John H. Peters (born June 2, 1945) is an American film producer and former hairdresser.
Early life
Peters was born on June 2, 1945, in
Van Nuys,
California.
Peters is of
Cherokee descent (father) and
Italians (mother) descent.
While growing up in a rough neighborhood, Peters's father died when he was eight years old and his mother later remarried; Peters was later expelled from school and sent to
reform school for a year when he was 12.
Career
As a child, Peters was cast as an extra in Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 film
The Ten Commandments.
Prior to becoming a producer, Peters ran away from home at the age of 14 and moved to New York City, where he found work as a hairdresser, beginning with dyeing women's pubic hair.[ Barbra by Donald Zec and Anthony Fowles, chapter 17]
Peters worked alongside Guber for the next ten years; the duo headed Sony Pictures from 1989 until 1991. Peters eventually left Sony to start his own production company, Peters Entertainment, in 1991; the company initially had an exclusive three-year deal at Sony, but eventually went to a non-exclusive deal and added another non-exclusive deal at Warner Bros. in 1994.
Superman
In the early 1990s, Peters bought the
film rights to the
Superman franchise from Warner Bros. In his Q&A/comedy
DVD An Evening with Kevin Smith, filmmaker
Kevin Smith talked about working for Peters when he was hired to write a script for a new
Superman film, which was then called
Superman Reborn and later
Superman Lives.
According to Smith, Peters had expressed disdain for most of Superman's iconic characteristics by demanding that Superman never fly
nor appear in his trademark costume.
[ Smith said Peters also suggested Sean Penn for the role based on his performance as a death row inmate in Dead Man Walking, which he said that Penn had the eyes of a "caged animal, a fucking killer." Smith went on to say Peters also wanted the third act of the film to include a fight between Superman and a giant spider,][ The story is further touched upon by both Smith and Peters in the documentary .
]
Smith met Peters after completing a script and said Peters suggested he include a robot sidekick for Brainiac, a fight scene between Brainiac and and a merchandising "space dog" pet similar to the Star Wars character Chewbacca.
The Sandman
Peters was a producer for a planned adaptation of the Sandman comics for Warner Bros., which became stuck in development in 2001.
Proposed autobiography
Peters submitted a book proposal for his autobiography, which was self-written alongside Los Angeles writer William Stadiem. In the proposal, he described himself as someone who "came from the lower depths to become THE MAN in Hollywood, a master of seduction, production and psychology," and said he "has seen it all and knows it all, without ever being a know-it-all."
Sexual harassment
In August 2011, Los Angeles jurors ordered Peters to pay a former assistant $3.3 million after finding she was subjected to sexual harassment and a hostile work environment during production of Superman Returns.
Personal life
Peters married four times, each ending in divorce. The marriage certificate on his fifth marriage was never filed.
Peters's first marriage was to Henrietta Zampitella when he was 16. They were married from April 1962 to November 1966.
In May 1967,[Haber, Joyce (November 26, 1973) Jon, Barbra More Than Patron, Client Los Angeles Times]
Barbra Streisand and Peters had a high-profile personal and business relationship from 1973 to 1982.
Peters married his third wife, producer Christine Forsyth, in June 1987.
In 1994, Peters met Mindy Williamson, a breeder of ,
In 2020, he became briefly involved with Pamela Anderson.
Peters reportedly became engaged to actress Julia Bernheim in February 2020.
Filmography
Producer unless otherwise noted.
Film
Executive
-
Die Laughing (1980)
-
Caddyshack (1980)
-
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
-
Missing (1982) (Uncredited)
-
Flashdance (1983)
-
D.C. Cab (1983)
-
The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)
-
Clue (1985)
-
The Color Purple (1985)
-
Head Office (1985)
-
The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)
-
Youngblood (1986)
-
Innerspace (1987)
-
Who's That Girl (1987)
-
Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
-
Missing Link (1988)
-
Rain Man (1988)
-
The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
-
Batman Returns (1992)
-
This Boy's Life (1993)
-
With Honors (1994)
-
Man of Steel (2013)
Producer
-
A Star Is Born (1976)
-
Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)
-
The Main Event (1979)
-
Six Weeks (1982)
-
Vision Quest (1985)
-
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
-
Caddyshack II (1988)
-
Batman (1989)
-
Tango & Cash (1989)
-
Money Train (1995)
-
My Fellow Americans (1996)
-
Rosewood (1997)
-
Wild Wild West (1999)
-
Ali (2001)
-
Superman Returns (2006)
-
A Star Is Born (2018)
Other credited participation in films
|
| |
| 1965 | Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine | Hair stylist: Susan Hart | |
| 1974 | For Pete's Sake | Hair stylist: Barbra Streisand | |
| 1981 | The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper | Executive producer: Soundtrack album | |
| 1988 | High Spirits | Special thanks | |
| 2002 | The Guru | Head chef | |
| 2006 | Forgiveness | Caterer | |
Television
|
| 1961 | Shirley Temple's Storybook | Actor: The Ironmonger | |
| Documentary |
| Television and the Presidency |
| Television film |
| |
| Documentary |
| Television film |
| Bay Coven |
| Nightmare at Bittercreek |
| Documentary |
| Television film |
| 1995 | Fast Track | Special thanks |
In popular culture
It has been said, partly by Peters himself, that he was the inspiration for Warren Beatty's character in the Hal Ashby film Shampoo.
Peters is portrayed by Bradley Cooper in the Paul Thomas Anderson film, Licorice Pizza (2021).
Sources
External links
