Melvin Van Peebles, The Godfather of Modern Black Cinema
Melvin Van Peebles was considered the Godfather of Modern Black Cinema. He was a multi-talented filmmaker, actor, author, composer and playwright. He was born on August 21, 1932 on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. Van Peebles received a B.A. degree in literature from Ohio Wesleyan University. He joined the United States Air Force, where he was a flight navigator on a B-47 bomber.
Van Peebles traveled abroad where he lived and studied in several countries. He studied astronomy at the University of Amsterdam and studied acting at the Dutch National Theater in the Netherlands..
Melvin Van Peebles, Filmmaker
In France Van Peebles focused on his filmmaking. His debut film, The Story of the Three-Day Pass was selected as the French entry in the 1968 San Francisco Film Festival. The success of the film helped Van Peebles obtain a movie deal with Columbia Pictures.
Melvin Van Peebles, “Blaxploitation” Films
Melvin Van Peebles independent film, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song is considered by many among his best known works. He received criticism from an NAACP leader who claimed he was producing “Blaxploitation” films. Van Peebles agreed, but countered the criticism by saying that he was challenging the “false Black images”
Filmmaker, Actor, Writer, Composer
Melvin Van Peeble films include Don’t Play Us Cheap, Identity Crisis, and Gang in Blue, in which his son, Mario Van Peeples plays a lead role. Melvin Van Peebles has worked with his son on several film projects. He appeared in his son’s movie Panther. Melvin Van Peeples also wrote and co-produced the movie.
Melvin Van Peebles, Author and Playwright
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Melvin Van Peebles displayed his acting skills in several other films, including in the movie O.C. and Stiggs. He also wrote several novels and short stories; and he is an accomplished playwright and composer with several hit Broadway plays under his belt. His play, Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death received critical acclaim; and his hit Broadway play. Don’t Play Us Cheap, was nominated for a Tony Award.
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Groundbreaker Awards and Accolades
Melvin Van Peebles received numerous other awards and accolades, including a Grammy and a Drama Desk Award. He received the Children’s Live-Action Humanitas Prize for The Day They Came to Arrest the Book in 1987, and in 1999, he was awarded the Chicago Underground Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Melvin Van Peebles passed away on September 21, 2021. He was 89 years of age.
Sources for this article:
The Historymakers.com
Melvin Van Peebles Champion of the New Black Cinema, The NYTimes.com, 9/22/21