Melvin Van Peebles

Acting

Melvin Van Peebles

Born August 21, 1932 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Died September 21, 2021 · aged 89

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 Inte…

Known For

Terminal VelocityTerminal Velocity · 1994
Terminal Velocity
★ 5.41994
MovieActionThriller
A maverick skydiver and a former KGB agent team up to stop the Russian mafia from stealing gold.
ArmedArmed · 2018
Armed
★ 4.32018
MovieActionThriller
A former U.S. marshal discovers that all of the survivors of his old unit are experiencing the same symptoms simultaneously and there may be a larger conspiracy at hand.
BoomerangBoomerang · 1992
Boomerang
★ 5.71992
MovieComedyRomance
Marcus is a successful advertising executive who woos and beds women almost at will. After a company merger he finds that his new boss, the ravishing Jacqueline, is treating him in exactly the same way. Completely traumatised by this, his work goes badly downhill.
Fist of the North StarFist of the North Star · 1995
Fist of the North Star
★ 4.31995
MovieActionScience Fiction
From the immensely popular FIST OF THE NORTH STAR comic book series, comes a new hero. The fate of mankind rests with superhuman warrior Kenshiro who roams the wastelands of the future waging a battle against overwhelming evil. With the spiritual guidance of his dead father, Kenshiro fights to free his stolen love from the brutal tyrant Lord Shin. Through his struggle he must confront his destiny.
Jaws: The RevengeJaws: The Revenge · 1987
Jaws: The Revenge
★ 4.11987
MovieAdventureThriller
After another deadly shark attack, Ellen Brody decides she has had enough of New England's Amity Island and moves to the Caribbean to join her son, Michael, and his family. But a great white shark has followed her there, hungry for more lives.
PeeplesPeeples · 2013
Peeples
★ 5.62013
MovieComedy
Hoping to propose to his upper-crust girlfriend, Wade Walker crashes her family's annual reunion and lands in a face-off with her dad.
The Hebrew HammerThe Hebrew Hammer · 2003
The Hebrew Hammer
★ 5.52003
MovieActionComedy
When a psychotic Santa tries to destroy Chanukah by hypnotizing Jewish children with bootlegged copies of the Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life," it's up to the Hebrew Hammer to save the day. Together with Mohammed, head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front, the Hammer takes no prisoners in his quest to hunt down the renegade Santa and make the holiday season safe for all.
O.C. and StiggsO.C. and Stiggs · 1987
O.C. and Stiggs
★ 4.61987
MovieComedy
O.C. and Stiggs aren't your average unhappy teenagers. They not only despise their suburban surroundings, but they also plot against it. They seek revenge against the upper-middle-class Schwab family, who embody all they detest: excess.

Filmography

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BellyfulBellyful · 2000
Bellyful
★ 8.02000
MovieComedyDrama
Maverick director Melvin Van Peebles translates his own satirical novel to the screen with this multi-national portrait of race, class, and hypocrisy. The film's title refers to the name of a haute cuisine restaurant run by a self-satisfied conservative couple, Henri and Loretta. When the two find themselves overworked in the kitchen, they retreat to the local orphanage to find some cheap waitressing help, and the teenaged Diamantine fits the bill perfectly. The haughty couple has more plans for the girl than just waiting tables, however -- the conspicuously accommodating Henri and Loretta are actually bad-mouthing the girl behind her back to the townspeople and the restaurant's patrons. They go so far as to ask the naive Diamantine to pretend that she's pregnant, and she complies under the assumption that it's a harmless prank. When their intentions are revealed, however, the girl becomes wise to the couple's self-satisfied scheming, and sets her sights on revenge.

Writer

Living SingleLiving Single · 1993
Living Single
★ 8.01993
SeriesComedy
Living Single is an American television sitcom that aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone. Throughout its run, Living Single became one of the most popular African-American sitcoms of its era, ranking among the top five in African-American ratings in all five seasons. The series was produced by Yvette Lee Bowser's company, Sister Lee, in association with Warner Bros. Television. In contrast to the popularity of NBC's "Must See TV" on Thursday nights in the 1990s, many African American and Latino viewers flocked to Fox's Thursday night line-up of Martin, Living Single, and New York Undercover. In fact, these were the three highest-rated series among black households for the 1996–1997 season.