Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles (born Melvin Peebles; August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. His feature film debut, The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1967), was based on his own French-language novel La Permission 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 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, which led to the creation of the blaxploitation genre. although critic Roger Ebert did not consider this example of Van Peebles' work to be an exploitation film. 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 Le Conte du ventre plein (2000) and the absurdist film Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha (2008). His son, filmmaker and actor Mario Van Peebles, appeared in several of his works and portrayed him in the 2003 biographical film Baadasssss!.
Acting
Movie
Last Action Hero
as Self
1993
Movie
Jaws: The Revenge
as Mr. Witherspoon
1987
Movie
Boomerang
as Editor
1992
TV
The Shining
as Richard Hallorann
1997
Movie
Terminal Velocity
as Noble
1994
TV
Homicide: Life on the Street
as Bennett Jackson
1993
Movie
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
as Sweetback
1971
Movie
Posse
as Papa Joe
1993
Movie
Hard Luck
as Hospital Prophet
2006
Movie
Fist of the North Star
as Asher
1995
Movie
Peeples
as Grandpa Peeples
2013
Movie
The Hebrew Hammer
as Sweetback
2003
Movie
Watermelon Man
as Sign Painter (uncredited)
1970
TV
Living Single
1993
TV
Girlfriends
as Kenneth Daly
2000
Movie
Panther
as Old Jail Bird
1995
TV
Dream On
as Norman Green
1990
Movie
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
as Self (voice)
2011
Movie
True Identity
as Taxi Driver
1991
Movie
BaadAsssss Cinema
as Self
2002
Movie
Armed
as Grandpa V.
2018
Movie
O.C. and Stiggs
as Wino Bob
1987
Movie
Wattstax
as Self
1973
Movie
American Swing
as Self
2009
Crew
TV
The Outer Limits
Director
1995
Movie
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
Producer
1971
Movie
Baadasssss!
Book
2004
Movie
Watermelon Man
Director
1970
Movie
Greased Lightning
Screenplay
1977
Movie
Panther
Screenplay
1995
Movie
Slogan
Writer
1969
Movie
The Story of a Three-Day Pass
Director
1968
Movie
Gang in Blue
Producer
1996
Movie
Tales of Erotica
Director
1996
Movie
Identity Crisis
Producer
1989
Movie
Classified X
Writer
1998