Peter Rodgers Melnick (born July 24, 1958) is an American author and composer for film, television and musical theatre.

Career

Some of Melnick’s earlier film score credits include ''

L.A. Story ''L.A. Story'' is a 1991 American satirical romantic comedy film written by and starring Steve Martin and directed by Mick Jackson. The plot follows a weatherman (Martin) trying to find love in Los Angeles. It was released on February 8, 1991, ...

'', ''

The Only Thrill ''The Only Thrill'' is a 1997 film directed by Peter Masterson. It stars Diane Keaton and Sam Shepard. Plot In Lockhart, Texas, circa 1966, Reece McHenry, whose wife is in a coma, owns a clothing store. He hires widow Carol Fritzsimmons as a seams ...

'', ''Convicts'', and ''

Farce of the Penguins ''Farce of the Penguins'' is a 2007 American direct-to-video parody nature documentary written and directed by ''Full House'' star Bob Saget. It is a parody of the French feature-length nature documentary ''March of the Penguins'' (2005), directed ...

''. His television credits include the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

's, '' Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood'', '' Indictment: The McMartin Trial'', ''Grand Avenue'', and ''Lily Dale'' by

Horton Foote Albert Horton Foote Jr. (March 14, 1916March 4, 2009) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received Academy Awards for his screenplays for the 1962 film ''To Kill a Mockingbird'', which was adapted from the 1960 novel of the same name ...

. His first produced musical was '' Adrift in Macao'', featuring script and lyrics by

Christopher Durang Christopher Ferdinand Durang (born January 2, 1949) is an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s, though his career seemed to get a second wind in the late 1990s. ...

. Melnick then collaborated with

Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most V ...

on ''

The Last Smoker in America ''The Last Smoker in America'' is a four-character, one-act musical comedy featuring book and lyrics by Bill Russell and music by Peter Melnick.Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

in late 2010. Melnick and Russell have also worked together on two musical one-acts, '' Patter for the Floating Lady'', based on the eponymous

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominated ...

, and ''A Bad Spell'', adapted from a Virginia Moriconi short story '' Simple Arithmetic''.

Personal life

Melnick is the son of

Daniel Melnick Daniel Melnick (April 21, 1932 – October 13, 2009) was an American film producer and movie studio executive who started working in Hollywood as a teenager in television and then became the producer of such films as ''All That Jazz (film), All ...

and Linda Rodgers, and grandson of

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...

and grew up 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 graduated from

The Choate School Choate Rosemary Hall (often known as Choate; ) is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Choate is currently ranked as the second best boarding school and third best private hi ...

(which later merged with Rosemary Hall to become

Choate Rosemary Hall Choate Rosemary Hall (often known as Choate; ) is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Choate is currently ranked as the second best boarding school and third best private high ...

) and attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

, and the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

. He also studied jazz with the

Jaki Byard John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for hi ...

. Melnick lives in

Montecito, California Montecito (Spanish for "Little mountain") is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California.McCormack, Don (1999). ''McCormack's Guides Santa Barbara and Ventura 2000''. Mccormacks Guides. p. 58. . Located ...

, with wife, Talia Van-Son. He has two children by a previous marriage.

Works

Musical theatre scores

* '' Adrift in Macao'' (2007) * ''The Last Smoker in America'' (2012)

Film scores

* ''Vampire Knights'' (1987) * ''Homesick'', film short (1988) * ''

Get Smart, Again! ''Get Smart, Again!'' is a 1989 American made-for-television comedy film based on the 1965–1970 NBC/CBS sitcom ''Get Smart!'' starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon reprising their characters of Maxwell Smart and Agent 99. It originally aired Fe ...

'' (1989); TV movie * ''Out of Sight, Out of Mind'' (1990) * ''Bad Attitudes'' (1991); TV movie * ''

'' (1991) * ''Convicts'' (1991) * '' Only You'' (1992) * ''In the Name of the Father'', film short (1992) * ''Running Mates'' (1992); TV movie * ''

Arctic Blue ''Arctic Blue'' is a 1993 action thriller film directed by Peter Masterson and starring Rutger Hauer, Dylan Walsh, Rya Kihlstedt, and John Cuthbert. Premise Eric Desmond is an amateur marshal in the wilderness of Alaska who has to deal with a ...

'' (1993) * '' 12:01'' (1993); TV movie * '' Indictment: The McMartin Trial'' (1995); TV movie * ''

For Hope ''For Hope'' is a 1996 American made-for-television drama film starring Dana Delany and directed by Bob Saget. Based on Saget's sister Gay, the movie showed the experience of a young woman fatally afflicted with the disease scleroderma. Other cas ...

'' (1996); TV movie * ''Grand Avenue'' (1996); TV movie * ''No One Could Protect Her'' (1996) * ''

Two Mothers for Zachary ''Two Mothers for Zachary'' is a 1996 ABC television film directed by Peter Werner and starring Valerie Bertinelli and Vanessa Redgrave. It is a true story adaptation of the '' Bottoms v. Bottoms'' family custody battle brought by a mother who di ...

'' (1996); TV movie * ''

Lily Dale Lily Dale is a hamlet, connected with the Spiritualist movement, located in the Town of Pomfret on the east side of Cassadaga Lake, next to the Village of Cassadaga. Located in southwestern New York State, it is one hour southwest of Buffalo ...

'' (1996) TV movie * ''Every 9 Seconds'' (1997); TV movie * ''Jitters'' (1997); TV movie * ''

'' (1997) * ''

Time to Say Goodbye? ''Time to Say Goodbye?'' is a 1997 American made-for-television drama film directed by David Jones and starring Eva Marie Saint. The film is centered on the decision of an elderly family patriarch to end his life, when faced with the degradation ...

'' (1997) * ''

Becoming Dick ''Becoming Dick'' is a 2000 comedy movie-made-for-television starring Harland Williams and directed by Bob Saget. Plot Richard Breggs (Harland Williams) is a struggling actor living in an apartment with his girlfriend. After a conversation with ...

'' (2000); TV movie * '' Tak For Alt: Survival of a Human Spirit'' Documentary Feature * ''

Mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...

'' (2000); TV movie * ''Taking Back Our Town'' (2001); TV movie * ''Call Waiting'', (2004) * ''

'' (2006) * ''

Benjamin Benjamin ( he, ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's thir ...

'' (2018)

Television scores

* '' The Death of a Star'' (1987) TV documentary * '' The Mystery of the Master Builders (1988) TV documentary * '' Nightingales'' (1989) TV series * ''The KGB, the Computer and Me'' (1990); TV documentary * ''Testing Dirty'' (1990); TV series:

ABC Afterschool Specials ''ABC Afterschool Special'' is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from October 4, 1972, to January 23, 1997, usually in the late afternoon on weekdays. Most episodes were dramatically presented situations, often controver ...

* ''Magic'' (1991); TV series * ''Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul'' (1995); TV series documentary:

American Masters ''American Masters'' is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and those who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the ...

* ''Robert Rauschenberg: Inventive Genius'' (1999); TV series documentary:

* ''Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood'' (2009); TV documentary * ''James McNeill Whistler: The Case for Beauty'' (2014) TV documentary

References

External links

*
Peter Rodgers Melnick
at the Internet Off Broadway Database * {{DEFAULTSORT:Melnick, Peter Rodgers American male conductors (music) American music arrangers American film score composers American people of German-Jewish descent American television composers Musicians from New York City American blues guitarists American male guitarists Jewish American musicians 1958 births Living people Harvard College alumni Choate Rosemary Hall alumni Berklee College of Music alumni Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama 20th-century American guitarists Classical musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American conductors (music) American male film score composers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American Jews