William Peter Blatty (1928 - 2017)

Born 7 Jan 1928 in New York, United States

Died 12 Jan 2017 at age 89 in Bethesda, Montgomery, Maryland, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Richard J [send private message]

Biography

William Blatty is Notable.

William Peter Blatty was born in New York City, United States in 1928 to Peter Blatty and Mary Mouakad. Their family resided in Manhattan.^[1][2]

Summary
William was an author, best known for writing the horror novel The Exorcist. He adapted the novel into a screenplay for the film of the same name and won the Academy Award for "Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium" in 1974.

Family 1
Parents
• Peter Blatty (1886)
• Mary M Blatty, 1892–
Siblings
Half-Siblings

1. Michael H Blatty, 1916–
2. Maria Blatty, 1918–
3. Alice Blatty, 1921–

Marriages
William was married four times. His first marriage ended in divorce in 1966.^[3] His second marriage ended in divorce in 1970.^[4] William's third marriage took place Clark County, Nevada on 6 Aug 1975.^{[5] [6]}

Marriage 4
(1983) Spouse
• Julia Alicia Witbrodt, (1953 - ) ^[7]

Family 4
Spouse
• Julia Alicia Witbrodt, (1953 - )
Children

1. Paul Blatty, 1987–
2. Peter Vincent Galahad Blatty, 1987–2006 ^[8]

Death
(2017 Jan 12) Bethesda, Montgomery, Maryland, USA

Obituaries
He passed away in Bethesda, Maryland on 12 Jan 2017. William was survived by his wife, three sons and three daughters.^[9] William Peter Blatty, Author of ‘The Exorcist,’ Dies at 89, Author: Paul Vitello; Jan. 13, 2017
Excerpted: "William Peter Blatty, the author whose best-selling book “The Exorcist” was both a milestone in horror fiction and a turning point in his own career, died on Thursday in Bethesda, Md. He was 89.
The cause was multiple myeloma, his wife, Julie Blatty, said.
“The Exorcist,” the story of a 12-year-old girl possessed by a demon, was published in 1971 and sold more than 13 million copies. The 1973 movie version, starring Linda Blair and directed by William Friedkin, was a runaway hit, breaking box-office records at many theaters and becoming the highest-grossing film to date for Warner Bros. studios. It earned Mr. Blatty, who wrote the screenplay, an Academy Award. (It was also the first horror movie nominated for the best-picture Oscar.)
“The Exorcist” marked a radical shift in Mr. Blatty’s career, which was already well established in another genre: He was one of Hollywood’s leading comedy writers.
Mr. Blatty collaborated with the director Blake Edwards on the screenplays for four films, beginning in 1964 with “A Shot in the Dark,” the second movie (after “The Pink Panther”) starring Peter Sellers as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau and, in some critics’ view, the best. His other Edwards films were the comedy “What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?” (1966); the musical comedy-drama “Darling Lili” (1970); and “Gunn” (1967), based on the television detective series “Peter Gunn.” He also wrote the scripts for comedies starring Danny Kaye, Warren Beatty and Zero Mostel.

...It was essential to him, he told The Times-Picayune of New Orleans in 2000, that people understand the point of “The Exorcist”:

“That God exists and the universe itself will have a happy ending.” ^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4PS-V8L : accessed 1 February 2021), William Blatty in household of Peter Blatty, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1099, sheet 5A, line 20, family 99, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1579; FHL microfilm 2,341,314.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQS2-7MT : 19 November 2019), William Blatty in household of Mary M Blatty, Assembly District 12, Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 31-1047, sheet 7B, line 73, family 249, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 2648.
3. ↑ "California Divorce Index, 1966-1984," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPB3-QQQ : 15 May 2014), Mary M Rigard and William P Blatty, Aug 1966; from "California Divorce Index, 1966-1984," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2007); citing Los Angeles City, California, Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento.
4. ↑ "California Divorce Index, 1966-1984," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPB3-QQM : 15 May 2014), Elizabet T Gilman and William P Blatty, Feb 1970; from "California Divorce Index, 1966-1984," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2007); citing Los Angeles City, California, Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento.
5. ↑ "Nevada Marriage Index, 1956-2005", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VV6P-ZKK : 20 September 2019), William Peter Blatty and Linda Ann Tuero, 1975.
6. ↑ 1950 United States Federal Census
   Name William P Blatty; Age 22; Birth Date 1928
   Gender Male; Birth Place New York
   Marital Status Married
   Relation to Head of House Head; Residence Date 1950
   Home in 1950 All Places, Arlington, Virginia, USA
   Street Name North 11th St; House Number 2339
   Dwelling Number 417; Farm No; Acres No
   Questionnaire Number n; Occupation Category Other
   Worked Last Week No; Seeking Work No
   Employment Status No;
   Household members; Name Age
   Margaret R Blatty 23
   William P Blatty 22
   United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: All Places, Arlington, Virginia, USA
7. ↑ Film Reference: married Julie Alice Witbrodt, 1983, (fourth marriage) two children, including Peter Vincent, [1]
8. ↑ U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current; Name: Peter Vincent Galahad Blatty
   Birth Date: 17 May 1987
   Birth Place: Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA
   Death Date: 7 Nov 2006
   Death Place: Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA
   Cemetery: Gate of Heaven Cemetery
   Burial Place: Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States of America
9. ↑ Vitello, Paul, "Blatty, author of 'Exorcist,' dead at 89," Anniston, AL: The Anniston Star, 14 Jan 2017, pA06. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69068601/william-peter-blatty-obituary (newspapers.com : accessed 31 Jan 2021).
10. ↑ Citation, The New York Times; All Rights Reserved, Jan. 13, 2017; Bethesda, Montgomery, Maryland, USA; [2]

See also:

• Wikipedia: William Peter Blatty
• Wikidata: Item Q540784, en:Wikipedia
• IMDb: William Peter Blatty