Melvin Van Peebles
Biography
Melvin Van Peebles, who died in 2021, was an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and composer. Born in Chicago in 1932, he began making short films in the late 1950s before his first feature, The Story of a Three-Day Pass, took a prize at the San Francisco International Film Festival and drew Hollywood interest. That led to his American debut, Watermelon Man (1970), but he chose independence for Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971), which he wrote, directed, edited, scored, and starred in and which helped launch the blaxploitation genre. He followed it with the musical Don't Play Us Cheap, adapted from his own stage production, and continued writing films, novels, and plays for decades. Later screen work included Fist of the North Star (1995), Le Conte du ventre plein (2000), and Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha (2008). His stage musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death earned seven Tony nominations.
89years old at death
- Born Chicago
- Died Manhattan
- Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
- Also credited as Melvin Peebles and Brer Soul
Movie Career
- Films
- 13
- Career span
- 45 years1973 to 2018
Genres
- Action38%, 5 films
- Comedy38%, 5 films
- Documentary23%, 3 films
- Drama23%, 3 films
- Crime15%, 2 films
First and latest
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Big break
Van Peebles funded his landmark 1971 film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song himself, partly with a $50,000 loan from Bill Cosby, and handled directing, scripting, editing, the score and the marketing.
A role that slipped away
Van Peebles was set to direct the 1977 NASCAR film Greased Lightning but was replaced by Michael Schultz, though he stayed on as one of four credited screenwriters.
First role
Van Peebles shot Pickup Men for Herrick in 1957, his first short film, and made two more shorts during the same period. He said he thought they were features, but each ran eleven minutes because he knew nothing.
Beyond film
Van Peebles was the writer of the book, music and lyrics for Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death. The stage musical began off-Broadway, then moved to Broadway, where it ran for 325 performances in 1971-72 and earned seven Tony nominations.
About the name
Melvin Van Peebles added "Van" to his name during the time he lived in the Netherlands, which was in his late 20s.
Melvin Van Peebles movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Mario Van Peebles directed three of these films. Mario Van Peebles appears in five of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Mario Van Peebles's page
Charles Lane's page
Box office
What Melvin Van Peebles's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$234 million
9 of the 13 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 13 films: 9 worldwide figure; 2 us gross only; 1 never in cinemas; 1 figure not found.
- 9Worldwide figure
- 2US gross only
- 1Never in cinemas
- 1Figure not found
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$131M56.0% of the total
- 2$52M22.2% of the total
- 3$20M8.6% of the total
- 4$16M7.0% of the total
- 5$9.3M4.0% of the total
- 6$4.7M2.0% of the total
- 7$269K0.1% of the total
- 8$104K0.0% of the total
$94,615from the other 1 film with a worldwide figure, 0% of the total
Awards
Two awards and honors from 1976 to 2001.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 2001 | Commander of the Legion of Honour | Won | |
| 1976 | Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.