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IMDbPro

Peter Hyams

  • Director
  • Cinematographer
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Peter Hyams at an event for Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
War stories and life lessons from the film industry's top writers.
Play trailer2:23
Tales from the Script (2009)
1 Video
5 Photos
Peter Hyams was born in New York on July 26, 1943, and attended Hunter College Elementary School. He studied art and music at the Art Students League and the High School of Music and Art as well as at Syracuse University, where he majored in music and art. Before he became a CBS News news anchor in New York at the age of 21 he had been a drummer with such important jazz musicians as Bill Evans and Maynard Ferguson and had played at Birdland, Small's Paradise and the Newport Jazz Festival. His paintings have hung in such prestigious galleries as the Whitney Museum of American Art. Hyams brought to film direction essential elements of music and painting. From music comes a special sensitivity to structure and rhythm; from painting a heightened sense of light and color. These important insights help Hyams to achieve his goal of creating films which "reach people's emotions, not their minds." Peter Hyams is 6'1" and lives in Brentwood, California, with his wife George-Ann. He has three sons: Chris, John and Nick.
BornJuly 26, 1943
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJuly 26, 1943
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • Awards
    • 2 wins & 7 nominations

Photos

Sean Connery and Peter Hyams in Outland (1981)
Peter Hyams in Sudden Death (1995)
Peter Hyams in Narrow Margin (1990)
Peter Hyams in The Musketeer (2001)

Known for

2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
2010: The Year We Make Contact
6.7
  • Director
  • 1984
Sean Connery in Outland (1981)
Outland
6.6
  • Director(directed by)
  • 1981
Timecop (1994)
Timecop
5.9
  • Director
  • 1994
The Relic (1997)
The Relic
5.8
  • Director
  • 1997

Credits

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IMDbPro

Director

  • Jean-Claude Van Damme in Enemies Closer (2013)
    Enemies Closer
    • Director
    • 2013
  • Michael Douglas, Jesse Metcalfe, and Amber Tamblyn in Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
    Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
    • Director
    • 2009
  • Brent Spiner, Charles S. Dutton, Carla Gugino, Rob Benedict, Peter Dinklage, and Brian Van Holt in Threshold (2005)
    Threshold
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2005
  • A Sound of Thunder (2005)
    A Sound of Thunder
    • Director
    • 2005
  • The Musketeer (2001)
    The Musketeer
    • Director
    • 2001
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger in End of Days (1999)
    End of Days
    • Director
    • 1999
  • Black Sabbath: Time Machine
    • Director (filmed sequences)
    • Short
    • 1999
  • The Relic (1997)
    The Relic
    • Director
    • 1997
  • Sudden Death (1995)
    Sudden Death
    • Director
    • 1995
  • Timecop (1994)
    Timecop
    • Director
    • 1994
  • John Ritter and Pam Dawber in Stay Tuned (1992)
    Stay Tuned
    • Director
    • 1992
  • Narrow Margin (1990)
    Narrow Margin
    • Director
    • 1990
  • Sean Connery and Mark Harmon in The Presidio (1988)
    The Presidio
    • Director
    • 1988
  • Running Scared (1986)
    Running Scared
    • Director
    • 1986
  • Kevin Costner, Harvey Keitel, Charlie Sheen, Christopher Lloyd, and John Lithgow in Amazing Stories (1985)
    Amazing Stories
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1985

Cinematographer

  • Jean-Claude Van Damme in Enemies Closer (2013)
    Enemies Closer
    • Cinematographer
    • 2013
  • Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)
    Universal Soldier: Regeneration
    • director of photography
    • 2009
  • Michael Douglas, Jesse Metcalfe, and Amber Tamblyn in Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
    Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
    • director of photography
    • 2009
  • A Sound of Thunder (2005)
    A Sound of Thunder
    • director of photography
    • 2005
  • The Musketeer (2001)
    The Musketeer
    • director of photography
    • 2001
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger in End of Days (1999)
    End of Days
    • director of photography
    • 1999
  • The Relic (1997)
    The Relic
    • director of photography
    • 1997
  • Sudden Death (1995)
    Sudden Death
    • director of photography
    • 1995
  • Timecop (1994)
    Timecop
    • director of photography
    • 1994
  • John Ritter and Pam Dawber in Stay Tuned (1992)
    Stay Tuned
    • director of photography
    • 1992
  • Narrow Margin (1990)
    Narrow Margin
    • director of photography
    • 1990
  • Sean Connery and Mark Harmon in The Presidio (1988)
    The Presidio
    • director of photography
    • 1988
  • Running Scared (1986)
    Running Scared
    • director of photography
    • 1986
  • 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
    2010: The Year We Make Contact
    • director of photography
    • 1984

Writer

  • Michael Douglas, Jesse Metcalfe, and Amber Tamblyn in Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
    Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
    • screenplay
    • 2009
  • Narrow Margin (1990)
    Narrow Margin
    • screenplay
    • 1990
  • 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
    2010: The Year We Make Contact
    • screenplay
    • 1984
  • The Star Chamber (1983)
    The Star Chamber
    • screenplay
    • 1983
  • Sean Connery in Outland (1981)
    Outland
    • written by
    • 1981
  • The Hunter (1980)
    The Hunter
    • screenplay
    • 1980
  • Harrison Ford and Lesley-Anne Down in Hanover Street (1979)
    Hanover Street
    • written by
    • 1979
  • Charles Bronson and Lee Remick in Telefon (1977)
    Telefon
    • screenplay
    • 1977
  • Capricorn One (1977)
    Capricorn One
    • written by
    • 1977
  • Busting (1974)
    Busting
    • written by
    • 1974
  • Goodnight, My Love (1972)
    Goodnight, My Love
    • Writer
    • TV Movie
    • 1972
  • Candice Bergen and Peter Boyle in T.R. Baskin (1971)
    T.R. Baskin
    • written by
    • 1971
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos1

Tales from the Script
Trailer 2:23
Tales from the Script

Personal details

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  • Height
    • 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
  • Born
    • July 26, 1943
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Spouse
    • George-Ann SpotaDecember 19, 1964 - present (3 children)
  • Publicity listings
    • 4 Interviews

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Claims that he has never been invited to join the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) because they "don't like" him and are biased against directors who shoot their own films. In 1996, he said this to Conrad L. Hall, who didn't believe him. After Hall and Haskell Wexler offered to sign recommendations on an application letter for him, the ASC summoned him for a 90-minute interview. Two days later he received a rejection letter in the mail. He keeps it framed on his office wall.
  • Quotes
    I've never done anything that's totally worked for me. It has always been very painful to watch what I've done. Filmmaking, by definition, is a process of failure and because of that I always seem to be looking for the blemishes in my work.
  • Trademarks
      All his movies have a character (usually a minor one) named "Spota."

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