Miles Swarthout, the only son of renowned authors Glendon and Kathryn Swarthout, has made a significant mark in the world of screenwriting. With a plethora of produced films to his credit, he has demonstrated his versatility by writing and optioning both original works and adaptations of his father's novels. One of his most notable accomplishments was co-writing the screenplay for "The Shootist," John Wayne's final film, which earned him a Writers Guild nomination for Best Adaptation in 1976.
In addition to his work in film, Miles has also edited a collection of his father's short stories, titled "Easterns and Westerns," which was published by Michigan State University Press in 2001. This comprehensive collection features an extensive Afterword by Miles, providing insight into his father's literary career, as well as a brief autobiography by Glendon Swarthout.
As an author in his own right, Miles has received critical acclaim for his novel, "The Sergeant's Lady," which won the Spur Award for Best First Western Novel in 2004. His short story was also featured in the Western Writers member anthology, "Roundup!," in 2010.
Miles' most recent endeavor is his work on the film "The Homesman," directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones. Although he was the original paid writer on the project, he remained uncredited. The film is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2014. Additionally, a trade paperback reprint of his father's prizewinning novel, "The Homesman," will be released by Simon & Schuster in February 2014, featuring an Afterword by Miles on the creation of this Spur and Wrangler Award-winning Western novel.
Miles' new Western novel, "The Last Shootist," is scheduled for publication in hardcover by Forge Books (Macmillan) in September 2014. This sequel novel to his late father's famous Spur-winning Western, "The Shootist," follows the same characters and is a continuation of the story. A proposed TV miniseries combining both "Shootist" stories is also in the works.
