Paul W. Cooper
has been a working freelance television and motion picture
screenwriter for more than thirty years. With over 60
television credits and one motion picture, his awards include
three Emmys, the Humanitas Prize and Writers Guild Award.
He wrote the critically acclaimed film ONCE UPON A TIME WHEN WE
WERE COLORED which won Best Picture honors at the Movie Guide
Awards and Annual Black Film Festival.
His television credits include MURDER, SHE WROTE, HIGHWAY TO
HEAVEN, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE and THE WALTONS. He served
as Story Editor on Oprah Winfrey's dramatic series BREWSTER
PLACE.
Paul has written 21 ABC and CBS AFTERSCHOOL SPECIALS, dealing
with subject matter exploring every significant social issue
including incest, alcoholism, physical abuse, homosexuality and
racism. A number of these projects won Emmys as Best Television
Specials for their significant social and dramatic impact.
Paul has written a number of films for cable television, which
have appeared on Showtime, the Disney Channel, Animal Planet and
Family Channel. Additionally, he
wrote and
directed the interactive CD-Rom video game, CHESS WARS: A
MEDIEVEL FANTASY, winning Best New Game of 1996.
Upon
graduation from the University of Tulsa, Paul served for six
years as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. A Vietnam veteran, Paul
began script writing while sitting long hours of alert as an
aircraft commander in the Strategic Air Command. After many
years of agent rejections, he eventually attracted the attention
of Earl Hamner, creator of THE WALTONS and FALCON CREST, who
encouraged him to come to Hollywood and give television writing
a try.
Most recently Paul's adaptation of THE MALDONADO MIRACLE
premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It was directed by
Salma Hayek and starred Peter Fonda, Mare Winningham and Ruben
Blades and was nominated for five Emmy Awards. He has a film
soon to premier on the Disney Channel, optioned an original
script based on the life of heavyweight champion Joe Louis and
written a Christmas film for The Hallmark Channel. Paul has
instructed Film and Television writing at Pepperdine
University. He currently lives with his wife, Donna, in the Los
Angeles area.
