William Howard Peter Wisher Jr., an American screenwriter who worked with James Cameron on the scripts for “The Terminator” and its sequel “T2: Judgment Day,” died on July 14 at his home. He was 71.
Wisher’s death was first reported by journalist, David Poland, and confirmed to TheWrap by Wisher’s brother, John.
“William believed that stories have the power to connect people across generations,” Wisher’s family wrote in a statement. “While the world celebrates the unforgettable films he helped create, we will remember him for his kindness, his humor, his brilliant imagination and the love he gave so freely to his family and friends. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time.”
Wisher was a boyhood friend of Cameron’s, and a frequent collaborator to the filmmaker at the onset of his career. The two often discussed their favorite science-fiction works through the earliest years of their friendship, leading Cameron to recruit Wisher in developing the concept of “The Terminator.” The director enlisted Wisher to write treatments for scenes set in the police department and early sequences following Sarah Connor (who would be played by Linda Hamilton). Cameron would transcribe Wisher’s drafts over the phone, as Wisher lived miles out of Hollywood in Brea, Calif.
“The Terminator” went on to become a commercial success, grossing more than ten times its production budget at the global box office and launching Cameron to the top of Hollywood’s most in-demand blockbuster filmmakers. Wisher made a small appearance in the film, playing an LAPD officer who is attacked by the T-800.
At the end of the ’80s, Cameron tapped Wisher once again to develop a sequel to “The Terminator.” The pair concocted a premise involving Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fearsome T-800 playing the protector and friend to the child-yet-to-become-messiah John Connor (Edward Furlong).
“That was a daunting decision at the time,” Wisher said, quoted in the James Cameron biography “The Futurist” by Rebecca Keegan. The screenwriter noted that he and Cameron had to convince Schwarzenegger on the heel-turn over the phone.
Unlike on “The Terminator,” Wisher received a co-screenwriting credit for “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” Wisher also made another cameo too, this time playing a tourist who photographs the T-800 after it falls through a window. (Prior to “T2,” Wisher also played as a news reporter in Cameron’s sci-fi odyssey “The Abyss.”)
The landmark success of “T2” launched Wisher into a screenwriting career through the following two decades. He co-wrote the Sylvester Stallone comic book adaptation “Judge Dredd,” John McTiernan’s Crichton adaptation “The 13th Warrior” and Paul Schrader’s franchise foray “Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist.” He was also an executive producer on the action sequel “Live Free or Die Hard” (2007) and was reported to contribute uncredited script revisions to titles like “Pumpkinhead,” “Broken Arrow,” “Eraser” and “Mercury Rising.”
Born May 23, 1955, Wisher began his career as an actor. He starred in Cameron’s 1978 short film “Xenogenesis,” a science-fiction tale crafted from Cameron’s self-taught filmmaking techniques.
“We were young and broke and had all the enthusiasm in the world and everything in front of us,” Wisher said of the time.
Wisher is survived by his wife of 22 years, Deborah; his siblings, Brian, John, Carla and Dana; and many other family members and friends.
