Peter Hedges
Peter Hedges | |
|---|---|
| Born | Peter Simpson Hedges July 6, 1962 West Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Occupation |
|
| Education | University of North Carolina School of the Arts (BFA) |
| Period | 1984–present |
| Notable works | What's Eating Gilbert Grape (novel, 1991) Dan in Real Life (film, 2007) |
| Spouse |
Susan Bruce Titman (m. 1993) |
| Children | 2, including Lucas |
| Website | |
| peterhedgeswriter | |
Peter Simpson Hedges (born July 6, 1962) is an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, film director and film producer.
Early life
Hedges was born in West Des Moines, Iowa, where he was raised, the son of Carole (Simpson), a psychotherapist, and the Rev. Robert Boyden Hedges, an Episcopal priest.[1][2] His mother left when he was young so he was raised by his single father. He attended Valley High School, where he was involved in the theater department, including the improvisational group and the mime troupe, The Bakers Dozen. He later went to the North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied drama.
Career
Hedges' novel What's Eating Gilbert Grape was adapted into a critically acclaimed movie of the same title, for which he wrote the screenplay, launching his film career.
In 2002, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for About a Boy, alongside Chris and Paul Weitz. In the same year, he wrote and directed Pieces of April, starring Katie Holmes, which he dedicated to his mother.
In 2007, he co-wrote and directed Dan in Real Life.
He wrote and directed The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012), a film conceived by Ahmet Zappa, produced by Zappa and Scott Sanders, and released by Walt Disney Pictures.[3] In 2018, he wrote and directed the drama Ben Is Back, about drug addiction, starring his son Lucas Hedges, and Julia Roberts.
His latest novel The Heights was published March 4, 2010 by Dutton.
Personal life
His wife is Susan Bruce (Titman), a poet. They have two sons; Simon, who works in private equity[4] in New York, and actor Lucas Hedges.
Filmography
- What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) (writer)
- A Map of the World (1999) (writer)
- About a Boy (2002) (writer)
- Pieces of April (2003) (writer and director)
- Dan in Real Life (2007) (co-writer and director)
- The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) (co-writer and director)
- Ben Is Back (2018) (writer, director and producer)
- The Same Storm (2021) (writer and director)
Plays
- Oregon (1984)
- Champions of the Average Joe (1985)
- The Age of Pie (1986)
- Andy and Claire (1986)
- Teddy by the Sea (1986)
- Imagining Brad (1988)
- Baby Anger (1993)
- What's Eating Gilbert Grape (Musical) (2024)
Novels
- What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1991)
- An Ocean in Iowa (1998)
- The Heights (2010)
References
- ^ a b "WEDDINGS; Susan B. Titman, Peter S. Hedges (Published 1993)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-07-11.
- ^ "Robert Hedges Obituary (1925 - 2014) - San Angelo, IA - the Des Moines Register". Legacy.com.
- ^ Borys Kit, "Hedges on tap for Zappa's 'Odd' movie idea," Reuters.com
- ^ GQ, The Long Adolescence of Lucas Hedges
External links
- Peter Hedges at IMDb
- 1962 births
- 20th-century American novelists
- 21st-century American novelists
- American male novelists
- American male screenwriters
- Living people
- Writers from Des Moines, Iowa
- University of North Carolina School of the Arts alumni
- 20th-century American male writers
- 21st-century American male writers
- Novelists from Iowa
- Film directors from Iowa
- Screenwriters from Iowa