William D. Wittliff was an American screenwriter and producer.

Born and raised in Texas, Wittliff is perhaps best known for penning the television mini-series Lonesome Dove (1989), for which he garnered two Emmy nominations, as writer and producer.

Wittliff also had great success writing for the silver screen, collaborating on three films which starred Willie Nelson: Honeysuckle Rose (1980), Barbosa (1982), and Red Headed Stranger (1986).

His other works include: The Black Stallion (1979), Raggedy Man (1981), Country (1984), The Cowboy Way (1994), Legends of the Fall (1994), and The Perfect Storm (2000).

Wittliff died June 9th, 2019, in Austin, Texas. He was 79.