William Howard Wisher Jr. (May 23, 1955 – July 14, 2026) was an American screenwriter, known for his work with long-time friend James Cameron on the screenplays for The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and his work with Caleb Carr on Exorcist: The Beginning and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist.
Career Wisher had roles behind and in front of the camera. In the first Terminator film, Wisher has a brief role as 1L19 (real name unknown), an LAPD police officer who is incapacitated next to his own police cruiser by the Terminator, who then steals his vehicle and briefly assumes his identity on the police radio band. He also has a cameo appearance in Terminator 2: Judgment Day; here he plays a man shopping with his girlfriend and takes pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 Terminator getting back on his feet after being thrown through a store window. According to director James Cameron, they are the same character. He also plays news reporter Bill Tyler in Cameron's 1989 film The Abyss.
His other screenwriting work includes Judge Dredd, The 13th Warrior and both versions of The Exorcist prequel. He is an uncredited script doctor on two films in the Die Hard series, 1995's Die Hard with a Vengeance and 2007's Live Free or Die Hard (on which he also served as executive producer).
Death Wisher died on July 14, 2026, at the age of 71.
Filmography Year Title Credit Other notes 1984 The Terminator Additional Dialogue Also co-wrote the novelization () 1989 Desperado: The Outlaw Wars Teleplay 1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day Written byCo-written with James Cameron 1995 Judge Dredd Story, Screenplay Co-written story with Michael De Luca, co-written screenplay with Steven E. de Souza 1999 The 13th Warrior Screenplay Co-written with Warren Lewis 2004 Exorcist: The Beginning Story Co-written with Caleb Carr 2005 Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist Written by Co-written with Caleb Carr 2007 Live Free or Die Hard Executive Producer 2016 I.T. Screenplay, Executive Producer Co-written screenplay with Dan Kay
Uncredited revisions Pumpkinhead (1988) A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) Judgment Night (1993) Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) Broken Arrow (1996) Eraser (1996) Mercury Rising (1998) Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Unmade projects Year Title and description 1990sM, a remake of the 1931 film of the same name.The Stars My Destination, an epic sci-fi revenge tale, based on the novella by Alfred BesterValiant, a comic twist on the swashbuckling classic.Airframe, An adaption of the Michael Crichton novel of the same name that would've been directed by John McTiernan.Combat!, Based on the TV series of the same name, that Bruce Willis was in talks to star in, and was going to be produced for Paramount Pictures, with Walter Hill slated to direct.Superman Lives, based on the DC Comics installment in which the Man of Steel is killed by Brainiac and then comes back to life.A writing assignment for director Robert Zemeckis and ImageMovers at DreamWorks.2000sRainbow Six, An adaption of the Tom Clancy novel.An untitled project about B-24 Liberation Bombers during World War II that James Cameron was interested in directing.Pilgrim aka The Englishman, An adaption of Will Scully's book "Once A Pilgrim: The True Story of One Man's Courage Under Rebel Fire".Escape of The Pacific Clipper, A fact-based adventure about a race to get a Boeing B-314 back from New Zealand after the Attack on Pearl Harbor.2010sUnproduced treatments for sequels in Terminator franchise.Ice Road Truckers, An action feature based on the reality show of the same name.Come Hell or High Water aka Samar, Based on the experiences of Captain Ernest E. Evans during the Battle off Samar, Battle of Leyte Gulf.Pitfall, A television pilot.SAD Boys, A script about the Special Activities Division of the CIA.An untitled project that takes place in Vietnam during the Fall of Saigon.
Acting credits Year Film Role Notes1977The ReunionUnspecified role1978XenogenesisRaj1984The Terminator 1L19 (police officer)Cameo appearance1988Martini Ranch: ReachMusic video1989 The Abyss Bill Tyler1991Terminator 2: Judgment DayTourist/Photographer in Galleria MallCameo appearance
References
External links
William Wisher @thetvdb.com