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Peter Yates

Highest Rated: 100% The Dresser (1983)

Lowest Rated: 0% Year of the Comet (1992)

Birthday: Jul 24, 1929

Birthplace: Aldershot, Hampshire, England, UK

British director Peter Yates was known in the first half of his career as an action director, but later transitioned into character-driven films such as "Breaking Away" and "The Dresser." Yates made his feature directing debut in 1963 with the Cliff Richard romp "Summer Holiday," but moved on to U.K. television action fare, helming several episodes of "The Saint" and "Secret Agent," as well as "Robbery," a 1967 feature version of the "Great Train Robbery." His first Hollywood gig was the Steve McQueen classic "Bullitt," which won two Oscar nominations and was a major box office and critical hit. In the 1970s, Yates added comedy to his repertoire with Robert Redford caper flick "The Hot Rock" and Barbra Streisand screwball farce "For Pete's Sake," but the unlikely 1979 hit "Breaking Away," about a group of "townie" teen boys in an Indiana college town, one of whom is obsessed with bicycle racing, brought Yates new respect and his first Best Director Oscar nomination. Even more acclaimed was 1983's "The Dresser," a character study starring Albert Finney as a doddering actor and Tom Courtenay as the assistant trying to coax his charge through a performance of "King Lear" during the London Blitz. The movie was nominated for five Oscars, five Golden Globes, and seven BAFTA Film Awards. 2004's television movie "A Separate Peace," based on the novel by John Knowles, marked Yates' last outing as a director. He succumbed to a long illness and passed away in 2011.

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Highest-Rated Movies

100% 86% The Dresser Watchlist 98% 86% The Friends of Eddie Coyle Watchlist 98% 85% Bullitt Watchlist 95% 88% Breaking Away Watchlist 86% 86% A Taste of Honey Watchlist 83% 76% Eleni Watchlist 83% 67% The Hot Rock Watchlist 80% 75% Robbery Watchlist 75% 29% The House on Carroll Street Watchlist 73% 40% Eyewitness Watchlist
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Peter Yates

Peter Yates THE DRESSER, producer and director Peter Yates, Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, 1983, ©Columbia / THE RUN OF THE COUNTRY, director Peter Yates, Victoria Smurfit, Matt Keeslar, on set, 1995. (c)Columbia Pictures THE DRESSER, director Peter Yates, Albert Finney on set, 1983, (c) Columbia BULLITT, Peter Yates, director, Steve McQueen, 1968 SUMMER HOLIDAY, from left: Cliff Richard, director Peter Yates, Lauri Peters on set, 1963, summerholiday1962-fsct12(summerholiday1962-fsct12) KRULL, Ken Marshall, director Peter Yates. 1983, ©Columbia Pictures / BREAKING AWAY, Director Peter Yates, 1979 BREAKING AWAY, Peter Yates directs Dennis Christopher and Paul Dooley, 1979 BREAKING AWAY, director Peter Yates, 1979 View more photos

Filmography

Movies TV Shows
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A Separate Peace 60% 43% 2004 Director Don Quixote 38% 2000 Director Don Quijote 2000 Director Curtain Call 1998 Director The Run of the Country 50% 78% 1995 Director, Producer Roommates 31% 56% 1995 Director Needful Things 35% 44% 1993 Executive Producer Year of the Comet 0% 52% 1992 Director, Producer An Innocent Man 44% 47% 1989 Director The House on Carroll Street 75% 29% 1988 Director, Producer Suspect 71% 59% 1987 Director Eleni 83% 76% 1985 Director The Dresser 100% 86% 1983 Director, Producer Krull 35% 52% 1983 Director Eyewitness 73% 40% 1981 Director, Producer Breaking Away 95% 88% 1979 Director, Producer The Deep 38% 38% 1977 Director Mother, Jugs & Speed 53% 54% 1976 Director, Producer For Pete's Sake 50% 54% 1974 Director The Friends of Eddie Coyle 98% 86% 1973 Director The Hot Rock 83% 67% 1972 Director Murphy's War 62% 1971 Director John and Mary 38% 52% 1969 Director Bullitt 98% 85% 1968 Director Koroshi 1967 Director
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