Patton's widow was approached not long after her husband died (after an automobile accident), with an offer to make a Hollywood movie about Patton's life and career. His family did not agree right away, and it was many years before they approved a dramatic movie to be made. The movie's screenplay was based on a well-written biography of General Patton, "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph", and "A Soldier's Story", a memoir by General Omar N. Bradley, who served with Patton.