questions with Victor Miller]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071014205811/http://www.campcrystallake.com/interviews/victormiller.htm 13 Questions with Victor Miller]


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[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American screenwriters]]
[[Category:21st-century American screenwriters]]
[[Category:American soap opera writers]]
[[Category:American soap opera writers]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
Line 129: Line 138:
[[Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners]]
[[Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners]]
[[Category:American male television writers]]
[[Category:American male television writers]]
[[Category:American television writers]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Louisiana]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Louisiana]]
[[Category:Milton Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Milton Academy alumni]]

Latest revision as of 06:41, 8 July 2024

For other people with the same name, see Victor Miller.

Victor Miller
Born
Victor Brooke Miller

(1940-05-14) May 14, 1940 (age 84)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Occupation(s)Actor, film writer
Years active1968–present
Spouse
Elizabeth Thurston
​
(m. 1962)​
Websitevictormiller.com

Victor Brooke Miller (born May 14, 1940) is an American writer for film and television. He is best known for his screenplay of the original Friday the 13th film, the popularity of which spawned a long series of sequels. Miller was not involved with any of the sequels, though he remains credited for creating the characters of Jason Voorhees, his mother Pamela, and the heroine Alice Hardy.

He has also written for several daytime television series, for which he has won three Daytime Emmy Awards. His television work includes Guiding Light, One Life to Live, Another World, and All My Children. Much of his tenure of several shows has been working under head writer Megan McTavish.

Early life

[edit]

Miller was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of John Dabney and Barbara Leovy Miller. He attended Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts, and Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, where he says he took every creative writing course offered.[1] Beginning in 1962, he worked in TV programming for a year with Stuart Erwin, Lee Rich, Irwin Segelstein, and Phil Capice at Benton & Bowles Advertising in New York City. He co-founded of the American Shakespeare Theatre's Center for Theatre Techniques in Education and attended Herbert Berghof's playwriting class in New York City.

Directing and writing career

[edit]

Friday the 13th is Miller's most successful film, grossing $59,754,601 worldwide on a very low budget of $550,000. The original is the only one of the series that had Miller's involvement; it grew into a long series of sequels and became the highest grossing horror franchise in the United States, earning a worldwide total of $465,239,523.

Miller says he hasn't seen any of the other Friday the 13th films because he does not approve of Jason Voorhees being the killer rather than Jason's mother as she was in the original.[2] Miller has been involved in a protracted lawsuit to gain the rights to the first Friday the 13th film. The issue turned on whether Miller's was a "work for hire", resolved on September 30, 2021, when the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decided otherwise; consequently, Miller had the right to terminate rights to his work.[3] For Copyright Act purposes, as a screenwriter, Victor Miller was an independent contractor of the film production company (Manny, Inc.) in 1979, when Miller wrote the screenplay (the film was released in 1980). The court concluded that copyright law, not labor law, controlled the "work for hire" determination, and thus affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to Miller.[4]

He adapted two novels into films: A Stranger Is Watching by Mary Higgins Clark was adapted into the 1982 film of the same name and the 1967 young adult novel The Black Pearl by Scott O'Dell into the 1977 film of the same name. His horror film Rock Paper Dead was released in 2018[5] and he has co-written the script for the horror thriller Eden Falls.[6]

Awards and nominations

[edit]

Daytime Emmy Awards

[edit]

Nominations

[edit]
  • (1990, 1999, 2001, 2002 & 2004; Best Writing; All My Children)
  • (1994 & 1996; Best Writing; Another World)
  • (1983; Best Writing; One Life to Live)

Wins

[edit]
  • (1985, 1988 & 1998; Best Writing; All My Children)

Writers Guild of America Award

[edit]

Nominations

[edit]
  • (1989 & 1999 Season; All My Children)
  • (1997 Season; Guiding Light)
  • (1993-1995 Season; Another World)

Wins

[edit]
  • WIN (1998, 2000, 2001 & 2003 Season; All My Children)

Personal life

[edit]

Miller is the third of four children. He married Elizabeth (Tina) Couzens Thurston in 1962.[1][7]

Books

[edit]

He was the author of several books titled, Telly Salavas Kojak in a numbered series. The books were published in New York by Pocket Books between 1974 through 1975. Several reprints were published by Star Books in the U.K. without the series number, but with same title. The series:

  • 1974, Kojak #1: Siege
  • 1974, Kojak #2: Requiem for a Cop
  • 1975, Kojak #3: Girl in the River
  • 1975, Kojak #4: Therapy in Dynamite
  • 1975, Kojak #5: Death Is Not a Passing Grade
  • 1975, Kojak #6: A Very Deadly Game
  • 1975, Kojak #7: Take-Over
  • 1975, Kojak #8: Gun Business
  • 1975, Kojak #9: The Trade-off

Other books:

Filmography

[edit]

Television

[edit]
Preceded by Co-head writer of All My Children with Lorraine Broderick
January 1989 – March 1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Co-head writer of Guiding Light with Nancy Williams Watt and Michael Conforti
October 25, 1996 – March 28, 1997 		Succeeded by

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Martin Cheek (October 13, 2006). "Horror Writer Victor Miller to Keynote Poppy Jasper Film Festival". The Morgan Hill Times.
  2. ^ Miller, Victor. "Frequently Asked Questions". Victor Miller - Writer. victormiller.com. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  3. ^ "Producer's Copyright of Friday the 13th Screenplay Slashed In Screenwriter's Termination Lawsuit". JD Supra. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  4. ^ "Horror Inc. v. Miller, No. 18-3123 (2d Cir. 2021)". Justia Law. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  5. ^ Matt Boiselle (November 30, 2017). "Rock Paper Dead Review – Tom Holland Returns With A Potential Future Franchise?". Dread Central.
  6. ^ "Exorcist Star Joins Eden Falls" (press release). Bearclaw Films. January 4, 2016.
  7. ^ "Victor Miller Weds Elizabeth Thurston". The New York Times. August 5, 1962.
[edit]
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