Remembering Walter Bernstein (1919 – 2021)
It is with a heavy heart that the Writers Guild of America, East announces the passing of Walter Bernstein.
A Guild member since the Writers Guild of America was formed in 1954, Bernstein began his career writing for early television series like DANGER (1951) and YOU ARE THERE (1953-1955). He wrote notable screenplays and teleplays including FAIL-SAFE (1964), THE MOLLY MAGUIRES (1970), the Academy Award-nominated THE FRONT (1976), the Writers Guild Award-nominated SEMI-TOUGH (1977), YANKS (1979). THE HOUSE ON CARROLL STREET (1987), and THE COUCH TRIP (1988). In 1997, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his teleplay for MISS EVERS’ BOYS.
In the 1950’s during the early days of the Cold War, Bernstein was named to the notorious Hollywood Blacklist after he was subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) on claims that his work was subversive and injected Communist propaganda into films. Like many blacklisted writers, he continued writing under pseudonyms or “Fronts”.
Bernstein served on the Council of the Writers Guild of America, East for decades. In 1994, he received the Guild’s Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Writing, and in 2008 he was presented with the Guild’s Evelyn F. Burkey Award for bringing honor and dignity to writers.
In 2017, the Guild introduced the Walter Bernstein Award to honor one of the union’s most distinguished and courageous members. The Walter Bernstein Award is presented to honor writers who have demonstrated with creativity, grace and bravery a willingness to confront social injustice in the face of adversity.
Beau Willimon, President of the Writers Guild of America, East, noted “The labor movement was built on courage, perseverance and an unwavering sense of duty to one’s sisters and brothers. Walter exemplified all three as a fierce and generous union advocate since the earliest days of the Guild. I was very lucky to have begun my tenure in leadership when Walter was, in his nineties, an elected Council-member advocating on behalf of writers. He has given generations of Guild members a role model for how to make a true difference and leave the union better than you found it. As we grieve his loss we also celebrate his long and meaningful life, and share deep gratitude for the thousands of writers whose lives he improved along the way.”
Michael Winship, immediate past President of the Writers Guild of America, East, said, “Walter not only was a brilliant writer and committed activist, he was my friend, colleague, role model and confidante. He was the one I’d call whenever we were in a fix and I needed his special brand of sage advice. His innate wisdom and lifetime of experience always pointed the way toward a decision that was just and fair, even if it rankled those few who would place self-interest above the greater good of the writers we represent. We will deeply miss his courage, wit and guidance.”
Jeremy Pikser, former Vice President of the Writers Guild of America, East, says “Walter got every award the Writers Guild had to give him. One of them was for “bringing honor and dignity to writers,” and when Walter accepted it, at the age of 88, after spending freezing winter hours on the picket line several times a week during the strike of 2007, he said “two things a writer should never have are honor and dignity” That was Walter. Humble, self-effacing, funny. Sharp as a razor and as sweet as honey, kind as a saint, and tough as nails. His commitment to the welfare of humanity, his belief in justice, his compassion for others were as integral to his life as the air he breathed. I’ll miss him every day for the rest of my life.”
“Walter would reject the characterization that he was the conscience of the union and he would do it with sly humor. We will miss him so much, especially the way he would let us all have our say about weighty and complex matters, sometimes at bewildering length, and then with a few words bring the clarity and coherence that had eluded us,” remembered Lowell Peterson, Executive Director of the Writers Guild of America, East. “Walter was on the committee interviewing me for this job. We met for lunch and we ended up talking for hours. I knew that working at a place with smart, funny, sardonic, committed writers and activists like him would be a dream.”
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