Peter Kastner (1 October 1943 – 18 September 2008) was a Canadian-born actor who achieved prominence as a disaffected youth in movies of the 1960s.
Life and career
Kastner was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Rose and Martin Kastner. His family was Jewish.
Kastner's first leading role was in the 1964 Canadian film ''
Nobody Waved Goodbye'', which was a semi-improvised,
documentary-style look at
middle-class
The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Comm ...
teenagers. He played an alienated young man, the son of a prosperous automobile dealer, who drifts into petty thievery. His breakthrough role was in the title role in
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...
's 1966 comedy ''
You're a Big Boy Now
''You're a Big Boy Now'' is a 1966 American comedy film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Based on David Benedictus' 1963 novel of the same name, it stars Elizabeth Hartman, Peter Kastner, Geraldine Page, Rip Torn, Karen Black, and ...
'', which starred
Elizabeth Hartman
Mary Elizabeth Hartman (December 23, 1943 – June 10, 1987) was an American actress of the stage and screen. She debuted in the popular 1965 film ''A Patch of Blue'', playing a blind girl named Selina D'Arcy, opposite Sidney Poitier, a role for ...
,
Geraldine Page
Geraldine Sue Page (November 22, 1924June 13, 1987) was an American actress. With a career which spanned four decades across film, stage, and television, Page was the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Acade ...
,
Rip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr. (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an American actor whose career spanned more than 60 years. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part as Marsh Turner in '' Cross Creek'' ...
,
Karen Black
Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portrayi ...
, and
Julie Harris
Julia Ann Harris (December 2, 1925August 24, 2013) was an American actress. Renowned for her classical and contemporary stage work, she received five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play.
Harris debuted on Broadway in 1945, against the wish ...
, in which Kastner played an earnest young man who moves from his parents' house to
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 ...
and struggles with confusing relationships. He played a similar role as an earnest young advertising man swept up in the era in 1971's ''
B.S. I Love You
''B.S. I Love You'' is a 1971 American comedy-drama, comedy-drama film directed and written by Steven Hilliard Stern and starring Peter Kastner. The style of the film is like many others of its era, taking its cues from ''The Graduate'' and the ...
''.
Kastner starred in the 1968–1969
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
sitcom ''
The Ugliest Girl in Town
''The Ugliest Girl in Town'' is an American sitcom produced by Screen Gems for ABC. It ran from September 26, 1968, to January 30, 1969.
Synopsis
Timothy Blair is a Hollywood talent agent. He falls in love with Julie Renfield, a British actress ...
'', where he played Timothy Blair, a man who dressed in drag as a favour to his photographer brother. It was following ''Ugliest Girl'' that Kastner's fortunes declined. Unable to gain leading roles, he took supporting roles in movies and television series.
[Martin Knelma]
"Peter Kastner, 64: Actor recalled for role as rebel"
''Toronto Star'', 20 September 2008; the Rick Salutin article in the ''Globe and Mail'' takes issue with this obituary.
He starred in the 1977
CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...
sitcom ''
Custard Pie
A custard pie is any type of uncooked custard mixture added to an uncooked or partially cooked crust and baked together. In North America, custard pie commonly refers to a plain mixture of milk, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and sometimes ...
'' as Leo Strauss, the manager of a musical group of that name, but the series was not popular or critically well received. His last film role was in ''
Unfinished Business'' (1984), a sequel to ''Nobody Waved Goodbye''.
In the last year in his life he began to communicate about being a victim of incest at the hands of a family member. He also taught at Scituate High School in Scituate, Mass during the 1990–1991 school year.
Death
Kastner died from a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
in Toronto on 18 September 2008. He was survived by his second wife, Jenny, and his brother, filmmaker and former child actor
John Kastner
Jean-Guy "John" Kastner (born 12 August 1969) is a Canadian musician and composer born in Beaconsfield, Quebec. He is the singer for Montreal hardcore punk band the Asexuals as well as singer-guitarist for Montreal alternative band Doughboys an ...
.
He also left two sisters, Susan, a journalist, and Kathy, a CBC television host; Susan's son
Jamie Kastner
Jamie Kastner is a Canadian writer, director and documentary filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada. His company, Cave 7 Productions, produces both theatrical and television productions. Kastner is best known for his feature documentaries, including ...
is a noted documentary filmmaker.
"Carrying on the Kastner family business"
''The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', 2 May 2014.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kastner, Peter
1943 births
2008 deaths
Male actors from Toronto
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male television actors
Jewish Canadian male actors