Peter Hyams
Encyclopedia
Peter Hyams is an American screenwriter
, director
and cinematographer
, probably best known for directing the 1984 science fiction adventure 2010 (the sequel to Stanley Kubrick
's 2001: A Space Odyssey
), Capricorn One
, the comic book adaptation Timecop
and the Arnold Schwarzenegger
horror/action film End of Days.
and publicist on Broadway
. His maternal grandfather was Sol Hurok
, the Russian Jewish impresario
. His stepfather was blacklist
ed Arthur Lief. His sister is casting
director Nessa Hyams.
and later WBBM-TV
. He has described himself as "one of the very few writer/directors of major films who also photographs his own pictures". During his time with CBS (where he worked from 1964 to 1970), he began to shoot documentary film
s. Hyams moved to Los Angeles in 1970 and sold his first screenplay, T.R. Baskin
, to Paramount Pictures
in 1971.
Hyams worked in television through the early to mid-1970s. His first major film was Capricorn One
(1978), a critically acclaimed conspiracy thriller about a faked mission to Mars. This was followed by the less successful Hanover Street (1979) which starred Harrison Ford
, and the science fiction cult classic Outland
(1981), which starred Sean Connery
in a 'High Noon' scenario set on Io
, one of Jupiter's moons. In 1983, he produced, directed, and wrote the screenplay for 2010 (1984), collaborating closely with author Arthur C. Clarke
(2010
).
Hyams also co-authored with Clarke The Odyssey File: The Making of 2010, published 1985, a collection of their email
correspondence which illustrates their fascination with the then pioneering medium and its use for them to communicate on an almost daily basis at the time of planning and production of the film.
Other movies Hyams has directed/photographed include: The Star Chamber
(1983), Running Scared (1986), The Presidio
(1988), Narrow Margin
(1990), Stay Tuned (1992), Timecop
(1994), The Relic
(1997), and End of Days (1999). In addition, Hyams also directed various episodes of Steven Spielberg's television show, Amazing Stories
, executive produced the 1980s cult kids movie, The Monster Squad
(1986), and co-wrote the screenplay for the Charles Bronson thriller, Telefon (1977). Since the mid-1980s, Hyams has directed several Hollywood-based movies with varying degrees of commercial and critical success.
His two most recent films are The Musketeer
(2001) and A Sound of Thunder
(2005). The Musketeer
(2001) was a minor box office success in the United States. However, A Sound of Thunder
(2005), which faced many troubles during its production (including the bankruptcy of the original production company during post-production), performed particularly badly at the box office worldwide.
In 2007, it was reported that he would direct the remake of his own Capricorn One
, instead he directed the remake of the 1956
film noir
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
starring Michael Douglas
, which was released in 2009.
He also elaborated the cinematography of his son John's effort, Universal Soldier: Regeneration, the third official Universal Soldier
sequel starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
and Dolph Lundgren
.
As a reference to his wife's family, there's a minor character named Spota in many of his films, the exceptions being, "A Sound of Thunder", "End of Days" (although there was a bar called "Spotas"), "Stay Tuned", "Narrow Margin", "Running Scared", "2010", "Hanover Street" and "Peeper".
Additionally he directed in 1972 the TV movies Goodnight, My Love and Rolling Man.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
, probably best known for directing the 1984 science fiction adventure 2010 (the sequel to Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
), Capricorn One
Capricorn One
Capricorn One is a 1977 science fiction thriller movie about a Mars landing hoax. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It stars James Brolin, Sam Waterston and O. J...
, the comic book adaptation Timecop
Timecop
Timecop is a 1994 science-fiction thriller film directed by Peter Hyams and co-written by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Richardson was also executive producer...
and the Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
horror/action film End of Days.
Family
Hyams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Ruth Hurok and Barry Hyams, who was a theatrical producerTheatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
and publicist on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. His maternal grandfather was Sol Hurok
Sol Hurok
Sol Hurok was a world-famous 20th century American impresario.-Biography:...
, the Russian Jewish impresario
Impresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
. His stepfather was blacklist
Blacklist
A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
ed Arthur Lief. His sister is casting
Casting (performing arts)
In the performing arts, casting is a pre-production process for selecting a cast of actors, dancers, singers, models and other talent for a live or recorded performance.-Casting process:...
director Nessa Hyams.
Career
Studied art and music at Hunter College and Syracuse University, before working as producer/anchorman for WHDH-TVWHDH-TV (defunct)
WHDH-TV was the callsign of the first station to use channel 5 in Boston. The station ceased operations March 18, 1972, after the station lost its license. The channel, but not the license, was taken over by WCVB-TV the following morning: March 19, 1972. It is of no relation to either WCVB or...
and later WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
. He has described himself as "one of the very few writer/directors of major films who also photographs his own pictures". During his time with CBS (where he worked from 1964 to 1970), he began to shoot documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
s. Hyams moved to Los Angeles in 1970 and sold his first screenplay, T.R. Baskin
T.R. Baskin
T.R. Baskin is a 1971 American drama film directed by Herbert Ross. It stars Candice Bergen, Peter Boyle, Marcia Rodd and James Caan.The screenplay by Peter Hyams focuses on a naïve young woman who moves to Chicago with the hope of finding romance and a fulfilling career.The film was released as A...
, to Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
in 1971.
Hyams worked in television through the early to mid-1970s. His first major film was Capricorn One
Capricorn One
Capricorn One is a 1977 science fiction thriller movie about a Mars landing hoax. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It stars James Brolin, Sam Waterston and O. J...
(1978), a critically acclaimed conspiracy thriller about a faked mission to Mars. This was followed by the less successful Hanover Street (1979) which starred Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
, and the science fiction cult classic Outland
Outland (film)
Outland is a 1981 British science fiction thriller film written and directed by Peter Hyams.Set on Jupiter's moon Io, it has been described as a space Western, and bears thematic resemblances to High Noon....
(1981), which starred Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
in a 'High Noon' scenario set on Io
Io (moon)
Io ) is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter and, with a diameter of , the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System. It was named after the mythological character of Io, a priestess of Hera who became one of the lovers of Zeus....
, one of Jupiter's moons. In 1983, he produced, directed, and wrote the screenplay for 2010 (1984), collaborating closely with author Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
(2010
2010: Odyssey Two
2010: Odyssey Two is a 1982 best-selling science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke. It is the sequel to the 1968 novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, but continues the story of Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation with the same title and not Clarke's original novel. The book is a part of Clarke's...
).
Hyams also co-authored with Clarke The Odyssey File: The Making of 2010, published 1985, a collection of their email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
correspondence which illustrates their fascination with the then pioneering medium and its use for them to communicate on an almost daily basis at the time of planning and production of the film.
Other movies Hyams has directed/photographed include: The Star Chamber
The Star Chamber
The Star Chamber is a 1983 American thriller film written by Roderick Taylor and directed by Peter Hyams. It stars Michael Douglas and Hal Holbrook...
(1983), Running Scared (1986), The Presidio
The Presidio (film)
The Presidio is a 1988 American mystery film directed by Peter Hyams, starring Sean Connery and Mark Harmon. Hyams also photographed. The score was composed by Bruce Broughton.-Plot:...
(1988), Narrow Margin
Narrow Margin
Narrow Margin is a 1990 film directed by Peter Hyams and released by TriStar Pictures, loosely based on the 1952 film noir, The Narrow Margin.-Plot:...
(1990), Stay Tuned (1992), Timecop
Timecop
Timecop is a 1994 science-fiction thriller film directed by Peter Hyams and co-written by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Richardson was also executive producer...
(1994), The Relic
The Relic (film)
The Relic is a 1997 science fiction/horror film directed by Peter Hyams and based on the best-selling novel Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The film stars Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore and Linda Hunt. The original music score was composed by John Debney...
(1997), and End of Days (1999). In addition, Hyams also directed various episodes of Steven Spielberg's television show, Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories (TV series)
Amazing Stories is a fantasy, horror, and science fiction television anthology series created by Steven Spielberg. It ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987, and was somewhat erratically screened in Britain by BBC1 and BBC2 - billed in the Radio Times as "Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories" - with episodes...
, executive produced the 1980s cult kids movie, The Monster Squad
The Monster Squad
The Monster Squad is a comedy/horror film written by Shane Black and Fred Dekker and directed by Fred Dekker . It was released by Tri-Star Pictures on August 14, 1987. The film features the classic monsters , led by Count Dracula...
(1986), and co-wrote the screenplay for the Charles Bronson thriller, Telefon (1977). Since the mid-1980s, Hyams has directed several Hollywood-based movies with varying degrees of commercial and critical success.
His two most recent films are The Musketeer
The Musketeer
The Musketeer is a 2001 American film very loosely based on Alexandre Dumas, père's classic novel The Three Musketeers, directed by Peter Hyams and starring Catherine Deneuve, Tim Roth, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Nick Moran, Bill Treacher and Justin Chambers.The film features Tsui Hark's regular...
(2001) and A Sound of Thunder
A Sound of Thunder (film)
A Sound of Thunder is a 2005 science fiction film directed by Peter Hyams. The film was planned originally for a 2002 release. However, flooding in Prague and other financial difficulties—including the bankruptcy of the original production company during post-production—resulted in a delayed...
(2005). The Musketeer
The Musketeer
The Musketeer is a 2001 American film very loosely based on Alexandre Dumas, père's classic novel The Three Musketeers, directed by Peter Hyams and starring Catherine Deneuve, Tim Roth, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Nick Moran, Bill Treacher and Justin Chambers.The film features Tsui Hark's regular...
(2001) was a minor box office success in the United States. However, A Sound of Thunder
A Sound of Thunder (film)
A Sound of Thunder is a 2005 science fiction film directed by Peter Hyams. The film was planned originally for a 2002 release. However, flooding in Prague and other financial difficulties—including the bankruptcy of the original production company during post-production—resulted in a delayed...
(2005), which faced many troubles during its production (including the bankruptcy of the original production company during post-production), performed particularly badly at the box office worldwide.
In 2007, it was reported that he would direct the remake of his own Capricorn One
Capricorn One
Capricorn One is a 1977 science fiction thriller movie about a Mars landing hoax. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It stars James Brolin, Sam Waterston and O. J...
, instead he directed the remake of the 1956
1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is a 1956 film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Douglas Morrow. The film, considered film noir, was the last American film directed by Lang.-Plot:...
starring Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
, which was released in 2009.
He also elaborated the cinematography of his son John's effort, Universal Soldier: Regeneration, the third official Universal Soldier
Universal Soldier (series)
Universal Soldier is an American action science fiction film series started from the 1992 original same title film written by Richard Rothstein, Christopher Leitch, and Dean Devlin; directed by Roland Emmerich; and distributed by Sony Tri-Star....
sequel starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
and Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor, director, and martial artist. He belongs to a generation of film actors who epitomise the movie action hero stereotype including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.A graduate in chemical...
.
Personal life
On December 19, 1964 he married George-Ann Spota, with whom he has three children.Trademark
Hyams is well known for acting as his own cinematographer on the movies he directs.As a reference to his wife's family, there's a minor character named Spota in many of his films, the exceptions being, "A Sound of Thunder", "End of Days" (although there was a bar called "Spotas"), "Stay Tuned", "Narrow Margin", "Running Scared", "2010", "Hanover Street" and "Peeper".
Filmography
| film (as director) | released | box office | adjusted | annual ranking | |||
| Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009 film) Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, a 2009 American film, is a remake of the 1956 film of the same name by Fritz Lang. Written, directed and filmed by Peter Hyams, the new version starred Michael Douglas and Amber Tamblyn. The production was announced in February 2008 and filming began the following... |
2009 | ||||||
| A Sound of Thunder A Sound of Thunder (film) A Sound of Thunder is a 2005 science fiction film directed by Peter Hyams. The film was planned originally for a 2002 release. However, flooding in Prague and other financial difficulties—including the bankruptcy of the original production company during post-production—resulted in a delayed... |
May 15, 2005 | $1,901,000 | $2mio | 217 | |||
| The Musketeer The Musketeer The Musketeer is a 2001 American film very loosely based on Alexandre Dumas, père's classic novel The Three Musketeers, directed by Peter Hyams and starring Catherine Deneuve, Tim Roth, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Nick Moran, Bill Treacher and Justin Chambers.The film features Tsui Hark's regular... |
September 9, 2001 | $27,054,000 | $33mio | 87 | |||
| End of Days | November 24, 1999 | $66,890,000 | $91mio | 36 | |||
| The Relic The Relic (film) The Relic is a 1997 science fiction/horror film directed by Peter Hyams and based on the best-selling novel Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The film stars Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore and Linda Hunt. The original music score was composed by John Debney... |
January 10, 1997 | $33,957,000 | $51mio | 65 | |||
| Sudden Death Sudden Death (film) Sudden Death is a 1995 American action film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Powers Boothe. The film's story was written by Karen Elise Baldwin, the wife of then-Penguins owner Howard Baldwin. It also features Dorian Harewood and Raymond J. Barry, and is directed by Peter Hyams. It has been... |
October 26, 1995 | $20,215,000 | $32mio | 104 | |||
| Timecop Timecop Timecop is a 1994 science-fiction thriller film directed by Peter Hyams and co-written by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Richardson was also executive producer... |
September 16, 1994 | $44,854,000 | $75mio | ||||
| Stay Tuned | August 14, 1992 | $10,737,000 | $18mio | ||||
| Narrow Margin Narrow Margin Narrow Margin is a 1990 film directed by Peter Hyams and released by TriStar Pictures, loosely based on the 1952 film noir, The Narrow Margin.-Plot:... |
September 21, 1990 | $10,874,000 | $18mio | ||||
| The Presidio The Presidio (film) The Presidio is a 1988 American mystery film directed by Peter Hyams, starring Sean Connery and Mark Harmon. Hyams also photographed. The score was composed by Bruce Broughton.-Plot:... |
June 10, 1988 | $20,037,000 | $34mio | ||||
| Running Scared | June 27, 1986 | $38,501,000 | $71mio | ||||
| 2010 | December 7, 1984 | $41,000,000 | $81mio | ||||
| The Star Chamber The Star Chamber The Star Chamber is a 1983 American thriller film written by Roderick Taylor and directed by Peter Hyams. It stars Michael Douglas and Hal Holbrook... |
August 5, 1983 | $5,600,000 | $12mio | ||||
| Outland Outland (film) Outland is a 1981 British science fiction thriller film written and directed by Peter Hyams.Set on Jupiter's moon Io, it has been described as a space Western, and bears thematic resemblances to High Noon.... |
May 22, 1981 | ~$18–20mio | ~$43–49 | ||||
| Hanover Street | May 18, 1979 | $3,000,000 | $8mio | ||||
| Capricorn One Capricorn One Capricorn One is a 1977 science fiction thriller movie about a Mars landing hoax. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It stars James Brolin, Sam Waterston and O. J... |
June 1978 | ||||||
| Peeper | 1975 | ||||||
| Busting Busting Busting is a 1974 film directed by Peter Hyams, starring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as Los Angeles police detectives.-Plot:The film is episodic, depicting the two detectives teaming on several different cases, with varying degrees of success... |
February 1974 | ||||||
| Our Time | 1974 |
Additionally he directed in 1972 the TV movies Goodnight, My Love and Rolling Man.
External links
- Interview with Peter Hyams by Luke FordLuke FordLuke Ford is an American writer, blogger, and former pornography gossip columnist known for his disclosures and traditionalist Jewish religious views.-Personal:Ford moved to California in 1977...
(2002, Santa Monica, California)