William Richert

William Richert (born 1942) is an American film director, film producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for his performance as Bob in the 1991 Gus van Sant film My Own Private Idaho.

Richert was born in Florida. At age 17, he hopped a bus to Hollywood. At the age of 19, he interviewed Richard Nixon's daughters Tricia and Julie, as part of a planned documentary titled Presidents' Daughters. He directed several other documentaries (including Derby, and A Dancer's Life) and the feature films Winter Kills, The American Success Company, A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, and The Man in the Iron Mask (also known as The Mask of Dumas).

Reardon was originally distributed by 20th Century Fox, and has since been re-cut and re-issued independently as Aren't You Even Going To Kiss Me Goodbye?

Richert sued the Writers Guild of America over not being credited on the screenplay of the film The American President. Richert claimed Sorkin's screenplay was a thinly-veiled plagiarism of Richert's 1981 'The President Elopes', and that the television series The West Wing was derived from part of the same screenplay. After Guild arbitration, Aaron Sorkin was awarded full credit on American President.

William Richert (mayor)

William Richert (? – June 16, 1912) served as acting mayor of Detroit, Michigan from March 22, 1897 to April 5, 1897, following the resignation of Hazen S. Pingree.

Biography

William Richert served on the Detroit City Council as a Republican from 1890 to 1897, and as its president in 1895 and 1897. When Hazen S. Pingree was elected governor of Michigan in 1897, Richert served as acting mayor until a special election was held. He ran unsuccessfully for state senate in 1899.

Richert later assisted a number of Germans to settle in Alameda, Saskatchewan.

William Richert died in Detroit in on June 16, 1912.

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