Melvin Van Peebles (born Melvin Peebles; August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. He worked as an active filmmaker into the 2000s. His feature film debut, ''

The Story of a Three-Day Pass ''The Story of a Three-Day Pass'' (French title: ') is a 1967 film written and directed by Melvin Van Peebles, based on his French-language novel '. It stars Harry Baird as a black American soldier who is demoted for fraternizing with a white sho ...

'' (1967), was based on his own French-language novel ' and was shot in France, as it was difficult for a black American director to get work at the time. The film won an award at the

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in in ...

which gained him the interest of Hollywood studios, leading to his American feature debut '' Watermelon Man'', in 1970. Eschewing further overtures from Hollywood, he used the successes he had so far to bankroll his work as an

independent filmmaker An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, in ...

. In 1971, he released his best-known work, creating and starring in the film ''

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song ''Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'' is a 1971 American blaxploitation film written, co-produced, scored, edited, directed by, and starring Melvin Van Peebles. His son Mario Van Peebles also appears in a small role, playing the title character ...

'', considered one of the earliest and best-regarded examples of the

blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...

genre. He followed this up with the musical, '' Don't Play Us Cheap'', based on his own stage play, and continued to make films, write novels and stage plays in English and in French through the next several decades; his final films include the French-language film ' (2000) and the absurdist film '' Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha'' (2008). His son, filmmaker and actor

Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is an American film director and actor best known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991 and '' USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage'' in 2016. He is the son of actor and filmmaker Melvin Va ...

, appeared in several of his works and portrayed him in the 2003 biographical film ''

Baadasssss! ''Baadasssss!'' is a 2003 American biographical drama film, written, produced, directed by, and starring Mario Van Peebles. The film is based on the struggles of Van Peebles' father Melvin Van Peebles (played by Mario himself), as he attempts to f ...

''.

Early life and education

Born Melvin Peebles in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, he was the son of Edwin Griffin and Marion Peebles. In 1953, Melvin graduated with a B.A. in literature from

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

and, thirteen days later, joined the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

, serving for three and a half years. He added " Van" to his name when he lived in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in his late 20s.

Career

Early years

He worked as a cable car gripman in San Francisco. Later, he wrote about these experiences. His first book, ''The Big Heart'', credited to Melvin Van, evolved from a small article and a series of photographs taken by

Ruth Bernhard Ruth Bernhard (October 14, 1905 – December 18, 2006) was a German-born American photographer. Early life and education Bernhard was born in Berlin to Lucian Bernhard and Gertrude Hoffmann. Lucian Bernhard was known for his poster and typeface ...

. According to Van Peebles, a passenger suggested that he should become a filmmaker. Van Peebles shot his first short film, ''Pickup Men for Herrick'' in 1957 and made two more short films during the same period. About these films, Van Peebles said: "I thought they were features. Each one turned out to be eleven minutes long. I was trying to do features. I knew nothing." As he learned more about the filmmaking process, he found out that "I could make a feature for five hundred dollars. That was the cost of 90 minutes of film. I didn't know a thing about shooting a film sixteen to one or ten to one or none of that shit. Then I forgot you had to develop film. And I didn't know you needed a work print. All I can say is that after I did one thing he would say, 'Well, aren't you gonna put sound on it?' and I would go, 'Oh shit!' That's all I could say." After Van Peebles completed his first short films, he took them with him to Hollywood to try to find work, but was unable to find anyone who wanted to hire him as a director. Van Peebles decided to move his family to the Netherlands where he planned to study astronomy. On the way to Europe, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, he met

Amos Vogel Amos Vogel ( Vogelbaum; April 18, 1921 – April 24, 2012) was a New York City cineaste and curator. Biography Vogel was born in Vienna, Austria. He fled Austria with his parents after the Nazi Anschluß in 1938 and at first studied animal husband ...

, founder of the avant-garde

Cinema 16 Cinema 16 was a New York City–based film society founded by Amos Vogel. From 1947-63, he and his wife, Marcia, ran the most successful and influential membership film society in North American history, at its height boasting 7000 members. Histo ...

who agreed to place two of Van Peebles's shorts in his rental catalog. Vogel screened Van Peebles's ''Three Pickup Men'' ''for Herrick'' at Cinema 16 on a program with ''City of Jazz'' in the spring of 1960 with

Ralph Ellison Ralph Waldo Ellison (March 1, 1913 – April 16, 1994) was an American writer, literary critic, and scholar best known for his novel '' Invisible Man'', which won the National Book Award in 1953. He also wrote ''Shadow and Act'' (1964), a collec ...

leading a post-film discussion. When Vogel went to Paris shortly after, he brought Van Peebles's films to show

Henri Langlois Henri Langlois (; 13 November 1914 – 13 January 1977) was a French film archivist and cinephile. A pioneer of film preservation, Langlois was an influential figure in the history of cinema. His film screenings in Paris in the 1950s are often ...

and

Mary Meerson Mary Meerson, née Marija Popowa, also known as Madame Langlois (12 November 1902, Sofia – 19 July 1993, Paris), was a French ballet dancer, model and archivist of the Cinémathèque Française. She was a companion and associate of Henri Langlois, ...

at the . Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, Van Peebles's marriage dissolved and his wife and children went back to the United States. Shortly thereafter, Van Peebles was invited to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

probably by

and/or

Lotte Eisner Lotte H. Eisner (5 March 1896, Berlin – 25 November 1983, Paris) was a German-French writer, film critic, archivist and curator. Eisner worked initially as a film critic in Berlin, then in Paris where in 1936 she met Henri Langlois with whom she ...

, founders of the , on the strength of his short films. In France, Van Peebles created the short film ' (''500 Francs'') (1961) and then established himself as a writer. He did investigative reporting for '' France Observateur'' during 1963–64, during which he profiled, and later became friends with,

Chester Himes Chester Bomar Himes (July 29, 1909 – November 12, 1984) was an American writer. His works, some of which have been filmed, include '' If He Hollers Let Him Go'', published in 1945, and the Harlem Detective series of novels for which he is be ...

. Himes got him a job at the anti-authoritarian humor magazine ''

Hara-kiri , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

'', where Van Peebles wrote a monthly column and eventually joined the editorial board.

1965–1970

During 1965–66, ''Mad'' magazine attempted a French edition and hired Van Peebles as editor-in-chief during its run of only five issues. He began to write plays in French, utilizing the

sprechgesang (, "spoken singing") and (, "spoken voice") are expressionist vocal techniques between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, ''Sprechgesang'' is directly related to the operatic ''recitative'' manner of singing (in which ...

form of songwriting, where the lyrics were spoken over the music. This style carried over to Van Peebles' debut album, '' Brer Soul''. Van Peebles was a prolific writer in France. He published four novels and a collection of short stories. He completed at least one play, ' which was also released as a novel, and which he would later make into the musical ''Don't Play Us Cheap''. Roger Blin directed ' with the theatrical troupe for the in

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

, Belgium in September 1964. Van Peebles made his first feature-length film, ''

'' (') (1968) based on a novel by the same title. The film caught the attention of Hollywood producers who mistook him for a French

auteur An auteur (; , 'author') is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded but personal that the director is likened to the "author" of the film, which thus manifests the director's unique ...

after it won an award at the

as the French entry. Van Peebles's first Hollywood film was the 1970

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

comedy '' Watermelon Man'', written by

Herman Raucher Herman Raucher (born April 13, 1928) is an American author and screenwriter. He is best known for writing the autobiographical screenplay and novel '' Summer of '42'', which became one of the highest-grossing films and one of the best selling nov ...

. The movie starring

Godfrey Cambridge Godfrey MacArthur Cambridge (February 26, 1933 – November 29, 1976) was an American stand-up comic and actor. Alongside Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, and Nipsey Russell, he was acclaimed by ''Time'' in 1965 as "one of the country's foremost celeb ...

tells the story of a casually racist white man who suddenly wakes up black and finds himself alienated from his friends, family, and job.

1970–1995

In 1970, Van Peebles directed filming of the

Powder Ridge Rock Festival The Powder Ridge Rock Festival was scheduled to be held July 31, August 1 and August 2, 1970 at Powder Ridge Ski Area in Middlefield, Connecticut. A legal injunction forced the event to be canceled, keeping the musicians away; but a crowd of 30,0 ...

, which was banned by court injunction. After ''Watermelon Man'', Van Peebles became determined to have complete control over his next production, which became the groundbreaking ''

'' (1971), privately funded with his own money, and in part by a $50,000 loan from

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...

. Van Peebles not only directed, scripted, and edited the film, but wrote the score and directed the marketing campaign. The film, which in the end grossed $15 million, was, among many others, acclaimed by the Black Panthers for its political resonance with the black struggle. His son Mario's 2003 film ''

BAADASSSSS! ''Baadasssss!'' is a 2003 American biographical drama film, written, produced, directed by, and starring Mario Van Peebles. The film is based on the struggles of Van Peebles' father Melvin Van Peebles (played by Mario himself), as he attempts to f ...

'' tells the story behind the making of ''Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song''; father and son presented the film together as the Closing Night selection for

Maryland Film Festival The Maryland Film Festival is an annual five-day international film festival taking place each May in Baltimore, Maryland. The festival was launched in 1999, and presents international film and video work of all lengths and genres. The festival ...

2004. Van Peebles wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the stage musical ''

Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death ''Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death (Tunes from Blackness)'' is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Melvin Van Peebles. The musical contains some material also on three of Van Peebles' albums, ''Brer Soul'', '' Ain't Supposed to Die ...

'', which opened

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

and then moved to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, running for 325 performances in 1971–72. The show was nominated for seven

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score. As his intended follow-up to ''Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'', Van Peebles made the musical film '' Don't Play Us Cheap''. However, he was unable to find a distributor, so he ended up producing a stage adaptation of the film. Van Peebles performed the same duties as his previous stage musical, as well as producing and directing. The show ran for 164 performances in 1972, earning Van Peebles another Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical. The previously shot film version was later released on January 1, 1973. In 1977, Van Peebles was one of four credited screenwriters on the film ''

Greased Lightning ''Greased Lightning'' is a 1977 American biographical film starring Richard Pryor, Beau Bridges, and Pam Grier, and directed by Michael Schultz. The film is loosely based on the true life story of Wendell Scott, the first Black NASCAR race winn ...

'', about the life of pioneering Black

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

driver

Wendell Scott Wendell Oliver Scott (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver. He was one of the first African-American drivers in NASCAR and the first African-American to win a race in the Grand National Series, NASCAR's h ...

. He was originally the director of the film as well, but was replaced by

Michael Schultz Michael Schultz (born November 10, 1938) is an American director and producer of theater, film and television. Life and career Schultz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of an African-American mother Katherine Frances Leslie (1917-1995) ...

. Van Peebles was involved with two more Broadway musicals in the 1980s. He was a co-writer on the book for ''Reggae'', which closed after 21 performances in 1980. For '' Waltz of the Stork'', he wrote book, music, and lyrics, as well as producing the show and playing the lead role. It ran for 160 performances in 1982. In the 1980s, Van Peebles became an options trader on the

American Stock Exchange NYSE American, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), and more recently as NYSE MKT, is an American stock exchange situated in New York City. AMEX was previously a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was know ...

while continuing to work in theater and film. In 1995, he co-starred in the American live-action version of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

Fist of the North Star is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' for 245 issues published from 1983 to 1988 and initially colle ...

,'' alongside

Gary Daniels Gary Edward Daniels (born 9 May 1963) is an English actor, producer, martial artist, fight coordinator and former world light heavyweight kickboxing champion. Born and raised in London, England, Daniels started to take martial arts lessons at th ...

Costas Mandylor Costas Mandylor (born Konstantinos Theodosopoulos; 3 September 1965) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as Kenny in ''Picket Fences'' and for portraying Mark Hoffman in the ''Saw'' films. Early life Mandylor was born i ...

Chris Penn Christopher Shannon Penn (October 10, 1965 – January 24, 2006) was an American actor. He was the brother of actor Sean Penn and musician Michael Penn. Noted as a skilled character actor from a prominent acting dynasty, he was typically cast a ...

Isako Washio is a Japanese actress. She won the award for Best Actress at the 15th Yokohama Film Festival for ''Bloom in the Moonlight is a 1993 Japanese biographical drama film directed by Shinichiro Sawai about the life of pianist Rentarō Taki. Cast * ...

Malcolm McDowell Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is a British actor, producer, and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Alex DeLarge in ''A Clockwork Orange.'' He was born in the Horsforth suburb of Leeds and raised i ...

, Downtown Julie Brown,

Dante Basco Dante R. Basco (born August 29, 1975) is an American film, television and voice actor. He is best known for his role as Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys in Steven Spielberg's ''Hook'', and Julian Lee in '' Fakin' da Funk'', and for his many vo ...

Tracey Walter Tracey Walter (born November 25, 1947) is an American character actor. He has appeared in more than 170 films and television series. Life and career Walter was born and grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the son of a truck driver. He has a ...

Clint Howard Clinton Engle Howard (born April 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is the second son born to American actors Rance and Jean Howard, and younger brother of actor and director Ron Howard. His 200-plus acting credits include feature films such as ...

Tony Halme Tony Christian Halme (January 6, 1963 – January 8, 2010) was a Finnish politician, athlete, author, actor, and singer. He was a member of the Finnish Parliament from 2003 to 2007, representing the True Finns party as an independent politician ...

, and Big Van Vader.

2005–2009

In 2005, Van Peebles was the subject of a documentary entitled '' How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It)''. Also in 2005, Van Peebles was the subject of the documentary '' Unstoppable: Conversation with Melvin Van Peebles, Gordon Parks, and Ossie Davis'', which also featured

Ossie Davis Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He and his wife were named to the NAACP ...

and

Gordon Parks Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks (November 30, 1912 – March 7, 2006) was an American photographer, composer, author, poet, and film director, who became prominent in U.S. documentary photojournalism in the 1940s through 1970s—particu ...

in the same room. It was moderated by

Warrington Hudlin Warrington W. Hudlin, Jr. (born July 16, 1952) is an American film director, producer, and actor. Early life Hudlin was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, the son of Helen (née Cason), a teacher, and Warrington W. Hudlin, Sr., an insurance ex ...

. In 2005, it was announced that Van Peebles would collaborate with

Madlib Otis Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, is an American DJ, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. He is widely known for his collaborations with MF DOOM (as Madvillain), J Dilla (as Jaylib), ...

for a proposed

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

titled ''Brer Soul Meets Quasimoto''. However, nothing further was issued about this project from the time that it was first announced. In 2008, Van Peebles completed the film '' Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha'', which was the Closing Night selection for

2008, and appeared on ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...

'' as Melvin Woods, the father of Samuel Woods, a character portrayed by his son, Mario. In 2009, Van Peebles became involved with a project to adapt ''Sweet Sweetback'' into a musical. A preliminary version of this was staged at the Apollo Theater on April 25–26, 2009. As well, he wrote and performed in a stage musical, ''Unmitigated Truth: Life, a Lavatory, Loves, and Ladies'', which featured some of his previous songs as well as some new material.

2011–2019

In 2011, Van Peebles started doing shows in NYC with members of Burnt Sugar, under the name Melvin Van Peebles wid Laxative. Van Peebles said that the band is called Laxative because they "make shit happen". In November 2011, Melvin Van Peebles wid Laxative performed his song " Love, That's America" at Zebulon Cafe Concert, two weeks after the venue showed the original video for this song involving

Occupy Wall Street Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest Social movement, movement against economic inequality and the Campaign finance, influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Financial District, Manhattan, Wall S ...

footage, which was uploaded to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

in October 2011. Melvinvanpeebles ghettomother fan

On August 21, 2012, he distributed a new album, on vinyl only, called ''Nahh... Nahh Mofo''. This album was distributed at his birthday celebration at

Film Forum Film Forum is a nonprofit movie theater at 209 West Houston Street in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. It began in 1970 as an alternative screening space for independent films, with 50 folding chairs, one projector and a $19,000 annual budget. Kare ...

. On November 10, 2012, he released a video for the song " Lilly Done the Zampoughi Every Time I Pulled Her Coattail" to go with the album, which was announced on his Facebook page. On May 5, 2013, he returned to the

for a screening of

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

's ''

The Kid The Kid or The Kids may refer to: Fictional characters * The kid (''Blood Meridian''), a character in Cormac McCarthy's 1985 novel ''Blood Meridian'' * The Kid (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film series * The Kid (''The Stand'' ...

'' (1921) and was a judge at the Charlie Chaplin Dress-Alike Contest which was held after the screening. He wore a

bowler hat The bowler hat, also known as a billycock, bob hat, bombín (Spanish) or derby (United States), is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown, originally created by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler in 1849. It has traditionally been worn ...

and baggy pants in honor of Chaplin. In September 2013, Van Peebles made his public debut as a visual artist, as a part of a gallery featured called "eMerge 2.0: Melvin Van Peebles & Artists on the Cusp". It features "Ex-Voto Monochrome (A Ghetto Mother's Prayer)", one of many pieces of art he created to be on display in his home. In 2017, ''Methane Momma'', a short film directed by Alain Rimbert, featured Van Peebles and his narration of poetic work with accompaniment of music by

The Heliocentrics The Heliocentrics are an English, London-based musical collective that combines funk, jazz, psych, and library influences. The group is based around drummer and producer Malcolm Catto, bassist Jake Ferguson, guitarist Adrian Owusu, and multi-i ...

. In 2019, Burnt Sugar presented the film ''Sweetback'' in Brooklyn while playing their own interpretation of the soundtrack. Van Peebles appeared at the presentation.

Personal life

Melvin Van Peebles married a German woman, Maria Marx. They lived in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

for a period in the late 1950s, where he painted portraits. Their son, actor and director

, was born while they resided in Mexico. The family subsequently returned to the United States. Van Peebles died on September 21, 2021, at his home in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York, at the age of 89. He is survived by his sons, Mario and Max, and his daughter Marguerite.

Awards and honors

*1967: Critics' Choice Award for ''

''.

San Francisco Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in in ...

. *1972: Most Promising Book, Winner for ''Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death''.

Drama Desk Awards The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

. *1972: Best Score from an Original Cast Album, 2 nominations for ''

''. 15th Annual Grammy Awards. *1972: Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, 2 nominations for ''Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death'', 26th Tony Awards. *1973: Best Book of a Musical, nomination for '' Don't Play Us Cheap'', 27th Tony Awards. *1976:

Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Inc. (BFHFI), was founded in 1974, in Oakland, California. It supported and promoted black filmmaking, and preserved the contributions by African-American artists both before and behind the camera. It also sponso ...

*1999: Lifetime Achievement Award. 6th Annual

Chicago Underground Film Festival Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF), founded in 1993, is the longest running underground film festival in the world. It's an internationally recognized program providing a venue for documentary, experimental and avant-garde narrative film and ...

. *2001:

Commander of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

(French Legion of Honour) *2008: Tribute Award from the

Independent Filmmaker Project The Gotham Film & Media Institute (also simply the Gotham), formerly known as the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), is a membership-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to independent film. It offers programs that assist independent fil ...

(IFP) and the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

(MoMA).

Gotham Awards The Gotham Awards () are American film awards, presented annually to the makers of independent films at a ceremony in New York City, the city first nicknamed "Gotham" by native son Washington Irving, in an issue of ''Salmagundi'', published o ...

. *2021: The "Melvin Van Peebles Trailblazer Award," was named in honor of Van Peebles at the

Critics Choice Association The Critics Choice Association (CCA), formerly the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), is an association of television, radio and online critics. Their membership includes critics who review film and television. Founded in 1995, it is the ...

's fourth annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television. *2022: Honoree, 2nd Annual Attorney

Benjamin Crump Benjamin Lloyd Crump (born October 10, 1969) is an American attorney who specializes in civil rights and catastrophic personal injury cases such as wrongful death lawsuits. His practice has focused on cases such as Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, ...

Equal Justice Now Awards

Bibliography

* (As "Melvin Van") ''The Big Heart'', San Francisco: Fearon, 1957. With photographs by

, a book about life on San Francisco's cable cars. "A cable car is a big heart with people for blood. The people pump on and off—if you think of it like that it is pretty simple" (p. 21). * ' (1964); ''A Bear for the F.B.I.'', Trident, 1968. * ' (1965); ''The True American'', Doubleday, 1976. * ''La Reine des Pommes'' (1965); French translation and illustrations for a graphic novel adaptation of

' ''A Rage in Harlem'' . * ' (1966) (short stories) * ' (''Harlem Party'') (1967) (novel) * ' (1967) * ''Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'', Lancer Books, New York, 1971. * ''Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death'', Bantam, New York, 1973. * ''Don't Play Us Cheap: A Harlem Party'', Bantam Books, New York, 1973. * '' Just an Old Sweet Song'', Ballantine, New York, 1976. * ''Bold Money: A New Way to Play the Options Market'', Warner Books, New York, 1986, (nonfiction) * Melvin and Mario Van Peebles: ''No Identity Crisis'', A Fireside Book, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1990. * ''Panther'', Thunder's Mouth Press, 1995. * Introduction to the 1998 edition of

' ''Yesterday Will Make You Cry'', 1997. *''Confessions of a Ex Doofus Itchy Footed Mutha,'' New York: Akashic Books, 2009, ISBN 9781933354866. With illustrations by Caktuz Tree, a graphic novel adaptation of the film with the same title.

Filmography

Other writing credits

* ''

: The Musical'' (2008) writer, singer * ''Unmitigated Truth: Life, a Lavatory, Loves, and Ladies'' (2009) writer, performer

As himself

* ''Unstoppable'' (2005) * ''How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company'' (2005)

Other acting-only credits

* '' O.C. and Stiggs'' (1987) as Bob 'Wino Bob' * '' Jaws: The Revenge'' (1987) as Mr. Witherspoon * ''Taking Care of Terrific'' (1987) (television film) as 'Hawk' * ''

Sonny Spoon ''Sonny Spoon'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on NBC television network from February 12 to December 16, 1988. The series was created by Michael Daly, Dinah Prince, Stephen J. Cannell, and Randall Wallace and produced by ...

'' (1988) (television series) as Mel Spoon * ''

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...

'' (1992) as Editor * ''

Posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

'' (1993) as Joe 'Papa Joe' * ''

Terminal Velocity Terminal velocity is the maximum velocity (speed) attainable by an object as it falls through a fluid ( air is the most common example). It occurs when the sum of the drag force (''Fd'') and the buoyancy is equal to the downward force of grav ...

'' (1994) as Noble * ''

'' (1995) as Asher * ''Living Single'' (1996) as Warner Devant * '' The Shining'' (1997) (miniseries) as

Dick Hallorann Richard Hallorann is a fictional character created by Stephen King from his 1977 novel '' The Shining''. He has telepathic abilities he called "the shining" and is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel. He meets Danny Torrance, a young boy who is ...

* ''

The Hebrew Hammer ''The Hebrew Hammer'' is a 2003 American comedy film written and directed by Jonathan Kesselman. It stars Adam Goldberg, Judy Greer, Andy Dick, Mario Van Peebles, and Peter Coyote. The plot concerns a Jewish blaxploitation crime fighter known a ...

'' (2003) as Sweetback * '' BlacKout'' (2007) as George * '' Redemption Road'' (2010) as Elmo * ''

We the Party ''We the Party'' is a 2012 comedy film written and directed by Mario Van Peebles and starring Mandela Van Peebles, Simone Battle, Moises Arias, Mario Van Peebles, and Snoop Dogg. Set in an ethnically diverse Los Angeles high school, it focuses on ...

'' (2012) as 'Big D' * '' Peeples'' (2013) as Grandpa Peebles * ''

Armed Armed (May, 1941–1964) was an American Thoroughbred gelding race horse who was the American Horse of the Year in 1947 and Champion Older Male Horse in both 1946 and 1947. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in ...

'' (2018) as Grandpa V

Plays

* '' The Hostage'' (Dutch National Theatre Tour, actor, writer, 1964) * ''

'' (writer, 1971) * '' Don't Play Us Cheap'' (writer, 1972) * ''Out There by Your Lonesome'' (one-man play, 1973) * ''Reggae'' (co-librettist, 1980) * '' Waltz of the Stork'' (actor, writer, 1982) * '' Champeen'' (musical, writer, 1983) *''Waltz of the Stork Boogie'' (writer, director, 1984) *''Unmitigated Truth: Life, a Lavatory, Loves, and Ladies'' (musical, writer, 2009)

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Brer Soul'' (1968) * ''

'' (1970) * ''

As Serious as a Heart-Attack ''As Serious as a Heart-Attack'' is a 1971 spoken word album by Melvin Van Peebles. This is Van Peebles third studio record. The album's cover can be briefly glimpsed on the bathroom door in Van Peebles' 1973 film '' Don't Play Us Cheap''. Track ...

'' (1971) * '' What the....You Mean I Can't Sing?!'' (1974) * '' Ghetto Gothic'' (1995) * ''Nahh... Nahh Mofo'' (2012) * ''The Last Transmission'' (2014, with

)

Compilations

* ''X-Rated By an All-White Jury'' (1997) – including ''Brer Soul'', ''Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death'' and ''As Serious as a Heart-Attack''

Soundtrack albums

* '' Watermelon Man'' (1970) * ''

'' (1971) * ''

'' (1972) * '' Don't Play Us Cheap'' (1972)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Peebles, Melvin 1932 births 2021 deaths African-American dramatists and playwrights African-American film directors African-American male actors African-American novelists American experimental filmmakers Film directors from Illinois American male actors Blaxploitation film directors American derivatives traders A&M Records artists Atlantic Records artists Capitol Records artists Stax Records artists Ohio Wesleyan University alumni American expatriates in Mexico American expatriates in France Writers from Chicago American male dramatists and playwrights American male novelists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American novelists Novelists from Illinois United States Air Force airmen 21st-century African-American people Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur African-American male writers