Peter Weller


Actor

About

Birth Place
Stevens Point, Wisconsin, USA
Born
June 24, 1947

Biography

A contemplative, blue-eyed lead with classically sculpted features, Peter Weller gained stage experience with notable performances in David Rabe's "Streamers" and David Mamet's "The Woods". He entered film in 1979 and, though best known for his roles in the deadpan cult favorite "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai" (1984) and as the armor-clad title character of "RoboCop" (1987) and its f...

Photos & Videos

Family & Companions

Ali MacGraw
Companion
Actor. Met on set of "Just Tell Me What You Want" in 1980; no longer together.
Sela Ward
Companion
Actor. Co-starred in the drama series "Sisters".

Biography

A contemplative, blue-eyed lead with classically sculpted features, Peter Weller gained stage experience with notable performances in David Rabe's "Streamers" and David Mamet's "The Woods". He entered film in 1979 and, though best known for his roles in the deadpan cult favorite "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai" (1984) and as the armor-clad title character of "RoboCop" (1987) and its first sequel, "RoboCop 2" (1990), Weller has also been effective in more character-driven dramas such as "Shoot the Moon" (1981) and David Cronenberg's fascinatingly bizarre "Naked Lunch" (1991).

Weller followed up his success in "Naked Lunch" with several lackluster projects: the action adventure "Fifty-Fifty" (1991), a French romantic comedy "Road to Ruin" (1992), and the thriller "Sunset Grill" (1993), all of which moved quickly to home video. Career matters started looking up with the release of Michael Tolkin's "The New Age" (1994), where he was paired once again with "Naked Lunch" co-star Judy Davis. Weller got to demonstrate his flair for comedy playing a jobless Hollywood ad man whose marriage is crumbling. Although the film and Weller both received rave reviews, the actor's profile dimmed through the late 1990s; while he worked steadily, only a few films stood out, such as Woody Allen's "Mighty Aphrodite" (1995) and director Linda Yellen's "End of Summer" (1996). He resurfaced in the admired Showtime science-fiction series "Odyssey 5" (2002-03) playing Chuck Taggart, part of a team of space shuttle astronauts who witness the end of the world and travel back in time to prevent the disaster from occurring. Weller was seen on the big screen again in 2003, playing Cardinal Driscoll, a high-ranking church official given to ungodly actions in the secret-sect thriller "The Order."

Stepping behind the camera as a director, Weller helmed episodes of "Homicide: Life on the Street" (NBC, 1993-99) and "Odyssey 5," as well as the Elmore Leonard telepic "Gold Coast" (1997), but, for the most part, he stuck to acting. In 2006, he returned to high-profile productions with a recurring stint as a treacherous character on the popular action show "24" (Fox, 2001-2010) and, later, the dark thriller series "Dexter" (Showtime, 2006-2013). Before long, he took up directing again, helming episodes of the tense biker drama "Sons of Anarchy" (FX, 2008-14) and the crime series "Longmire" (A&E, 2012- ), while also appearing on both shows. After voicing Batman in the two-part animated comic-book adaptation "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" (2012-13), Weller revisited the big screen prominently with a significant role in the hit sci-fi sequel "Star Trek Into Darkness" (2013).

Filmography

 

Director (Feature Film)

Elmore Leonard's Gold Coast (1997)
Director

Cast (Feature Film)

Repentance (2013)
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Part 1 (2012)
Bruce Wayne
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Part 2 (2012)
Bruce Wayne
William Burroughs: A Man Within (2010)
Narrator
The Hard Easy (2007)
Prey (2007)
Egypt: Engineering an Empire (2006)
Undiscovered (2005)
Cast
Man of God (2005)
Rabbi
The Poseidon Adventure (2005)
The Order (2003)
Driscoll
Styx (2001)
Contaminated Man (2000)
Joseph Mueller
Shadow Hours (2000)
Dark Prince: the True Story of Dracula (2000)
Father Stefan
Ivans XTC. (2000)
Don West
Diplomatic Siege (1999)
Steve Mitchell
End of Summer (1997)
Decoy (1995)
Beyond the Clouds (1995)
Husband ("Don'T Try To See Me Again")
Screamers (1995)
Colonel Hendricksson
Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
The Substitute Wife (1994)
Martin Hightower
The New Age (1994)
Sunset Grill (1993)
Ryder Hart
Road to Ruin (1991)
Jack Sloan
Fifty/Fifty (1991)
Jake Wyer
Naked Lunch (1991)
William Lee
Rainbow Drive (1990)
Women & Men: Stories of Seduction (1990)
Hobie ("Dusk Before Fireworks")
Robocop 2 (1990)
Cat Chaser (1989)
Leviathan (1989)
Shakedown (1988)
A Killing Affair (1988)
Baston Morris
The Tunnel (1988)
Juan Pablo Castel
Robocop (1987)
My Sister's Keeper (1986)
Apology (1986)
Firstborn (1984)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Buckaroo Banzai
Two Kinds of Love (1983)
Joe Farley
Of Unknown Origin (1983)
Bart Hughes
Kentucky Woman (1983)
Deke Cullover
Shoot the Moon (1982)
Just Tell Me What You Want (1980)
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979)
The Silence (1975)
The Man Without a Country (1973)

Producer (Feature Film)

Elmore Leonard's Gold Coast (1997)
Executive Producer

Music (Feature Film)

Dad Savage (1998)
Song

Director (Special)

Partners (1994)
Director

Cast (Special)

Intimate Portrait: Patricia Heaton (2001)
Top of the World (1998)
Present Tense, Past Perfect (1996)
Partners (1994)
New York City Marathon (1987)
The Dancing Princess (1987)

Writer (Special)

Partners (1994)
Writer

Special Thanks (Special)

Partners (1994)
Writer

Life Events

1971

Made professional stage debut in David Rabe's "Sticks and Bones" two weeks after graduating from AADA

1973

TV acting debut in the movie, "The Man Without a Country"

1979

Screen acting debut in "Butch and Sundance: The Early Years"

1982

First received top billing in a feature in his fourth film, the Canadian horror film, "Of Unknown Origin"

1984

Starred in the cult hit, "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension"

1987

Starred as the title character in the hit feature, "RoboCop"

1994

Made directing debut with short film "Partners" (aired on Showtime as part of the series "Directed By"

1997

Directed the Showtime movie "Elmore Leonard's 'Gold Coast'", starring David Caruso; also helmed the pilot episode of Caruso's CBS series "Michael Hayes"

2000

Had featured role in the USA Network movie "Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula"

2000

Co-starred with Balthazar Getty in "Shadow Hours"

2002

Starred in the Showtime sci-fi series "Odyssey 5"

2005

Co-starred in "Undiscovered," a film about a group of aspiring entertainers trying to establish careers for themselves in the city of Los Angeles

2006

Joined the cast of FOX's drama "24" in season five as federal agent, Christopher Henderson

2010

Appeared in a recurring role on "Dexter"

2011

Began directing episodes of "Sons of Anarchy"

2013

Featured in "Star Trek Into Darkness"

Companions

Ali MacGraw
Companion
Actor. Met on set of "Just Tell Me What You Want" in 1980; no longer together.
Sela Ward
Companion
Actor. Co-starred in the drama series "Sisters".

Bibliography