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Peter Weller
Peter Weller 2016.jpg
Weller at Paradise City Comic Con in 2016
Born
Peter Francis Weller

(1947-06-24) June 24, 1947 (age 78)
Education
Occupation
  • Actor
  • television director
Years active 1973–present
Spouse(s)
Shari Stowe
(m. 2006)
Children 1
Scientific career
Thesis Alberti Before Florence: Early Sources Informing Leon Battista Alberti's De Pictura
 (2014)
Doctoral advisor Charlene Villaseñor Black

Peter Francis Weller (born June 24, 1947) is an American actor and television director. He is famous for playing the main character in the movies RoboCop (1987) and RoboCop 2 (1990). He also appeared in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).

Besides acting, Peter Weller has directed many TV shows. He also hosted the show Engineering an Empire on the History Channel. He even has a special degree called a Ph.D. in Italian Renaissance Art History from UCLA.

Early Life and Education

Peter Weller was born on June 24, 1947, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. His mother, Dorothy Jean, was a homemaker. His father, Frederick Bradford Weller, was a lawyer, a federal judge, and a helicopter pilot for the United States Army.

Because his father was in the army, Peter lived in different places when he was a kid. He lived in West Germany for several years. Later, his family moved to Texas, where he went to Alamo Heights High School and graduated in 1965.

Peter Weller went to North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas). He played the trumpet in a band there. In 1969, he earned a degree in Theatre. After that, he studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Later in life, Peter Weller went back to school. In 2004, he got a Master of Arts degree in Roman and Renaissance Art from Syracuse University. He even taught classes about ancient history there sometimes. In 2007, he started working on his Ph.D. at UCLA. He studied Italian Renaissance Art History, which is about art from a very creative time in Italy's past. He earned his doctorate degree in 2014.

Acting Career Highlights

Peter Weller has had a long career in movies, TV, and on stage.

Stage Performances

Peter Weller started his acting career on stage in the 1970s. He performed on Broadway, which is a famous theater district in New York City. One of his early plays was Full Circle. He also became a member of the Actors Studio, a place where actors train and work together.

In 2006, he played the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright in a play called Frank's Home in Chicago.

Film Roles

Peter Weller has acted in more than 50 movies. He is most famous for playing the main character in the science fiction action film RoboCop (1987). In this movie, he plays a police officer who becomes a cyborg (part human, part robot). He also starred in the sequel, RoboCop 2 (1990).

Other notable film roles include:

  • The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
  • Mighty Aphrodite (1995), directed by Woody Allen
  • Screamers (1995), a science-fiction film
  • Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), where he played Admiral Alexander Marcus
Peter Weller (cropped)
Weller at the Texas Theater in Dallas, Texas, in 2012

Television Appearances

Peter Weller has appeared in many television series. He was the host of Engineering an Empire on the History Channel from 2005 to 2007. This show explored how ancient civilizations built amazing structures.

He also had important roles in popular TV shows like:

  • 24 (2006), where he played Christopher Henderson
  • Dexter (2010), as Stan Liddy
  • Sons of Anarchy (2013-2014), as Charles "Charlie" Barosky
  • Longmire (2012-2017), where he was both an actor and a director
  • The Last Ship (2017), as Dr. Paul Vellek

Directing Work

Besides acting, Peter Weller is also a talented director for television. He has directed episodes for many well-known shows, including:

  • Homicide: Life on the Street
  • Monk
  • Sons of Anarchy (eleven episodes)
  • Longmire
  • Hawaii Five-0
  • MacGyver
  • Magnum P.I.

Voice Acting

Peter Weller has also lent his voice to animated projects and video games. He voiced Bruce Wayne / Batman in the animated movie The Dark Knight Returns (2012–2013). He also returned to voice RoboCop in commercials for KFC and in the video games Mortal Kombat 11 (2019) and RoboCop: Rogue City (2023).

Personal Life

On June 24, 2006, which was his 59th birthday, Peter Weller married his longtime girlfriend, actress Shari Stowe. They got married in Positano, Italy. Peter and Shari have one son.

Awards and Nominations

Peter Weller has been recognized for his acting work:

  • (1988) Nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actor for RoboCop
  • (1994) Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for his short film Partners, which he also directed and wrote.
  • (2002) Nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for Ivans XTC

Filmography

Feature Film Roles

Year Title Role Notes
1979 Butch and Sundance: The Early Days Joe LeFors
1980 Just Tell Me What You Want Steven Routledge
1982 Shoot the Moon Frank Henderson
1983 Of Unknown Origin Bart Hughes Paris Film Festival for Best Actor
1984 The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Dr. Buckaroo Banzai
Firstborn Sam
1986 A Killing Affair Baston Morris
1987 RoboCop Alex Murphy / RoboCop Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Actor
1988 The Tunnel Juan Pablo Castel
Shakedown Roland Dalton
1989 Leviathan Steven Beck
Cat Chaser George Moran
1990 RoboCop 2 Alex Murphy / RoboCop
1991 Road to Ruin Jack Sloan
1992 Fifty/Fifty Jake Wyer
1993 Sunset Grill Ryder Hart
1994 The New Age Peter Witner
1995 Beyond the Clouds Husband
Screamers Commander Joseph A. Hendricksson
Mighty Aphrodite Jerry Bender
Decoy Baxter
1998 Top of the World Ray Mercer
1999 Diplomatic Siege Steve Mitchell
2000 Shadow Hours Stuart Chappell
Falling Through Lou
Contaminated Man Joseph Müller
Ivans Xtc Don West Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male
2001 Styx Nelson Direct-to-video
2003 The Order Cardinal Driscoll
2005 Man of God Rabbi
Undiscovered Wick Treadway
2006 The Hard Easy Ed Koster
2007 Prey Tom Newman
Dating Vietnam Jack Newton
2010 Once Fallen Eddie
2011 Forced to Fight Danny "Danny G"
2012 Dragon Eyes Police Chief Victor "Mr. V" Swan
2012–2013 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Bruce Wayne / Batman (voice) Direct-to-video
2013 Repentance Meyer
Star Trek Into Darkness Admiral Alexander Marcus
2015 Skin Trade Captain Costello
2017 Yamasong: March of the Hollows Brujt
2022 In Search of Tomorrow Himself Documentary

Television Film Roles

Year Title Role Notes
1973 The Man Without a Country Lieutenant Fellows
1975 The Silence "Red" Sash
1983 Kentucky Woman Deke Cullover
1983 Two Kinds of Love Joe Farley
1986 Apology Rad Hungate
1990 Rainbow Drive Mike Gallagher
1994 Partners Doctor Short film; also Director and Writer
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
The Substitute Wife Martin Hightower
Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee Uncredited
1995 Present Tense, Past Perfect Charles
1997 End of Summer Theo Remmington
1997 Gold Coast Director and executive producer
1998 Tower of the Firstborn John Shannon
2000 Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula Father Stefan
2005 The Poseidon Adventure Captain Paul Gallico

Television Series Roles

Year Title Role(s) Channel Notes
1977 Lou Grant Donald Stryker CBS Episode: "Nazi"
1995–1996 Homicide: Life on the Street NBC Director
Episodes: "Hate Crimes"
"White Lies"
1997 Michael Hayes CBS Director
Episode: "The Doctor's Tale"
2002–2003 Odyssey 5 Chuck Taggart Space 19 (20) episodes
2005 Star Trek: Enterprise John Frederick Paxton UPN Episodes:
  • "Demons"
  • "Terra Prime"
2005–2007 Engineering an Empire History Channel Host (14 episodes)
2006 Monk USA Network Director
Episode: "Mr. Monk, Private Eye"
2006 Monk Actor Playing Stottlemeyer USA Network Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Actor"
2006 24 Christopher Henderson Fox 11 episodes
2007 Las Vegas NBC Director
Episode: "A Cannon Carol"
2010 Fringe Scientist Alistair Peck Fox Episode: "White Tulip"
2010 Psych Mr. Yin USA Network Episode: "Yang 3 in 2D", also provided voice for Yin in "Mr. Yin Presents"
2010 Dexter Stan Liddy Showtime 8 episodes
2013–2014 Sons of Anarchy Charlie Barosky FX 10 episodes
2012 House Dr. Penza Fox Episode: "Post Mortem"
Also director
2012 The Mob Doctor Fox Director
Episode: "Confessions"
2012–2017 Longmire Lucian Connally A&E
Netflix
Also director
4 episodes
2013 Hawaii Five-0 Curt Stoner CBS Episode: "Hookman"
2013–2018 Hawaii Five-0 CBS Director
15 episodes
2014 The Strain FX Director
3 episodes
2014–2015 Under the Dome CBS Director
Episode: "The Red Door" (2014)
Episode: "But I'm Not" (2015)
2015 Justified FX Director
Episode: "Noblesse Oblige"
2015–2018 The Last Ship Dr. Paul Vellek TNT 8 episodes as director
Recurring role in season 4
2015–2016 Tyrant FX Director
Episode: "Zanjir"
Episode: "Bedfellows"
Episode: "How to Live"
2015 Sleepy Hollow Fox Director
Episode: "I, Witness"
2015–2016 Salem WGN America Director
Episode: "The Dark Wine Sea"
Episode: "Wednesday's Child"
2016 Rush Hour CBS Director
Episode: "Two Days or The Number of Hours Within the Time Frame"
2016 Outsiders WGN America Director
Episode: "Long Live the Bre'lin"
2016 Game of Silence NBC Director
Episode: "Road Trip"
2017 Shades of Blue NBC Director
Episode: "Fracture"
Episode: "House Divided"
2018–2021 MacGyver Elliot Mason CBS Director — 3 episodes
Actor — 3 episodes
2018 Forever The Traveler Amazon Prime 2 episodes
2018 Mr. Mercedes Audience Director
Episode: "Andale"
2018–2019 Mayans MC FX Director
Episode: "Rata/Ch'o"
Episode: "Tohil"
2018–2021 Magnum P.I. CBS Director
5 episodes
2020 JJ Villard's Fairy Tales Sergeant Hardcop Adult Swim Voice; 2 episodes
2022 Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities Lionel Lassiter Netflix Episode: "The Viewing"
2023 Rabbit Hole Crowley Paramount+ 3 episodes
2024 Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Dr. Stern (voice) Disney Channel Episode: "In the Heist"

Video Game Voice Roles

Year Title Voice role Note(s)
2005 Codename: Panzers – Phase Two Jeffrey S. Wilson
2014 Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff RoboCop
2016 Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Caleb Thies "Know your enemy" trailer only, uncredited
2017 Wilson's Heart Robert Wilson
2020 Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath RoboCop
2023 RoboCop: Rogue City RoboCop

See also

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