Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersIndependent Spirit AwardsWomen's History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Paul W. Cooper

  • Writer
  • Script and Continuity Department
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Paul W. Cooper has been a working freelance television and motion picture screenwriter for more than thirty years. With over 70 television credits and one motion picture, his awards include three Emmys, the Humanitas Prize and the Writers Guild Award.

He wrote the critically acclaimed film ONCE UPON A TIME WHEN WE WERE COLORED winning Best Picture honors at the Movie Guide Awards.

His television credits include MURDER, SHE WROTE, HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE and THE WALTONS. He served as Story Editor on Oprah Winfrey's dramatic series BREWSTER PLACE.

Paul has written 21 ABC and CBS AFTERSCHOOL SPECIALS dealing with subject matter exploring every significant social issue including incest, alcoholism, physical abuse, homosexuality and racism. A number of these projects won Emmys as Best Television Specials for their significant social and dramatic impact.

Paul has written a number of films for cable television, which have appeared on Showtime, Disney, the Animal Planet and Family Channels. Additionally, he wrote and directed the interactive CD-Rom video game, CHESS WARS: A MEDIEVAL FANTASY, which won Best New Game, 1996. Paul has instructed Film and Television writing at Pepperdine University.

Upon graduation from the University of Tulsa as a business major, Paul served for six years as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. A Vietnam veteran, Paul began script writing while sitting long hours of alert as an aircraft commander in the Strategic Air Command. After many years of agent rejections, he eventually attracted the attention of Earl Hamner, creator of THE WALTONS, who encouraged him to come to Hollywood and give television writing a try. Paul and his wife, Donna, currently live in the Los Angeles area.
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Add photos, demo reels
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
  • Awards
    • 6 wins & 3 nominations

Known for

CBS Schoolbreak Special (1984)
CBS Schoolbreak Special
7.0
TV Series
  • Writer
ABC Afterschool Specials (1972)
ABC Afterschool Specials
7.2
TV Series
  • Writer
Father Murphy (1981)
Father Murphy
6.4
TV Series
  • Writer
Eddy Martin in The Maldonado Miracle (2003)
The Maldonado Miracle
6.5
TV Movie
  • Writer
  • 2003

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Writer

  • Joe Louis Project
    • Writer
  • 5000 Years of Heroes (2019)
    5000 Years of Heroes
    • story editor
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2019
  • Hatching Pete (2009)
    Hatching Pete
    • written by
    • TV Movie
    • 2009
  • The Note (2007)
    The Note
    • teleplay
    • TV Movie
    • 2007
  • Eddy Martin in The Maldonado Miracle (2003)
    The Maldonado Miracle
    • teleplay
    • TV Movie
    • 2003
  • Anne Archer and Robert Urich in Night of the Wolf (2002)
    Night of the Wolf
    • written by (as Paul Cooper)
    • TV Movie
    • 2002
  • Chess Wars (1996)
    Chess Wars
    • writer
    • Video Game
    • 1996
  • Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored (1995)
    Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored
    • screenplay
    • 1995
  • The Secret of Lost Creek (1989)
    The Secret of Lost Creek
    • Writer
    • TV Series
    • 1989–1992
  • CBS Schoolbreak Special (1984)
    CBS Schoolbreak Special
    • writer
    • teleplay
    • TV Series
    • 1984–1991
  • Brewster Place (1990)
    Brewster Place
    • Writer
    • TV Series
    • 1990
  • Michael Landon in Highway to Heaven (1984)
    Highway to Heaven
    • written by
    • teleplay
    • TV Series
    • 1984–1989
  • Match Point
    • writer
    • TV Movie
    • 1989
  • The River Pirates (1988)
    The River Pirates
    • writer
    • 1988
  • Morningstar/Eveningstar (1986)
    Morningstar/Eveningstar
    • writer
    • written by
    • TV Series
    • 1986
  • Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote (1984)
    Murder, She Wrote
    • story
    • written by
    • TV Series
    • 1984–1985

Script and Continuity Department

  • 5000 Years of Heroes (2019)
    5000 Years of Heroes
    • script editor
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2019

Additional Crew

  • 5000 Years of Heroes (2019)
    5000 Years of Heroes
    • story editor
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2019
  • Millennium Crisis (2007)
    Millennium Crisis
    • screenplay consultant
    • 2007
  • Eddy Martin in The Maldonado Miracle (2003)
    The Maldonado Miracle
    • screenplay by: writing credits locked by WGA
    • TV Movie
    • 2003
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Hollywood Working Writer
    • LinkedIn
  • Alternative name
    • Paul Cooper

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Paul was a US Air Force pilot winning the Air Medal for 61 combat missions over Vietnam.

Related news

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb App
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
  • Get the IMDb App
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • IMDb Developer
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.