Bettina Gilois is a renowned screenwriter and author, boasting an impressive array of accolades, including an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Writing of a Television Movie, for her work on the HBO film "Bessie", as well as multiple NAACP Image Award nominations, a Humanitas Prize nomination, Black Reel Award nominations, and Movieguide Award Best Movie wins for "Glory Road" and "McFarland USA".
Acquiring an art history degree from Columbia University, Gilois kickstarted her writing career by working with notable industry professionals such as Joel Silver and Warner Brothers, before going on to collaborate with esteemed artists and producers like Jerry Bruckheimer, Joel Silver, Joel Surnow, Lili and Dick Zanuck, Kevin Costner, Norman Jewison, Martin Campbell, Niki Caro, James Coburn, and Christian Bale.
Some of her notable films include Jerry Bruckheimer's "Glory Road", as well as uncredited work on "The Mists of Avalon" with Anjelica Huston and "The Hurricane" with Denzel Washington. Her film, Disney's "McFarland USA" starring Kevin Costner, has garnered the Cesar Chavez Award, the Most Moving Pictures Award, and the Movieguide Award for 10 Best Movies of the Year for Mature Audiences.
Her HBO film, "Bessie", starring Queen Latifah, has won the Critic's Choice Award for Best Movie Made for Television, earning 12 Emmy nominations and taking home an Emmy for Best Movie. Her movie "The Lost Wife of Robert Durst" was released on Lifetime in November 2017.
Gilois is also the writer/creator of the 2020 series "Muscle Shoals", based on the true story of Rick Hall, with Johnny Depp producing and George Tilman directing. Additionally, she wrote the 2020 television movie, "Mahalia", for Lifetime. Furthermore, she is the writer/creator of "Enlightened", a series for MGM and Amazon, as well as "Last Clear Chance", a series for ABC and Chelsea Handler Productions.
In addition to her work in television and film, Gilois has authored several books and contributes to the Huffington Post in the Arts and Culture section.
