Peter Breck facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Breck
Breck as Clay Culhane with Anna-Lisa as Nora Travers in Black Saddle in 1959
Born	Joseph Peter Breck (1929-03-13)March 13, 1929 Rochester, New York, U.S.
Died	February 6, 2012(2012-02-06) (aged 82) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Alma mater	University of Houston
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1956-2002
Spouse(s)	Diane Breck
Children	1

Peter Breck (born March 13, 1929 – died February 6, 2012) was an American actor. He was known for playing tough, dark-haired characters. You might remember him as the gambler and gunfighter Doc Holliday in the TV show Maverick. He also played Nick Barkley, the hot-tempered middle son of Victoria Barkley (played by Barbara Stanwyck), in the 1960s Western show The Big Valley. Before that, Breck had the main role in another Western TV series called Black Saddle.

Early Life and Family

Growing Up in New York

Joseph Peter Breck was born in Rochester, New York. He grew up with his grandparents in Haverhill, Massachusetts. They felt they could give him a more stable home. This was because his father, a jazz musician, traveled a lot. Peter later studied English and drama at the University of Houston.

Family Connections

Peter's father was Joe Breck, a bandleader known as "The Prince of Pep." His band even included the famous trombone player Jerry Colonna. Peter's parents divorced when he was eight. Peter lived with his father, and his younger brother George lived with their mother. This led to them being separated for many years. In 1959, a photo showed the brothers together again. They had not seen each other for 22 years! George recognized Peter on TV and went to his studio to confirm they were brothers.

Acting Career

Starting Out in Show Business

After serving in the United States Navy in the 1940s, Peter Breck played professional basketball for the Rochester Royals. This was during the 1948–49 season. He then worked on a ranch while studying drama. His first movie role was in a film called The Beatniks in 1958.

Peter also performed in live theater. He had many guest roles on popular TV shows. These included Sea Hunt, Wagon Train, Have Gun – Will Travel, Perry Mason, and Gunsmoke. In 1956, he appeared with David Janssen in the show Sheriff of Cochise. He also appeared in Gray Ghost, a show about the American Civil War.

Moving to Hollywood

Actor Robert Mitchum saw Peter Breck in a play. He then offered Peter a role in his 1958 movie Thunder Road. Mitchum helped Peter move to Los Angeles, California. Mitchum even lent Peter his Jaguar car because Peter didn't have his own. Mitchum also introduced Peter to Dick Powell. This led to Peter appearing in the Western show Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre.

In 1958, Peter appeared in an episode of Tombstone Territory and Highway Patrol. He was also in an episode of NBC's The Restless Gun. He played a cowboy in Gunsmoke and a bad guy in Wagon Train.

From 1959 to 1960, Peter Breck starred as Clay Culhane in the ABC Western Black Saddle. His character was a gunfighter who became a lawyer. In this role, Peter was calm and thoughtful, very different from his later role in The Big Valley.

Peter also worked for Warner Bros. Television. He played Doc Holliday on Maverick. He appeared in other ABC/Warner Bros. shows like Cheyenne, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Roaring Twenties. He even played a young Theodore Roosevelt in an episode of Bronco in 1961.

Peter's first main role in a film was Lad, A Dog (1962). The next year, he starred in Shock Corridor and the science fiction horror film The Crawling Hand. He also appeared in the movie The Glory Guys. Between 1963 and 1965, he made three guest appearances on Perry Mason. He also appeared on shows like Mr. Novak, The Outer Limits, Bonanza, and The Virginian.

Starring in The Big Valley

The Big Valley cast with Breck at far right

From 1965 to 1969, Peter Breck starred in The Big Valley. He played Nick Barkley, the foreman of the Barkley ranch. Nick was the second of four children of Victoria Barkley. His character was quick to anger, short-tempered, and very fast with a gun. He often wore leather gloves and was always ready for a fight. Nick would get upset easily if someone disrespected the Barkley name. He often used his fists or loud shouts to show his anger. Sometimes, this caused more problems. His mother and calmer siblings, Jarrod (Richard Long), Heath (Lee Majors), Audra (Linda Evans), and Eugene (Charles Briles), would help fix things. Peter Breck admired Barbara Stanwyck (who played his mother) since he was a teenager. They had a great connection on and off screen. He stayed close to her until she passed away.

After The Big Valley

In the 1970s and 1980s, Peter Breck mostly had guest roles on TV shows. These included Alias Smith and Jones, Mission: Impossible, McMillan & Wife, S.W.A.T., and The Six Million Dollar Man (again with Lee Majors). He also appeared on The Incredible Hulk and The Dukes of Hazzard. He played himself on Fantasy Island and The Fall Guy.

In the mid-1980s, Peter moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with his wife Diane and their son, Christopher. A casting director asked him to teach acting classes to young actors. This led to him opening his own full-time acting school, The Breck Academy. He ran the school for 10 years. In 1990, Peter appeared in the Canadian movie Terminal City Ricochet.

In 1991, he played Sham-Ir, the chief of all genies, in the TV movie I Still Dream of Jeannie. This movie reunited I Dream of Jeannie stars Barbara Eden and Bill Daily. In the 1993 movie The Unnamable II: The Statement of Randolph Carter, Peter played Sheriff Hatch. In 1996, he was in an episode of the new version of The Outer Limits. He also voiced Farmer Brown in an episode of The New Batman Adventures in 1998. His last TV role was in an episode of John Doe in 2002.

Personal Life

Peter Breck married dancer Diane Bourne in 1960. They had one son, Christopher.

Later Years and Death

In June 2010, Peter's wife Diane shared that he was suffering from dementia. This meant he could no longer sign autographs, but he still enjoyed reading letters from fans. Peter Breck passed away on February 6, 2012, in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was 82 years old.

Partial Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Peter Breck para niños