Biography
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.
External Links
Known For
Filmography
Acting Credits (56)
Hollywood Black
Self (archive footage)
2024
Sweet Black Film: The Birth of the Black Hero in Hollywood
Self
2022
Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking
Self
2021
Armed
Grandpa V.
2018
Peeples
Grandpa Peeples
2013
