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 early 2020s. His feature film debut, '' The Story of a Three-Day Pass'' (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 SFFILM, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in international film and vid ...

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. 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 independent blaxploitation action thriller film written, co-produced, scored, edited, directed by, and starring Melvin Van Peebles. His son Mario Van Peebles also appears in a small ro ...

'', which led to the creation of the

blaxploitation In American cinema, Blaxploitation is the film subgenre of action movie derived from the exploitation film genre in the early 1970s, consequent to the combined cultural momentum of the black civil rights movement, the black power movement, ...

genre. although critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

did not consider this example of Van Peebles' work to be an

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that seeks commercial success by capitalizing on current trends, niche genres, or sensational content. Exploitation films often feature themes such as suggestive or explicit sex, sensational violence, drug use, nudi ...

. 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 a Mexican-born American director and actor. He is best known for appearing in ''Heartbreak Ridge'' in 1986, and known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991, and ''USS Indianapolis: ...

, 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 ...

''.

Early life and education

Born Melvin Peebles in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (abbrevriated OWU) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Ohio Valley, Centra ...

and, 13 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 army aviati ...

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

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

in his late 20s.

Career

Early years

He worked as a cable car gripman in San Francisco, California. 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. 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 Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * 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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, 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 h ...

, founder of the avant-garde Cinema 16 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. Ellison wrote '' Shadow and Act'' (1964), a co ...

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 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 city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

probably by Mary Meerson and/or Lotte Eisner, 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. Himes got him a job at the anti-authoritarian humor magazine '' Hara-kiri'', 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"), more commonly known as speak-singing in English, are expressionist musical vocal techniques between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, is directly related to the operatic re ...

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'' (1970). Roger Blin directed ' with the theatrical troupe for the in

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

, Belgium in September 1964. Van Peebles made his first feature-length film, '' The Story of a Three-Day Pass'' (') (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 (; , ) is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded and personal that the director is likened to the "author" of the film, thus manifesting the director's unique style or thematic ...

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., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

comedy '' Watermelon Man'', written by Herman Raucher. 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 cel ...

, the movie 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, 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 retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

. 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 The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a Marxist–Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, California ...

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 ...

'' 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 March in Baltimore, Maryland. The festival was launched in 1999, and presents international film and video work of all lengths and genres. The festiv ...

2004. Van Peebles wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the stage musical '' Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death'', 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, 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 a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...

, 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''. The film was an adaptation of an earlier stage musical of the same name which Van Peebles had created for performances at

San Francisco State College San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is part of the Califor ...

in November 1970. At the time of the film's creation in 1971, a Broadway production of the stage musical was not planned, but the failure to find a distributor for the completed film led to Van Peebles' decision to bring the musical to Broadway in 1972 for a production of the play at the

Ethel Barrymore Theatre The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 243 West 47th Street (Manhattan), 47th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1928, it ...

. 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'', 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. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

driver

Wendell Scott Wendell Oliver Scott Sr. (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver. He was the first African-American driver and team owner to compete and win in all divisions of NASCAR at its highest level. Scott began his ...

. 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 (1917–199 ...

. 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 known ...

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

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

manga 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 history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

Fist of the North Star is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' for 245 issues published from 1983 to 1988 and initially collected in 27 volumes ...

,'' alongside

Gary Daniels Gary Edward Daniels (born 9 May 1963) is an English actor and martial artist. Originally a kickboxer fighting out of London and Tampa Bay, Daniels earned his first acting credits with Philippine companies. He gained wider recognition in the mang ...

Costas Mandylor Costas Mandylor (born Costas Theodosopoulos; 3 September 1965) is an Australian actor. He made his film debut with a supporting role in '' Triumph of the Spirit'' (1989) before a lead role as Frank Costello in the crime drama film '' Mobsters'' ...

Chris Penn Christopher Shannon Penn (October 10, 1965 – January 24, 2006), credited as Chris Penn after 1991, was an American actor. He was the brother of actor Sean Penn and musician Michael Penn. Noted as a skilled character actor, he was typically cas ...

, Isako Washio,

Malcolm McDowell Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is an English actor. He first became known for portraying Mick Travis in Lindsay Anderson's ''if....'' (1968), a role he later reprised in ''O Lucky Man!'' (1973) and ''Britannia Hospital ...

, Downtown Julie Brown, Dante Basco,

Tracey Walter Tracey Walter (born November 25, 1947) is an American retired 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, the son of a truck driver. He h ...

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 more than 200 acting credits include feature films ...

, Tony Halme, and

Big Van Vader Leon Allen White (May 14, 1955 – June 18, 2018), better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or simply Vader, was an American professional wrestler and professional American football, football player. During his career, he performed for New J ...

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 Ossie Davis (born Raiford Chatman Davis; December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, Film director, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He received num ...

and

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

in the same room. It was moderated by Warrington Hudlin. In 2005, it was announced that Van Peebles would collaborate with

Madlib Otis Lee Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, is an American record producer, DJ, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. Critically acclaimed for his eclectic, music sample, sample-heavy production style, he is rega ...

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 ...

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, 2 ...

'' as Melvin Woods, the father of Samuel Woods, a character portrayed by his son, Mario. In an interview, Van Peebles said : 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 The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

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 left-wing populist movement against economic inequality, capitalism, corporate greed, big finance, and the influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Financial ...

footage, which was uploaded to

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

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 The Film Forum is a nonprofit movie theater at 209 West Houston Street in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City. It is a four-screen cinema open 365 days a year, with up to 250,000 annual admissions, nearly 500 seats, 60 employees, over ...

. 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 (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 considered o ...

's '' The Kid'' (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 Coke hat, 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 and commissioned by ...

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-ins ...

. 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 Maria Marx, a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

actress. They lived in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

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.

Death

Van Peebles died on September 21, 2021, at his home in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, 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 '' The Story of a Three-Day Pass''. San Francisco Film Festival. * 1972: Most Promising Book, Winner for ''Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death''. Drama Desk Awards. * 1972: Best Score from an Original Cast Album, two nominations for '' Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death''. 15th Annual Grammy Awards. * 1972: Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, two 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 * 1987:

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an American award for film and television writing, presented to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful manner. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of ...

for screenwriting and Daytime Emmy for Writing (Children's Special) - ''The Day They Came to Arrest the Book,'' a

CBS Schoolbreak Special ''CBS Schoolbreak Special'' is an American anthology series for teenagers that aired on CBS from December 1978 to January 1996. The series began under the title ''CBS Afternoon Playhouse'', and was changed during the 1984–85 season A season ...

* 1993: Distinguished Achievement Citation, Ohio Wesleyan University * 1994: Honorary doctorate of humane letters,

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a Private university, private research university in Hempstead, New York, United States. It originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University and became an independent college in 1939. Comprising ten schools, includ ...

* 1999: Lifetime Achievement Award. 6th Annual Chicago Underground Film Festival. * 2001:

Commander of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

(French Legion of Honour) * 2008: Tribute Award from the Independent Filmmaker Project (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 (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

(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 on ...

. * 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 l ...

'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 those of Trayvon Martin, Bre ...

Equal Justice Now Awards

Bibliography

* (As "Melvin Van") ''The Big Heart'', San Francisco: Fearon, 1957. With photographs by Ruth Bernhard, 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 Chester Himes' ''A Rage in Harlem'' . * ''^e'' (1966) (short stories), illustrated by

Roland Topor Roland Topor (7 January 1938 – 16 April 1997) was a French illustrator, cartoonist, comics artist, painter, novelist, playwright, film and TV writer, filmmaker and actor, who was known for the surrealism, surreal nature of his work. He was of Po ...

* ' (''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 Chester Himes' ''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

Music videos

* " Lilly Done the Zampoughi Every Time I Pulled Her Coattail"

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

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

'' (1992) as Editor * '' Posse'' (1993) as Joe 'Papa Joe' * ''

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

'' (1994) as Noble * ''

'' (1995) as Asher * ''

Living Single ''Living Single'' is an American television sitcom created by Yvette Denise Lee that aired for five seasons on the Fox network, from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centers on the lives of six New York City friends who share perso ...

'' (1996) as Warner Devant, Episodes: "Likes Father, Likes Son" * '' 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'' (2003) as Sweetback * '' BlacKout'' (2007) as George * '' Redemption Road'' (2010) as Elmo * '' We the Party'' (2012) as 'Big D' * '' Peeples'' (2013) as Grandpa Peebles * '' Armed'' (2018) as Grandpa V

Plays

* '' The Hostage'' (Dutch National Theatre Tour, actor, 1964) * '' Don't Play Us Cheap'' (composer, lyricist, and musical book writer; premiere November 1970,

; Broadway production 1972,

) * '' Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death'' (writer, 1971) * ''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

References

External links

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