William Hjortsberg
William Reinhold "Gatz" Hjortsberg (February 23, 1941 – April 22, 2017) was an American novelist and screenwriter, who wrote the screenplay of the film Legend. His novel Falling Angel was the basis for the film Angel Heart (1987). The novel was adapted into an opera in 2015, composed by J. Mark Scearce with a libretto by Lucy Thurber.
William Hjortsberg
- Name
- William Hjortsberg
- Born
- 23 February 1941
- Birthplace
- New York City, U.S.
- Died
- 22 April 2017
- Place of death
- Livingston, Montana, U.S.
- Occupation
- Novelist, screenwriter
- Nationality
- United States.
- Education
- Stanford University.
- Languages
- English.
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William Reinhold "Gatz" Hjortsberg (February 23, 1941 – April 22, 2017) was an American novelist and screenwriter, who wrote the screenplay of the film Legend. His novel Falling Angel was the basis for the film Angel Heart (1987). The novel was adapted into an opera in 2015, composed by J. Mark Scearce with a libretto by Lucy Thurber.
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wikidata · Q552955 · wikipedia · William Hjortsberg
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — William Hjortsberg • Born — 23 February 1941 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Died — 22 April 2017 • Place of death — Livingston, Montana, U.S. • Occupation — Novelist, screenwriter • Genre — Mystery, screenwriting • Website — http: williamhjortsberg.com
Personal life and death
Personal life and death
Hjortsberg was the only child of a Swedish restaurateur father and a Swiss mother. He attended Dartmouth College, the Yale School of Drama (where he met Thomas McGuane), and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. He was married three times, and had a son and a daughter. He died of pancreatic cancer on April 22, 2017, at the age of 76.
Angel Heart
Angel Heart
His fifth book, "Falling Angel" published in 1978 was later turned into a 1987 movie called "Angel Heart" starring Mickey Rourke as the main character and Robert De Niro and Lisa Bonet in supporting roles. While the movie was based on the novel, several changes from the original material were made. In 2020, a sequel to Falling Angel, Angel's Inferno, was posthumously published.
Novels
Novels
• Alp (1969) • Gray Matters (1971) • Symbiography (1973) • Toro! Toro! Toro! (1974) • Falling Angel (1978) • Tales & Fables (1985), published by Sylvester & Orphanos • Nevermore (1994) • Mañana (2015), a thriller set in Mexico. • Angel's Inferno (2020)
Screenplays
Screenplays
• Thunder and Lightning (1977) • The Georgia Peaches (1980) (TV) • Legend (1985) • Mandrake the Magician (Unproduced)
Nonfiction
Nonfiction
• A biography of writer Richard Brautigan.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
New York City.
Birth place
Livingston.
Death place
Catalogued output
Publications and editions
The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. It is also recorded that toro! Recorded with the occupation screenwriter. Recorded with the occupation novelist. Institutional cataloguing adds that william Hjortsberg is recorded with the occupation writer. Institutional cataloguing adds that william Hjortsberg is recorded with the occupation science fiction writer. Recorded with the occupation biographer. Recorded as a citizen of United States. The same evidence establishes that william Hjortsberg is recorded with the gender male. Born on 23 February 1941. Hjortsberg died on 22 April 2017.
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q552955: William Hjortsberg
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “William Hjortsberg”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.McGuane, Thomas. Conversations with Thomas McGuane. University Press of Mississippi. xv. 2007. 9781578068876.
- 2.Vollers, Maryanne. A Writer to the Very End: Remembering the Great "Gatz". Literary Hub. 28 April 2017.
- 3.William Hjortsberg. The New York Times. 2015.
- 4.Canby, Vincent. Angel Heart (1987) FILM: MICKEY ROURKE STARS IN 'ANGEL HEART'. The New York Times. March 6, 1987.
- 5.Waddington, Chris. 'Angel Heart' film reborn in New York as 'Falling Angel' opera: Will Satan win again?. NOLA.com. 8 May 2015.
- 6.OPERA America Members Portal. apps.operaamerica.org.
- 7.Carlson, Michael. William Hjortsberg obituary. the Guardian. 7 May 2017.
- 8.Bussey, Ben. William Hjortsberg, writer behind Legend and Angel Heart, dies at 76. www.yahoo.com. 14 May 2017.
- 9.coopa.net. Angel Heart. Alan Parker - Director, Writer, Producer - Official Website.
- 10.Angel's Inferno by William Hjortsberg. Goodreads.
- 11.Writes of Spring: Fresh Crime Yarns to Chase Away the Chill. Kirkus Reviews.
- 12.Scapperotti, Dan. Hjortsberg on Legend. Cinefantastique. Fourth Castle Micromedia. June 1987.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q552955: William HjortsbergWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
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This entry is compiled from 5 catalogued sources across 4 independent registers. The registers consulted are Internet Archive, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation and DOAJ. Every statement above is held against the register that stated it; where the registers are silent, the entry is silent.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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