C. Courtney Joyner is a screenwriter and director with over 25 produced movies to his credit, including the cult films PRISON starring Viggo Mortensen and directed by Renny Harlin, Mark Lester's CLASS OF 1999, THE OFFSPRING starring Vincent Price, and entries in both the PUPPETMASTER and TRANCERS series for Full Moon/Paramount. A graduate of USC - and a teenage extra in George Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD - Courtney's first movie was THE OFFSPRING starring the legendary Vincent Price. His work in television has included TV movies for CBS, (DISTANT COUSINS), the USA Network (BETRAYAL, GUILTY AS CHARGED), and Showtime (WHITE RUSH). For the SyFy Channel, he co-wrote all 13 episodes of the series, WILLIAM SHATNER'S FRIGHT NIGHT, he has also directed an episode of the TRANCERS movie series and the H.P. Lovecraft adaptation, THE LURKING FEAR. His latest screenwriting work includes COP WAR with Sheldon Lettich, a biography of the outlaw Belle Starr and the recently produced horror film QUADRANT.
As a film journalist, his articles have appeared in TRUE WEST, WILDEST WESTERNS, ROUND-UP, FANGORIA, FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, and others. He is the author of the very well-recieved THE WESTERNERS: INTERVIEWS WITH ACTORS, DIRECTORS AND WRITERS, and co-authored WESTERN PORTRAITS with Steve Carver, Joyner has made major contributions to non-fiction books such as LON CHANEY, JR, THE CINEMA OF H.P. LOVECRAFT, THE BOOK OF LISTS: HORROR, IT CAME FROM THE VIDEO AISLE, TRASH CINEMA, MOVIES FROM THE END OF THE WORLD, HIGH CONCEPT MOVIE MASSACRE, DUKE: WE'RE GLAD WE KNEW YOU, PERSPECTIVES ON STEPEHN KING, PERSPECTIVES IN ELMORE LEONARD, EMPIRE OF THE B's and JACKSPLOITATION!. He has also been an on-cmaera historian and commentator on more than 200 dvd and blu-ray releases of western, horror, and science-fiction movies and TV shows, including, BROKEN ARROW, THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, THE THING, DOC, STAGECOACH, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, RUNAWAY TRAIN, THE MAD MAGICIAN, COUNT YORGA- VAMPIRE, RAWHIDE, THE CULPEPPER CATTLE CO, THE GRAND DUEL, COMPANEROS, HE WALKED BY NIGHT, T-MEN, GORGO, EDGE OF ETERNITY, REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, THE COMANCHEROS, THE BIG TRAIL, CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA, EXTREME PREJUDICE, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, THE BIG GUNDOWN, HUD, THE MISFITS, EL DORADO, SUDDENLY! MACHINE GUN KELLY, ROLLERCOASTER, SALT OF THE EARTH, and many, many more.
He has appeared in the feature-length docs, OUT OF PRINT, STRAIGHT TO VIDEO, RAOUL WALSH: THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF HOLLYWOOD'S LEGENDARY DIRECTOR, SIX STRINGS AND SHOTGUN: MAKING STREETS OF FIRE, Joyner is also the Co-Executive Producer of the feature-length documentary CELLULOID WIZARDS IN THE VIDEO WASTELAND, about the rise and fall of "B" move company Empire Pictures, that will be released in 2018.
Joyner's novel-length western fiction includes creating the SHOTGUN series for Pinnacle books: SHOTGUN, SHOTGUN: THE BLEEDING GROUND, BUSHWHACKED: THE BLOODY SAGA OF JOHN "SHOTGUN" BISHOP, SHOTGUN: THESE VIOLENT TIMES, and the upcoming SHOTGUN: BULLET KISSED. He is also the author of the fantasy adventure NEMO RISING from Tor Books, which continues the story of Jules Verne's legendary characters.
Joyner's short fictions can be found in the anthologies LAW OF THE GUN, BEAT TO A PULP, FISTFUL OF LEGENDS, THE TRADITIONAL WEST, SIX GUNS AND SLAY BELLS, HELL COMES TO HOLLYWOOD, and others. His story "Two Bit Kill" from LAW OF THE GUN was nominated for a Peacemaker Award by the Western Fictioneers as Best Short Story of 2010, while "Christmas for Evangeline" from SIX GUNS AND SLAY BELLS was nominated for the same award in 2013. In 2014, SHOTGUN was nominated for a Peacemaker as Best First Novel. Among other awards, Joyner has received the President's Award from The Western Writers of America. Courtney lives in Los Angeles.
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