Date of Birth

Birth Name

Nickname

Height

Mini Biography

Peter Weller is the youngest son of a career Army helicopter pilot. He was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin but traveled extensively as his father literally flew around the world. Before he was out of his teens, he had attended high schools in Heidelberg, Germany and San Antonio, Texas, then enrolled the University of North Texas -- attracted by the chance of playing trumpet in one of the college's celebrated jazz bands.

Music is in his family. Three generations on his mother's side were piano players and jazz is still his overriding interest. Ask him who his favorite performer in any art form is and he'll say Miles Davis. It was with a B.A. in Theatre and a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts that he left Texas for New York. Two weeks after graduating, he made his first appearance on Broadway as David in Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival production of David Rabe's "Sticks and Bones", a role he repeated on the London stage. While a student of legendary actress and drama coach, Uta Hagen, Weller appeared on and off Broadway in works like William Inge's "Summer Brave", Thomas Babe's "Rebel Women" and "Full Circle", one of the last plays directed by Otto Preminger.

He began garnering critical acclaim with his portrayal of Billie Wilson in "Streamers", directed by Mike Nichols for Joseph Papp at Lincoln Center. He continued that success with his performances as Cliff in "The Woolgatherer" and as Nick in the first American production of David Mamet's "The Woods". During this period, he became a member of the highly respected Actor's Studio, under the aegis of Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg.

Weller's film debut was in Richard Lester's Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979). He then co-starred with Alan King and Ali MacGraw in Sidney Lumet's Just Tell Me What You Want (1980) and, with Albert Finney and Diane Keaton, in Alan Parker's Shoot the Moon (1982). Other film credits include Firstborn (1984) with Teri Garr, the HBO made-for-TV Apology (1986) (TV), co-starring Lesley Ann Warren, and Of Unknown Origin (1983), the film which won Weller the Best Actor award at the Paris International Film Festival for his performance as an upwardly mobile bachelor with a serious rat problem. That same film also marked his first association with Leviathan (1989) director George P. Cosmatos.

Spouse

Trade Mark

Deep, almost metallic voice.

Steely blue eyes.

Trivia

Graduated from Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio, Texas, in 1965.

In a jazz band with actor Jeff Goldblum (they were also in a band together in the movie The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)) - they perform at local clubs in LA.

Graduated from the University of North Texas in 1969.

Weller and RoboCop (1987) co-star Nancy Allen were both born on June 24th, three years apart (Weller was born in 1947, Allen was born in 1950).

Due to his work schedule on Naked Lunch (1991), he was unable to reprise the role of RoboCop in RoboCop 3 (1993).

Second cousin of Space Shuttle pilot David Lovett.

Fan of cigar smoking, which got him into a heavy argument once in an outdoor restaurant. Though he remains defensive about his right to smoke, he has since then either put out his cigar or gone elsewhere when asked to do so.

Was once engaged to actress Sela Ward.

Was chosen to play the lead character in RoboCop (1987) because of his slender build. The producers feared that having a large actor would require too big a suit that would look ridiculous, and insisted on a thinner actor. Weller found he sweated so much weight off in the suit that a fan had to be built into it.

He teaches a literature and fine arts class at Syracuse University. He can be seen on The History Channel's new documentary on Roman engineering.

He holds a master's degree in Roman and Renaissance art and is working toward a Ph.D. One of Syracuse University's most popular professors.

Says that he has never seen RoboCop 3 (1993).

He was considered for the role of Nick Curran in Basic Instinct (1992). Michael Douglas was cast instead.

Was at one stage attached to appear in AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) in a cameo as John Yutani, the other half of the infamous "Weyland-Yutani" Company from the "Alien" films.

Is a huge fan of the hit show "24" (2001), in which he played Jack Bauer's nemesis Christopher Henderson.

Is a serious runner who finished the New York Marathon in 1986 in three hours and forty minutes.

Cousin of actor Fred Weller (their fathers are brothers).

Personal Quotes

[On the enduring popularity of RoboCop (1987)] "It was my contribution to cinema".

[Talking about Robocop 2]: "There was a couple of things that made the character more human that weren't used. I can't remember exactly what the scenes were, I just remember wondering why they weren't in."

[On turning down the third Robocop film]: "I have to say it didn't quite have the third great act that Robocop 1 had, and by the time I was into the second one I knew I was tired of it, plus David Cronenberg had asked me to do Naked Lunch with him, so I was happy to do it, and was happy to be gone."

[Further talking about Robocop]: "Aside from the action-adventure, the corruption, corporate machinery gone berserk and so on, the heart of all this is a morality tale. It's like Beauty and the Beast, or the Tin Man of The Wizard of Oz. It's a great little jewel of a human story."

[Talking about making the original Robocop (1987)]: "When I was making it, I knew it was going to be a great thing, but you never know whether they are going to be successful or not. I knew we where making a fantastic social allegory, and, I don't want to sound pretentious, a spiritual one as well."

"The best reason to go to the movies is to be with other people. Eating the popcorn, being with other people you don't know. You see, when people are rubbin' up against other people like that, under the environs of being entertained or communicated with, humanity's better off. People expand themselves, they get out of themselves. Love. Television doesn't do that. Television is an isolating experience, sadly enough. I'm sorry to say it. But as good as it ever gets, it's still isolating. You sit in your home and visit with no one. You drink your beer, eat your popcorn and be alone, that's what you do. With movies, you gotta get out, man. You gotta get out and be with people. And that's the best thing and that's the responsibility. Once people are out and in a movie theater, then you can inform them about themselves."

"To inform. That's it, to inform and entertain. But then only to inform. That means to expand an audience's sense of humanity. That's all." (on an actor's responsibility to his audience)

... Kurtwood Smith, Peter Weller

... With No Name - Peter Weller