IWTA, Episode 25: Bruce Vilanch

Bruce Vilanch is a six-time Emmy Award winning comedy writer and actor. Probably best known to the public for his 4 years stint on Hollywood Squares, he is a featured writer for the Tonys, Grammys and Emmys and has been head writer for the Oscars since 2000. Bruce Vilanch began his career writing for Bette Midler in the mid 70s, before going on to write for such stars as Diana Ross, Billy Crystal, Lilly Tomlin, Roseanna Barr, Rosie O'Donnell, Elizabeth Taylor and Robin Williams, among many others. Vilanch was the subject of the 1999 documentary Get Bruce, which you can find on Netflix, and he appeared off-Broadway in his one-man show, Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous. In this conversation, Bruce answers questions about the James Franco-Anne Hathaway-Oscars Fiasco, and talks about his dreams of being a movie star, how he professional relationship with Bette Midler began, what it was like to work with Robin Williams and how he feels about other people speaking his words all the time.