Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
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
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 7 nominations total

    Photos4

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster

    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
    Jean-Claude Van Damme in Timecop (1994)
    Timecop
    5.9
    • Director
    • 1994
    The Relic (1997)
    The Relic
    5.8
    • Director
    • 1997

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Director



    • Jean-Claude Van Damme in Enemies Closer (2013)
      Enemies Closer
      5.1
      • Director
      • 2013
    • Michael Douglas, Jesse Metcalfe, and Amber Tamblyn in Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
      Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
      5.8
      • Director
      • 2009
    • Brent Spiner, Charles S. Dutton, Carla Gugino, Rob Benedict, Peter Dinklage, and Brian Van Holt in Threshold (2005)
      Threshold
      7.2
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2005
    • A Sound of Thunder (2005)
      A Sound of Thunder
      4.2
      • Director
      • 2005
    • The Musketeer (2001)
      The Musketeer
      4.8
      • Director
      • 2001
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger in End of Days (1999)
      End of Days
      5.8
      • Director
      • 1999
    • Black Sabbath: Time Machine
      7.2
      Short
      • Director (filmed sequences)
      • 1999
    • The Relic (1997)
      The Relic
      5.8
      • Director
      • 1997
    • Jean-Claude Van Damme in Sudden Death (1995)
      Sudden Death
      5.9
      • Director
      • 1995
    • Jean-Claude Van Damme in Timecop (1994)
      Timecop
      5.9
      • Director
      • 1994
    • John Ritter, Pam Dawber, David Tom, and Heather McComb in Stay Tuned (1992)
      Stay Tuned
      6.3
      • Director
      • 1992
    • Narrow Margin (1990)
      Narrow Margin
      6.6
      • Director
      • 1990
    • Sean Connery and Mark Harmon in The Presidio (1988)
      The Presidio
      6.0
      • Director
      • 1988
    • Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines in Running Scared (1986)
      Running Scared
      6.5
      • Director
      • 1986
    • Kevin Costner, Harvey Keitel, Charlie Sheen, Christopher Lloyd, and John Lithgow in Amazing Stories (1985)
      Amazing Stories
      7.4
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 1985

    Cinematographer



    • Jean-Claude Van Damme in Enemies Closer (2013)
      Enemies Closer
      5.1
      • Cinematographer
      • 2013
    • Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Andrei Arlovski in Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)
      Universal Soldier: Regeneration
      5.3
      • director of photography
      • 2009
    • Michael Douglas, Jesse Metcalfe, and Amber Tamblyn in Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
      Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
      5.8
      • director of photography
      • 2009
    • A Sound of Thunder (2005)
      A Sound of Thunder
      4.2
      • director of photography
      • 2005
    • The Musketeer (2001)
      The Musketeer
      4.8
      • director of photography
      • 2001
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger in End of Days (1999)
      End of Days
      5.8
      • director of photography
      • 1999
    • The Relic (1997)
      The Relic
      5.8
      • director of photography
      • 1997
    • Jean-Claude Van Damme in Sudden Death (1995)
      Sudden Death
      5.9
      • director of photography
      • 1995
    • Jean-Claude Van Damme in Timecop (1994)
      Timecop
      5.9
      • director of photography
      • 1994
    • John Ritter, Pam Dawber, David Tom, and Heather McComb in Stay Tuned (1992)
      Stay Tuned
      6.3
      • director of photography
      • 1992
    • Narrow Margin (1990)
      Narrow Margin
      6.6
      • director of photography
      • 1990
    • Sean Connery and Mark Harmon in The Presidio (1988)
      The Presidio
      6.0
      • director of photography
      • 1988
    • Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines in Running Scared (1986)
      Running Scared
      6.5
      • director of photography
      • 1986
    • 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
      2010: The Year We Make Contact
      6.7
      • director of photography
      • 1984

    Writer



    • Michael Douglas, Jesse Metcalfe, and Amber Tamblyn in Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
      Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
      5.8
      • screenplay
      • 2009
    • Narrow Margin (1990)
      Narrow Margin
      6.6
      • screenplay
      • 1990
    • 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
      2010: The Year We Make Contact
      6.7
      • written for the screen by
      • 1984
    • The Star Chamber (1983)
      The Star Chamber
      6.3
      • screenplay
      • 1983
    • Sean Connery in Outland (1981)
      Outland
      6.6
      • written by
      • 1981
    • The Hunter (1980)
      The Hunter
      6.2
      • screenplay
      • 1980
    • Harrison Ford and Lesley-Anne Down in Hanover Street (1979)
      Hanover Street
      6.0
      • written by
      • 1979
    • Charles Bronson and Lee Remick in Telefon (1977)
      Telefon
      6.5
      • screenplay
      • 1977
    • Karen Black and Telly Savalas in Capricorn One (1977)
      Capricorn One
      6.8
      • written by
      • 1977
    • Elliott Gould and Robert Blake in Busting (1974)
      Busting
      6.4
      • written by
      • 1974
    • Goodnight, My Love (1972)
      Goodnight, My Love
      6.7
      TV Movie
      • Writer
      • 1972
    • Candice Bergen and Peter Boyle in T.R. Baskin (1971)
      T.R. Baskin
      6.4
      • written by
      • 1971

    Videos1

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

    Personal details

    Edit
    • 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."

    FAQ8

    Powered by Alexa
    • How old is Peter Hyams?
    • When was Peter Hyams born?
    • Where was Peter Hyams born?

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.