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Peter Vincent Douglas (born November 23, 1955) is an American television and film producer, actor and photographer. He is the third son of actor
Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...
, and the first by his second wife, German-American producer Anne Buydens.Biography
/ref> Douglas worked closely with his father and became president of
The Bryna Company Bryna Productions (later renamed The Bryna Company) is an American independent film and television production company established by actor Kirk Douglas in 1949. The company also produced a handful of films through its subsidiaries, Michael Produc ...
, an independent film and television production company formed by Kirk Douglas in 1949. In 1978, he formed his own film production company, Vincent Pictures. Douglas won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special in 1988 for his production of '' Inherit the Wind'', which co-starred his father and Jason Robards. He had been nominated for the same award two years prior for his production of '' Amos'', which also starred his father.


Life and career

Peter Douglas was born in Los Angeles, California, on November 23, 1955. His middle name was given in homage to
Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...
, whom his father was portraying in a film version being shot in Europe at the time of his birth. The film in question, '' Lust for Life'', was later released in 1956. In 1958, his father named his new music publishing company, Peter Vincent Music Corporation (a subsidiary of
Bryna Productions Bryna Productions (later renamed The Bryna Company) is an American independent film and television production company established by actor Kirk Douglas in 1949. The company also produced a handful of films through its subsidiaries, Michael Produ ...
), after his son, while Peter later named his own independent film production company Vincent Pictures. In 1958, a young Peter was seen on the television program ''
This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...
'', which was honoring the life and career of his father. Douglas' early work in the film industry was tied to his father, namely through of his independent film production company, Bryna Productions. As a child, Douglas had uncredited bit parts in his father's films '' The Vikings'' and '' Stranger When We Meet'' (in which Kirk Douglas both produced and starred). Douglas went to high school at a military academy in Southern California. In the early 1970s, Douglas studied photography at the Los Angeles Art Center. In June 1972, aged 17, Douglas was hired by his father as the still photographer when The Bryna Company produced '' Scalawag'' on location in
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. His father produced, directed and starred in the film, while his mother Anne was co-producer; his younger brother Eric was the producer's assistant and their family dog Shaft Douglas had a part in the film. During the production of ''Scalawag'', actress Lesley-Anne Down posed for Peter and the pictures were sold to ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...
'' magazine. Douglas again served as still photographer when his family traveled from Yugoslavia to England for The Bryna Company's television musical film ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde''. Pictures taken by Douglas of the character's transformation were used on the cover of ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
''' ''TV Times'' section on March 4, 1973. Douglas attended the University of California at Santa Barbara for a year and a half but ultimately dropped out to focus on photography and motion picture work. In November 1973, Douglas photographed his brother Michael and his at-the-time girlfriend Brenda Vaccaro in their Benedict Canyon home for publication in several leading magazines. He also became Olympic swimmer
Mark Spitz Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion. He was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning seven gold medals, each in world-record ti ...
's official photographer. In March 1974, Douglas formed his own photographic service company and photography studio, Bryna International, and was represented by talent agent Phyllis Carlyle through her agency A-Plus. Carlyle landed Douglas photography contracts for such publications as ''
Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...
'' and large advertisement agencies. In June 1974, Douglas photographed
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
cooking a special Italian dinner for his parent's anniversary and the pictures were used in several publications. For The Bryna Company's next picture, '' Posse'', filmed from September to November 1974, Douglas served as post-production supervisor. Douglas then began working on the development of
Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...
's '' Something Wicked This Way Comes'', which would take nine years to complete and was eventually filmed as a coproduction between The Bryna Company and
Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
. Douglas also worked as a producer's assistant at Columbia Pictures during the mid-to-late 1970s. Peter Douglas' television production credits include '' Inherit the Wind'' (1988), for which he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama or Comedy Special, and ''Amos'' (1984), which was also Emmy-nominated in the same category. His motion picture credits include the science-fiction time-travel classic '' The Final Countdown'' (1980), in which his father starred, and the adaptation of the classic Ray Bradbury novel '' Something Wicked This Way Comes'' (1983), which won the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film. He also produced the suspense-comedy hit '' Fletch'' (1985), as well as its sequel '' Fletch Lives'' (1989), both starring
Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...
. In December 1985, it was reported that Peter Douglas and Michael Phillips were working on developing a film from
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's novel ''
The End of Eternity ''The End of Eternity'' is a 1955 science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov with mystery and thriller elements on the subjects of time travel and social engineering. Its premise is that of a causal loop, a type of temporal paradox in which event ...
'' for
Tri-Star Pictures TriStar Pictures, Inc. (spelled as Tri-Star until 1991) is an American film studio and production company that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, part of the multinational conglomerate Sony. It is a corporate sibling of Sony ...
. The property would remain in development for several years but was never filmed. Douglas wrote, directed, and produced the independent film ''
A Tiger's Tale ''A Tiger's Tale'' is a 1987 American comedy-drama film starring Ann-Margret and C. Thomas Howell, written and directed by Peter Douglas, based on the novel ''Love and Other Natural Disasters'' by Allen Hannay III. Plot Bubber Drumm is a Housto ...
'' (1988), starring
Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in ''Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), ''B ...
. He was the executive producer of the HBO Drama thriller '' The Enemy Within'', starring
Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Forest Whitaker, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award ...
and Jason Robards, and was also executive producer of the 2009 motion picture '' Whip It'' starring Drew Barrymore and
Elliot Page Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page; born February 21, 1987) is a Canadian actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Elliot Page, various accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Actress, Academy Award nomination, tw ...
. Douglas married Lisa Schroeder in 1991. They have four children. In 2012, Vincent Pictures announced that Peter Douglas was working on a remake of the 1966 film ''
Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...
'', which his father executive produced through
Douglas and Lewis Productions Bryna Productions (later renamed The Bryna Company) is an American independent film and television production company established by actor Kirk Douglas in 1949. The company also produced a handful of films through its subsidiaries, Michael Produ ...
.


Filmography


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Peter 1955 births American male film actors Film producers from California American male screenwriters American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent American people of German descent Bryna Productions people Douglas family Emmy Award winners Living people Film directors from Los Angeles Jewish American male actors Screenwriters from California 21st-century American Jews