Gary DeVore

Gary DeVore
Born
Gary Martin DeVore

(1941-09-17)September 17, 1941
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJune 28, 1997(1997-06-28) (aged 55)
Palmdale, California, U.S.
OccupationScreenwriter
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1969; div. 1978)​
Sandie Newton
​
​
(m. 1981; div. 1985)​
​
​
(m. 1988; div. 1992)​
Wendy Oates
​
(m. 1996)​

Gary Martin DeVore (September 17, 1941 – last seen June 28, 1997) was an American screenwriter. He wrote several commercially successful action films in the 1980s and '90s, and is also known for the mysterious circumstances of his 1997 death. DeVore disappeared without explanation, and his remains were found in his vehicle a year later. Autopsy could not establish a cause or manner of death, but investigators believe he most likely fell asleep while driving, lost control of his vehicle and drowned.

Early career

DeVore began his writing career in the late 1960s, on shows like Chuck Barris' The Newlywed Game, The Steve Allen Show, and Tempo.

Personal life, death, and aftermath

DeVore married the singer Maria Cole (1969–1978) and the actresses Sandie Newton (1981–1985), Claudia Christian (1988–1992), and Wendy Oates (1996–1997). Briefly, he worked as vice president of production at De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG), before returning to work on films with a three-picture agreement at DEG.

DeVore disappeared in June 1997, while driving at night from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Santa Barbara, California, prompting an extensive search and media speculation. DeVore had been working in his office in Santa Fe trying to finish a script. DeVore had recently complained of writer's block, and so had decided to change his environment. When he finally finished the script, DeVore decided to drive home through the Mojave Desert. His wife Wendy was waiting for him at their beachfront house in Carpinteria, California. When she did not hear from him, she decided to call around 1 am (it was later discovered the call had not been recorded by the telephone company). He answered, but was not very specific on his location. This was the last time Wendy spoke with him.

A year later, he and his Ford Explorer were discovered submerged below a bridge over the aqueduct in Palmdale, California. After police had retrieved the vehicle from the water, it was found that his laptop containing the script (titled The Big Steal) was missing, as was his gun. DeVore's hands were missing; hand bones were found nearby but could not be conclusively identified as DeVore's. The discovery of DeVore's vehicle was considered suspicious, as the aqueduct was searched shortly after his disappearance was reported and nothing unusual was discovered. Police concluded that for DeVore to crash his vehicle in this location meant that he would have had to have driven 3 mi (4.8 km) against traffic without being seen. This would have been doubly difficult because the vehicle's lights were not switched on.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Writer Producer
1980 The Dogs of War Yes No
1981 Back Roads Yes No
1986 Running Scared Yes No
Raw Deal Yes No
1988 Traxx Yes Yes
1994 Pentathlon Yes No

Uncredited revisions

Unrealized projects

  • Betrayals - A screenplay adaptation of a novel by Brian Freemantle
  • Deadlocked
  • Doin' Fine
  • Father of the Year
  • The Good Fight
  • Happy Trails
  • Hard Knox - A story about a retired detective who investigates the death of his son. Sidney Poitier was slated to star in the film.
  • Hard Rock aka Bloodshot - A project about a has been, drunk detective who is the only salvation for a young man on the run. Project would’ve been directed by Devore and produced by Linda Gottlieb.
  • Hole in the Sky
  • Honorable Men - A crime drama that would’ve been produced by Ryan R. Johnson, and directed by Tony Kaye.
  • Hoops
  • Hurricane Chaser - A project that would’ve starred Christopher Lambert.
  • The Search for Joseph Tully
  • Just Maybe
  • Legion
  • The Lights
  • Loudmouth
  • Mazeltov
  • Naked Heroes
  • Portrait of Death
  • Rawhide
  • The Ballad of Seattle Slew
  • Shut Down
  • Solo - An adaptation of the Jack Higgins novel of the same name that Harold Becker was slated to direct.
  • Spare Parts - A story about a cop and an INS officer investigating the black market selling of body parts and their donors, project would’ve been produced by David Foster and Lawrence Turman for Paramount Pictures.
  • Spittin' in the Wind
  • Stealth - A film project about the development of the F-117 Stealth Bomber.
  • Straight Poole
  • Too Late to Die
  • Wish You Were Here - A Vietnam story featuring a photojournalist and a thirteen-year-old kid searching for his MIA father. Kathleen Turner was to star in the project.

Television

YearTV SeriesCreditNotes
1967-72The Newlywed GameWriter
The Steve Allen ShowProducer
TempoWriter, Producer
1973Golf for SwingersCreator
1983Heart of SteelWriter, Executive ProducerTV Movie
1988CBS Summer PlayhouseWriter, Executive ProducerEpisode: The Heat

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Elorche, Mel (October 10, 2023). "CIA's Hollywood Liaison May Be Behind Disappearance of Hollywood Screenwriter Who Knew Too Much". www.covertactionmagazine.com. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Gary DeVore". BFI. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Whatever happened to Gary Devore?". Thousand Oaks Star. 19 June 1998. pp. 18–20.
  4. 1 2 "Family Keeps Search Alive for Writer". Santa Barbara News-Press. 8 August 1997. p. 13.
  5. ↑ "What Happened to Screenwriter Gary Devore?". Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  6. ↑ Peacock, Scot (1998). Contemporary Authors Vol. 166. Gale Research International, Limited. pp. 86, 87. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Herbert, Katherine Atwell (1994). Writing Scripts Hollywood Will Love. Allworth Press. pp. 3, 69, 126–129. ISBN 9781880559208. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Friendly, David T. (17 July 1986). "Production Chief Buys--and Sells--scripts". Archived from the original on Feb 6, 2023 – via Los Angeles Times.
  9. ↑ Greenberg, James (1986-12-10). "De Vore At Work On Own Pics Following Exit From DEG Pact". Variety. pp. 20, 40.
  10. ↑ Welkos, Robert (July 27, 1997). "Screenwriter Vanishes in Scenario Fit for Film". Los Angeles Times.
  11. 1 2 Satzman, Darrell; Glover, Scott (1998-07-09). "Missing Writer's Body Believed Found". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Archived from the original on Jan 18, 2020. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
  12. ↑ Welkos, Robert (29 June 1998). "Without A Trace". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on Mar 4, 2020.
  13. 1 2 3 Gane, Thomas (2016). "The Mystery of the Dead Hollywood Screenwriter Whose Hands Were Never Found". Vice. Archived from the original on Aug 4, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Lost Screenwriter Found". Archived from the original on August 19, 2000. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Lost Screenwriter Sleuth Speaks". Archived from the original on August 19, 2000. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Lost Screenwriter" Case Closed". Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  17. ↑ Larrubia, Evelyn (September 18, 1999). "Widow of Man Who Drove Into Aqueduct Files Lawsuit". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ↑ "The Mean Season - script". www.academycollection.org. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  19. 1 2 3 Halliwell's Who's who in the Movies. Harper Collins. 2001. p. 123. ISBN 9780002572149. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  20. ↑ "Timecop". www.academycollection.org. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  21. ↑ "Betrayals Script September 1989, Unproduced Screenplay By Gary M. Devore!". worthpoint.com. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 White, Peter (December 13, 2023). "The Missing Scripts Of Gary DeVore: How A Podcast Helped Unearth Lost Work From Hollywood Screenwriter Who Disappeared". Deadline. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  23. 1 2 Mirisch, Walter (2008). I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 366, 376. ISBN 9780299226435. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  24. 1 2 3 "Univsersity of Wyoming-American Heritage Center: Guide to the Phil Gersh Collection Part 1" (PDF). www.uwyo.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  25. ↑ The Film Journal. Pubsun Corporation. 1988. p. 12. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  26. ↑ Van Gelder, Lawrence (June 3, 1988). "At the Movies". The New York Times.
  27. ↑ "Film News Roundup: Tony Kaye to Direct Crime Drama 'Honorable Men'". www.variety.com. 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  28. ↑ "Tony Kaye To Direct "Honorable Men" Script". www.darkhorizons.com. 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  29. ↑ The Hollywood Reporter. Wilkerson Daily Corporation. 1994. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  30. ↑ Encyclopedia of Exhibition. The Association. 1995. p. 72. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  31. ↑ "Hurricane Chaser". www.hollywood.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  32. ↑ "Gilbert Cates Papers". digicoll.library.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  33. ↑ The Lights. Raymond Wagner Productions. 1983. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  34. ↑ "Penn 'Lay Dying' at Phoenix". www.variety.com. 1998-01-28. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  35. ↑ "Maid for the Role". www.variety.com. 1994-08-01. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  36. ↑ "Bono preps super-secret Sinatra salute". www.variety.com. 1994-02-28. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  37. 1 2 "U Celebrates 30 Years of studio tours". www.variety.com. 1994-04-28. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  38. ↑ "The Definitive Spec Script Deals List: 1995". www.goingintothrstory.blcklst.com. 2012-06-11. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  39. ↑ Phillips, Julia. You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again. Random House Publishing Group. pp. 517, 518, 519. ISBN 9780399590900. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  40. ↑ "Wish You Were Here - script". www.academycollection.org. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  41. ↑ Hastings, Julianne (December 2, 1983). "Peter Strauss' "Heart of Steel" hails vanquished steelworker". United Press International.
  42. ↑ O'Connor, John J. (December 4, 1983). "Today's Worker treated with Unusual Candor". New York Times.