Biography

Born January 2, 1919, in Little Rock, Arkansas, Willeford spent most of his formative years in boarding schools and with his grandmother, who took him in when he was eight. But he left in his early teens when it became clear to him that she couldn't support them both and became a hobo and drifter. At sixteen he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was subsequently stationed in the Philippines, a random act that became a twenty-year career. WWII found him in the cavalry as a tank commander with the 10th Armored Division in Europe, resulting in a clutch of medals (Silver Star, Bronze Star, a couple of Purple Hearts, and the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre), shrapnel wounds and a wealth of human experience that he later drew on for his novels:

"A good half of the men you deal with in the Army are psychopaths. There's a pretty hefty overlap between the military population and the prison population, so I knew plenty of guys like Junior in Miami Blues and Troy in Sideswipe."

Willeford started writing High Priest of California in 1949 while working at the Hamilton Air Force base, finally seeing it published in 1953, but despite producing Woman Chaser, Cockfighter, Machine In Ward Eleven, Burnt Orange Heresy and other works, widespread recognition for his work didn't arrive until the publication of Miami Blues, the first of the Hoke Mosley novels, in 1984. By that time he had left the army gained a Masters degree in literature, and taught literature at Miami University. There was pressure on him to follow up his success with Miami Blues by producing a rapid sequel, but his response was to write Grimhaven, in which Hoke Mosley kills his daughters and hides their bodies in the shower of his rundown hotel room. Needless to say the book didn't make it into print at that time.

Willeford died in 1988, having written 16 novels, some collections of poetry and two autobiographical works, Something About A Soldier and I Was Looking For A Street, a body of work that has become increasingly appreciated by crime and fiction readers.

Willeford On Film

Several of his books have now been made into films of variable quality.

Cockfighter came out in 1974, directed by Monte Hellman and produced by Roger Corman, a low budget production with Warren Oates, Harry Dean Stanton and Charles Willeford playing the part of Ed Middleton.

In 1990 Miami Blues was made into a film starring William Baldwin, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Fred Ward, directed by George Armitage and produced by Jonathan Demme. Blackstar video search service may be able to track a copy down for you.

Woman Chaser (1999) has recently been released in the U.S., another low budget production, with director Robinson Devor receiving good reviews for his work.

Willeford On the Web

There are a growing number of Willeford related websites out there now, as the number of enthusiasts for his work continues to grow. Among the best is the Dennis Macmillan site, which shows a real appreciation of Willeford's qualities. You can see photos of Willeford's grave along with a biographical notice from his wife Betsy Willeford on the Arlington National Cemetery website.

The film of Woman Chaser has generated several web reviews:
The Woman Chaser
- The Official film site
Daily Variety Review, Jan 26^th 2000
The Austin Chronicle
Indiewire on the New York Film Festival
Editors Net
Sundance Channel
A Video Interview with Robinson Devor

Charles Willeford published by No Exit Press The Machine In Ward Eleven The Way We Die Now Sideswipe Charles Willeford Omnibus (The Pick Up, The Burnt Orange Heresy, The Cockfighter) Woman Chaser Wild Wives/High Priest of California (An Ace Double - Two Novels in One) Miami Blues (New Edition) New Hope for the Dead (New Edition) The Way We Die Now Sideswipe (New Edition)