Bill is a 1981 American made-for-television biographical drama film starring Mickey Rooney and Dennis Quaid based on the life of Bill Sackter. The film was broadcast on CBS on December 22, 1981. A sequel, Bill: On His Own, was released in 1983. Writer/filmmaker Barry Morrow, portrayed in the film by Dennis Quaid, based the story on his life experiences with Sackter, and later became his legal guardian. Sackter, who did not have autism, would also serve as a partial inspiration for the character of Raymond Babbitt in Morrow's early draft screenplay for the 1988 film Rain Man. Awards Mickey Rooney won an Emmy Award and Golden Globe for his performance, and the film also received a Golden Globe for Best TV Film. Premise Bill is a man with an intellectual disability in his 60s. He ventures out into the world for the first time after spending most of his life at Grandville, a dreary inner city institution in Minneapolis, Minnesota, since age seven (when his mother sent him there). Bill is taken in by a kind family and learns what it means to love for the first time in his life. Cast Mickey Rooney - Bill Sackter Dennis Quaid - Barry Morrow Largo Woodruff - Beverly Morrow Anna Maria Horsford - Marge Keating Harry Goz - Dr. Tom Walz Kathleen Maguire - Florence Archer See also Film within a film Rain Man References External links The Bill Sackter Story official website 1981 television films 1981 films 1980s biographical drama films American biographical drama films CBS network films Best Miniseries or Television Movie Golden Globe winners Emmy Award-winning programs Films about intellectual disability Films directed by Anthony Page Films set in Minnesota Peabody Award-winning broadcasts Alan Landsburg Productions films American drama television films 1980s American films