Jon Peters facts for kids

John H. Peters (born June 2, 1945) is an American film producer and a former hairdresser. He is known for producing many popular movies.

Early Life and Beginnings

John H. Peters was born on June 2, 1945, in Van Nuys, California. His family background includes Cherokee (from his father) and Italian (from his mother). When he was eight, his father passed away. At 12, he was sent to a special school for a year.

As a child, Peters had a small role as an extra in the 1956 movie The Ten Commandments.

When he was 14, Peters left home and moved to New York City. There, he started working as a hairdresser. Later, he returned to Los Angeles and opened his own hair salons. He eventually took over his uncles' salon on Rodeo Drive, a famous street.

In the early 1970s, he met singer and actress Barbra Streisand. He designed a short wig for her to wear in her 1974 movie For Pete's Sake. Peters and Streisand then started a relationship. He helped produce her music album ButterFly in 1974. He also produced her movie A Star Is Born in 1976.

Career in Film Production

Jon Peters worked with a company called the Jon Peters Organization. He later joined PolyGram Pictures in 1980. In 1982, he left to form The Guber-Peters Company with Peter Guber.

Peters and Guber worked together for ten years. They even led Sony Pictures from 1989 to 1991. In 1991, Peters started his own company, Peters Entertainment. This company made movies for Sony and later for Warner Bros..

Working on Superman Films

In the early 1990s, Peters bought the rights to make movies about the superhero Superman from Warner Bros. Filmmaker Kevin Smith shared stories about working with Peters on a new Superman movie script. This movie was first called Superman Reborn and later Superman Lives.

According to Smith, Peters had some unusual ideas for Superman. He reportedly wanted Superman to never fly or wear his famous costume. Peters also suggested Sean Penn for the role. He also wanted a big fight scene between Superman and a giant spider at the end of the movie. Peters later produced the 1999 film Wild Wild West, which did feature a giant mechanical spider.

Peters also produced Superman Returns in 2006, which was directed by Bryan Singer. He was also an executive producer for Man of Steel in 2013, directed by Zack Snyder. Peters has said that producer Christopher Nolan did not want him on the Man of Steel set.

Challenges with The Sandman

Peters was also a producer for a planned movie based on Sandman comics. This movie faced many delays starting in 2001. The creator of Sandman, Neil Gaiman, said that the movie scripts Peters was involved with were not good. Gaiman mentioned that Peters wanted to add "fistfights" and a "giant mechanical spider" to the Sandman story, which did not fit the original comics.

Personal Life

Jon Peters has been married four times. He has four children from his marriages. His first marriage was to Henrietta Zampitella when he was 16.

In 1967, he married actress Lesley Ann Warren. They had a son named Christopher. They divorced in 1975.

From 1973 to 1982, Peters had a well-known relationship with Barbra Streisand. She later became the godmother to his two daughters with Christine Forsyth.

Peters married Christine Forsyth in 1987. They had two daughters, Skye and Caleigh. They divorced in 1993.

In 2001, Peters married Mindy Williamson, who breeds Arabian horses. They have a daughter named Kendyl. They divorced in 2004 but reunited for some years after.

Filmography

Producer unless otherwise noted.

Film

Executive Producer

• Die Laughing (1980)
• Caddyshack (1980)
• An American Werewolf in London (1981)
• Missing (1982) (Uncredited)
• Flashdance (1983)
• D.C. Cab (1983)
• The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)
• Clue (1985)
• The Color Purple (1985)
• Head Office (1985)
• The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)
• Youngblood (1986)
• Innerspace (1987)
• Who's That Girl (1987)
• Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
• Missing Link (1988)
• Rain Man (1988)
• The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
• Batman Returns (1992)
• This Boy's Life (1993)
• With Honors (1994)
• Man of Steel (2013)

Producer

• A Star Is Born (1976)
• Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)
• The Main Event (1979)
• Six Weeks (1982)
• Vision Quest (1985)
• The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
• Caddyshack II (1988)
• Batman (1989)
• Tango & Cash (1989)
• Money Train (1995)
• My Fellow Americans (1996)
• Rosewood (1997)
• Wild Wild West (1999)
• Ali (2001)
• Superman Returns (2006)
• A Star Is Born (2018)

Other Film Roles

Television Work