2003 Award Recipient

The Writers Guild of America, west has chosen award-winning writer-producer David W. Rintels, a past president of the guild, to be this year's recipient of the Morgan Cox Award, at the guild's 55th awards ceremony on Saturday, March 8, 2003.

The Morgan Cox Award is presented to that member or group of members whose vital ideas, continuing efforts and personal sacrifice best exemplify the ideal of service to the guild. Previous recipients of the Morgan Cox Award include Fay Kanin, Alfred L. & Helen Levitt, Leonard Spigelgass, Allen Rivkin, Melville Shavelson, Irma Kalish, Ann Marcus, George Kirgo and Del Reisman. Last year's recipient was D.C. Fontana. The award will be presented by former guild president, John Furia, Jr.

"No one knows better than I the countless hours of devoted service David has given to the guild over many years. He has tirelessly committed himself to improving and ennobling the life of the writer," said WGAw President Victoria Riskin.

David W. Rintels has devoted much of his professional life to serving his fellow writers. He has been a member of the guild's Board of Directors several times, from 1971 to 1974, served as president from 1975 to 1977, and again on the a Board from 1987 to 1993, and from 2000 to the present, Over the years, he has served or chaired more than 25 guild committees, including the officers nominating committee, the network program standards and practices committee, the screenwriters council, the president's committee on the professional status of writers, the working rule 8 committee, the national affairs committee, the freedom of expression committee, the cultural exchange committee, censorship committee, and others.

David W. Rintels has written many highly acclaimed television miniseries and movies of the week, including Nuremberg (2000), The Member of the Wedding (1997), Andersonville (1996), World War II: When Lions Roared (1994), The Last Best Year (1990), Sakharov (1984), Gideon's Trumpet (1980), Fear on Trial (1975), and Clarence Darrow (1974), which he adapted from his successful Broadway play. As an episode writer, he worked on The Defenders, and Slattery's People, and was head writer for The Invaders. He has won three Emmys and three WGA Awards.

His movies include Scorpio (1972), which starred Burt Lancaster and Paul Scofield.

In 1997, Rintels received the Writers Guild's Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television; he was the recipient of the Valentine Davies Award in 1980. He also received the Bill of Rights Award from the American Civil Liberties Union in 1980.

Morgan B. Cox devoted much of his professional life to serving the Writers Guild--in particular he helped ensure that television writers were included under the jurisdiction of the Writers Guild. He died in 1968.