Lawrence "Larry" Peerce (born April 19, 1930) is an American film and TV director whose work includes the theatrical feature ''

Goodbye, Columbus ''Goodbye, Columbus'' is a 1959 collection of fiction by the American novelist Philip Roth, comprising the title novella "Goodbye, Columbus"—which first appeared in ''The Paris Review''—and five short stories. It was his first book and was ...

'' (1969), the early rock and roll

concert film A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The ...

'' The Big T.N.T. Show'' (1966), ''

One Potato, Two Potato "One potato, two potato" (sometimes "One potato, two potatoes") is a traditional children's counting-out rhyme with accompanying hand actions. It has a Roud number of 19230. Text The rhyme has been recorded in a large number of variants, b ...

'' (1964), ''

The Other Side of the Mountain ''The Other Side of the Mountain'' is a 1975 American drama romance film based on the true story of ski racing champion Jill Kinmont. The UK title of the film was ''A Window to the Sky''. In early 1955, Kinmont was the national champion in sla ...

'' (1975) and ''

Two-Minute Warning In most levels of professional American football, the two-minute warning is a suspension of play that occurs when two minutes remain on the game clock in each half of a game, i.e., near the end of the second and fourth quarters, and overtime. It ...

'' (1976).

Life and career

The son of operatic

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

Jan Peerce Jan Peerce (born Yehoshua Pinkhes Perelmuth; June 3, 1904 December 15, 1984) was an American operatic tenor. Peerce was an accomplished performer on the operatic and Broadway theatre, Broadway concert stages, in solo recitals, and as a recordi ...

and

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sport ...

Alice (Kalmanowitz) Peerce, Larry was born in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York. He attended the University of North Carolina.''The New York Times'': ''The Big T.N.T. Show'' (1966)
/ref> He made his directing debut with ''

'', released in 1964 by the distributor

Cinema V Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...

. The groundbreaking drama about an interracial marriage between a white divorcee (played by

Barbara Barrie Barbara Barrie (born Barbara Ann Berman; May 23, 1931) is an American actress and author. Her film breakthrough came in 1964 with her performance as Julie in the landmark film ''One Potato, Two Potato'', for which she won the Best Actress Awar ...

, who won the Best Actress award at the 1964

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

for the role) and an African-America office worker (

Bernie Hamilton Bernard Hamilton (June 12, 1928 – December 30, 2008) was an American actor. Best known as Captain Dobey in '' Starsky & Hutch'' (1975-1979). Biography Hamilton was born in East Los Angeles; his brother was jazz drummer Chico Hamilton. He a ...

) was the first U.S. movie to portray such an interracial relationship. Peerce went on to direct several episodes of the television series '' Branded'', the

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

series ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'', and other shows, and then directed the early

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

concert film '' The Big T.N.T. Show'', released in 1966 by

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

and featuring

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

The Lovin' Spoonful The Lovin' Spoonful is an American rock band popular during the mid- to late-1960s. Founded in New York City in 1965 by lead singer/songwriter John Sebastian and guitarist Zal Yanovsky, the band is widely known for a number of hits, including ...

The Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. ...

and The Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Following more television, Peerce returned to film in 1967 with '' The Mystery of the Chinese Junk'' and '' The Incident'', the latter of which starred

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

and

Tony Musante Anthony Peter Musante Jr. (June 30, 1936 – November 26, 2013) was an American actor, best known for the TV series '' Toma'' as Detective David Toma, Nino Schibetta in '' Oz'' (1997), and Joe D'Angelo in ''As the World Turns'' (2000-2003). In mo ...

. He followed this with ''

'', an adaptation of the

Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophicall ...

novel. The movie earned Peerce a

DGA Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Categ ...

nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures and screenwriter

Arnold Schulman Arnold Schulman (born August 11, 1925) is an American playwright, screenwriter, producer, a songwriter and novelist. He was a stage actor long associated with the American Theatre Wing and the Actors Studio. Biography Born to a Jewish family i ...

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. Peerce's subsequent theatrical features included ''

The Sporting Club ''The Sporting Club'' is the 1968 debut novel of author Thomas McGuane. Plot summary ''The Sporting Club'' chronicles the friendship and rivalry of Vernor Stanton, an unstable patrician iconoclast, and the protagonist, Stanton's lifelong friend, J ...

'', ''

A Separate Peace ''A Separate Peace'' is a coming-of-age novel by John Knowles, published in 1958. Based on his earlier short story "Phineas", published in the May 1956 issue of ''Cosmopolitan'', it was Knowles's first published novel and became his best-know ...

'', ''

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and falls on the first day of Lent (the six weeks of penitence before Easter). It is observed by Catholics in the Rom ...

'', and ''

''. He directed the television movies ''

The Stranger Who Looks Like Me ''The Stranger Who Looks Like Me'' is a 1974 American made-for-television drama romance film directed by Larry Peerce and starring Meredith Baxter, Beau Bridges and Walter Brooke. The cast includes Whitney Blake, who was Meredith Baxter's real-l ...

'' (1974), and ''

Elvis and Me ''Elvis and Me'' is a 1985 biography written by Priscilla Presley with Sandra Harmon. In the book, Priscilla talks about meeting Elvis Presley, their marriage, and the factors and issues that led to the couple's divorce. The book rights were p ...

'' (1988), and directed several episodes of the children's television series ''

The Ghost Busters ''The Ghost Busters'' is a live-action children's sitcom that ran on CBS in 1975, about a team of bumbling detectives who investigate ghostly occurrences. Fifteen episodes were produced. The show reunited Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch in roles ...

'' a.k.a. '' The Original Ghostbusters'', and after more theatrical films did not meet success, he became a frequent director of television miniseries, including '' Queenie'' (ABC, 1987), '' The Neon Empire'' (Showtime, 1988), the Jacqueline Kennedy biography ''

A Woman Named Jackie ''A Woman Named Jackie'' is a 1991 American television miniseries chronicling the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. It was based on C. David Heymann's 1989 book of the same title. The miniseries was split into three parts: *''A Woman Named Ja ...

'' (NBC, 1991) and ''

John Jakes John William Jakes (born March 31, 1932) is an American writer, best known for American historical and speculative fiction. His Civil War trilogy, ''North and South'', has sold millions of copies worldwide. He is also the author of The Kent Fam ...

' Heaven and Hell: North and South Book III'' (ABC, 1994). He additionally did several more television movies, ending with ''Second Honeymoon'' (2001), starring

Roma Downey Roma Burnett (née Downey) is an actress, producer, and author from Derry, Northern Ireland. She produced the mini-series ''The Bible'' for the History Channel and also appeared in it as Mary, mother of Jesus. For nine seasons she played Moni ...

and

Tim Matheson Tim Matheson (born Timothy Lewis Matthieson; December 31, 1947) is an American actor and director. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated '' Jonny Quest'' TV series, Eric "Otter" Stratton in the 19 ...

. He directed one episode of the 1960s CBS series ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels w ...

'' as Lawrence Peerce. He also directed an episode of the television show ''

The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of med ...

''. Peerce was married for a time to

Marilyn Hassett Marilyn Hassett (born December 17, 1947) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Jill Kinmont in the romance drama film ''The Other Side of the Mountain'' (1975) for which she received Golden Globe Awards and its sequel ...

, who appeared in several films he directed in the mid to late 1970s.

Filmography

*''

'' (1964) – nominated, Best Original Screenplay

(

Orville Hampton Orville H. Hampton (May 21, 1917 – August 8, 1997) was an Americans, American screenwriter who worked mostly in low-budget films, particularly for producers Robert E. Kent and Edward Small. A screenplay that he and Raphael Hayes wrote for ''On ...

, Raphael Hayes); winner, Best Actress,

(

); nominated, Palme d'Or,

*'' The Big T.N.T. Show'' (1966) *'' The Mystery of the Chinese Junk'' (1967) (TV movie) *'' The Incident'' (1967) – winner, Best Art Film, Cinema Writers Circle Award; Best Actor Award,

Mar del Plata Film Festival The Mar del Plata International Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata) is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. It is the only competitive feature fes ...

(

) *''

'' (1969) – nominated, Best Adapted Screenplay

(

); winner, Best Director

(Larry Peerce) *''

'' (1971) *''

'' (1972) *''

'' (1973) – nominated, Best Actress Golden Globe Award (

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

) *''

'' (1975) – nominated, Best Song

( Charles Fox,

Norman Gimbel Norman Gimbel (November 16, 1927 – December 19, 2018) was an American lyricist of popular songs, television and movie themes. He wrote the lyrics for songs including "Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Ready to Take a Chance Again" (both with ...

); winner, Best Actress Debut Golden Globe Award (

); nominated, Best Actress Golden Globe Award (Marilyn Hassett); nominated, Best Original Score Golden Globe Award (Charles Fox); nominated, Best Song Golden Globe Award (Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel) *''

''(1976) – nominated, Best Film Editing

( Walter Hannemann, Eve Newman) *''

The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2 ''The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2'' is a 1978 film directed by Larry Peerce. It stars Marilyn Hassett and Timothy Bottoms. It is a sequel to ''The Other Side of the Mountain''. Plot Jill Kinmont, now recovered, goes to Southern California ...

'' (1978) *''

The Bell Jar ''The Bell Jar'' is the only novel written by the American writer and poet Sylvia Plath. Originally published under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas" in 1963, the novel is semi-autobiographical with the names of places and people changed. The book ...

'' (1979) *''

Why Would I Lie? ''Why Would I Lie?'' is a 1980 American comedy-drama film about a compulsive liar named Cletus (Treat Williams). The film, which was directed by Larry Peerce and shot in Spokane, Washington, is based on the novel ''The Fabricator'' by Hollis Ho ...

'' (1980) – nominated, Best Picture (fantasy/comedy),

Young Artist Awards The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

; nominated, Best Young Actor,

(

Gabriel Macht Gabriel Swann Macht (born January 22, 1972) is an American actor and film producer, known for portraying Harvey Specter in the USA Network series '' Suits'' (2011–2019) and the title character in the 2008 superhero film ''The Spirit''. Earl ...

) *'' Love Child'' (1982) – nominated, New Star of Year Golden Globe Award (

Amy Madigan Amy Marie Madigan (born September 11, 1950) is an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1985 film '' Twice in a Lifetime''. Her other film credits include '' Love Child'' (1982), ''Places ...

) *''

Hard to Hold ''Hard to Hold'' is the eighth studio album by Rick Springfield released on 23 July 1984, by RCA Records as the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The album includes the U.S. Top 5 hit "Love Somebody", Top 40 hits "Don't Walk Away" and "B ...

'' (1984) *''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...

'' (1989)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Peerce, Larry 1930 births Living people Akira Kurosawa Award winners 20th-century American Jews American television directors American Ashkenazi Jews Film directors from New York City People from the Bronx University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni 21st-century American Jews