Peter Huls Hunt (December 19, 1938 – April 26, 2020) was an American theatre, film and television director and theatrical

lighting designer In theatre, a lighting designer (or LD) works with the director, choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer to create the lighting, atmosphere, and time of day for the production in response to the text while keeping ...

Life and career

Hunt was born in Pasadena, California, the son of Gertrude (née Orphüls) and George Smith Hunt II, a Minnesota-born industrial designer. He attended Hotchkiss School and then Yale University, where he received a BA in 1961 and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama in 1963. Hunt began his professional career as a lighting designer at the

Williamstown Theatre Festival The Williamstown Theatre Festival is a resident summer theater on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Williams College news director Ralph Renzi and drama program chairman David C. Bryant. I ...

in 1958. He became Artistic Director in 1989, a post he held until 1995. He had an active career on Broadway as well, first as a lighting designer and then director. In 1969, he helmed the

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 ...

musical ''

1776 Events January–February * January 1 – American Revolutionary War – Burning of Norfolk: The town of Norfolk, Virginia is destroyed, by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces. * Januar ...

'', winning the

Tony Award 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 ce ...

for Best Direction of a Musical for his efforts. His next project, '' Georgy'', was less successful, closing after only four performances. He received a second Tony nomination for ''

Goodtime Charley ''Goodtime Charley'' is a musical with a book by Sidney Michaels, music by Larry Grossman, and lyrics by Hal Hackady. A humorous take on actual historical events, it focuses on the Dauphin of France, who evolves from a hedonistic young man e ...

'' in 1975. His last Broadway project was ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...

'' in 1997. He directed several benefit shows for the Actors Fund in Los Angeles, including

staged reading A stage reading, also known as a staged reading, is a form of theatre without sets or full costumes. The actors, who read from scripts, may be seated, stand in fixed positions, or incorporate minimal stage movement. There is an overlap with t ...

s of ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...

'' and '' Casablanca''. Hunt's feature film credits include the screen adaptation of ''

'' and '' Give 'em Hell, Harry!'' He directed numerous

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

s, including four based on the ''

Hart to Hart ''Hart to Hart'' is an American mystery television series that premiered on August 25, 1979, on ABC. The show stars Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, respectively, a wealthy couple who lead a glamorous jetset life ...

'' series and '' Dead Man's Island'' starring

Barbara Eden Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and producer best known for her starring role as Jeannie in the sitcom '' I Dream of Jeannie'' (1965-1970). Other notable roles include Roslyn Pierce opp ...

. He also directed episodes of ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bo ...

'', ''

Baywatch Nights ''Baywatch Nights'' is an American police and science-fiction drama series that aired in syndication from 1995 to 1997. Created by Douglas Schwartz, David Hasselhoff, and Gregory J. Bonann, the series is a spin-off from the television series, '' ...

'', and ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American fantasy drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced ...

'', among others. He was producer-director of four of the feature adaptations in the Peabody Award-winning Mark Twain Series on PBS including '' Life on the Mississippi'' and ''

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' or as it is known in more recent editions, ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'', is a novel by American author Mark Twain, which was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United S ...

''. Hunt was the uncle of actress Helen Hunt, through his half-brother, director Gordon Hunt. He resided in Los Angeles, California. He was married to former actress Barbette Tweed, daughter of lawyer/civic leader

Harrison Tweed Harrison Tweed (October 18, 1885 – June 16, 1969) was an American lawyer and civic leader. Life and career Tweed was born in New York City on October 18, 1885. He was the son of Charles Harrison Tweed, the general counsel for the Central Pacif ...

. The couple had three children. Hunt died on April 26, 2020 from complications of

Parkinson’s disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a chronic condition, long-term neurodegeneration, degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disea ...

at the age of 81.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1972) * ''The Karen Valentine Show'' (1973 TV special short) * '' Hello Mother, Goodbye!'' (1974 TV movie) * '' Give 'em Hell, Harry!'' (1975, stage production) * ''Mixed Nuts'' (1977 TV short) * ''Bully: An Adventure with Teddy Roosevelt'' (1978) * ''When She Was Bad...'' (1979 TV movie) * '' Life on the Mississippi'' (1980 TV movie) * '' The Private History of a Campaign That Failed'' (1981 TV movie) * ''Nuts and Bolts'' (1981 TV movie) * ''Bus Stop'' (1982 TV movie) * ''

The Mysterious Stranger ''The Mysterious Stranger'' is a novel attempted by the American author Mark Twain. He worked on it intermittently from 1897 through 1908. Twain wrote multiple versions of the story; each involves a supernatural character called "Satan" or "No. ...

'' (1982 TV movie) * ''Skeezer'' (1982 TV movie) * ''Sawyer and Finn'' (1983 TV movie) * ''The Parade'' (1984 TV movie) * ''Sins of the Past'' (1984 TV movie) * ''It Came Upon the Midnight Clear'' (1984 TV movie) * ''

'' (1986 TV mini-series) * ''Charley Hannah'' (1986 TV movie) * '' Mr. and Mrs. Ryan'' (1986 TV movie) * ''

The Innocents Abroad ''The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims' Progress'' is a travel book by American author Mark Twain. Published in 1869, it humorously chronicles what Twain called his "Great Pleasure Excursion" on board the chartered vessel ''Quaker City'' ( ...

'' (1987 TV movie) * ''

Secrets Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

'' (1992 TV movie) * ''The Streets of Beverly Hills'' (1992 TV movie) * ''Sworn to Vengeance'' (1993 TV movie)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Peter H. 1938 births 2020 deaths American television directors American theatre directors American lighting designers People from Pasadena, California Hotchkiss School alumni Tony Award winners Film directors from California Yale School of Drama alumni Deaths from Parkinson's disease Neurological disease deaths in California