William 'Bill' Henry Lancaster (November 17, 1947 – January 4, 1997) was an American screenwriter. He is the creator of The Bad News Bears.
He was born in L. A., California, the son of Burt Lancaster and Norma Anderson. He developed polio at an early age, leaving one of his legs shorter than the other. In 1973, Lancaster played the role of "King" in The Midnight Man, a mystery film starring and co-directed by his father, released in 1974.
Lancaster's best known work is his adapted screenplay for John Carpenter's The Thing. He is featured in the documentary The Thing: Terror Takes Shape. Lancaster states that he did not think Who Goes There? was a "great" story, but that he responded to the tale's sense of claustrophobia and paranoia. The documentary is dedicated to him because of his death shortly after it was filmed.
Lancaster died at the age of 49 due to cardiac arrest.
The Bad News Bears[]
Bill Lancaster was the screenwriter of the original The Bad News Bears and The Bad News Bears Go to Japan . He was also credited in Breaking Training , the TV series and the remake as the creator.
His screenplay was based on his experiences with his father, Burt Lancaster. Buttermaker was based on Burt, who was known for his grumpiness and the character of Amanda was based on himself.
Burt Lancster would later be cast as an aged version of early 20th Century ballplayer, Archibald "Moonlight" Graham in Field of Dreams.