Melvin Van Peebles (born Melvin Peebles; August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. His feature film debut, The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1967), was based on his own French-language novel La Permission and was shot in France, as it was difficult for a black American director to get work at the time. The film won an award at the San Francisco International Film Festival which gained him the interest of Hollywood studios, leading to his American feature debut Watermelon Man, in 1970. Eschewing further overtures from Hollywood, he used the successes he had so far to bankroll his work as an independent filmmaker.
In 1971, he released his best-known work, creating and starring in the film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which led to the creation of the blaxploitation genre. although critic Roger Ebert did not consider this example of Van Peebles' work to be an exploitation film. He followed this up with the musical, Don't Play Us Cheap, based on his own stage play, and continued to make films, write novels and stage plays in English and in French through the next several decades; his final films include the French-language film Le Conte du ventre plein (2000) and the absurdist film Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha (2008). His son, filmmaker and actor Mario Van Peebles, appeared in several of his works and portrayed him in the 2003 biographical film Baadasssss!.
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A rapper finds himself possessed by the soul of a dead fashion designer; frequently switching person...
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In order to escape from the mob, an African-American man must disguise himself as a white man....
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After his father's death, a young boy finds solace in action movies featuring an indestructible cop....
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A maverick skydiver and a former KGB agent team up to stop the Russian mafia from stealing gold....
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From the immensely popular FIST OF THE NORTH STAR comic book series, comes a new hero. The fate of m...
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A history of the racially stereotyped portrayal of African Americans in cinema, hosted by film pione...
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A masseur gets mixed up in the family plots at the mansion of a recently deceased Beverly Hills mill...
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With archive film clips and interviews, this brief look at a frequently overlooked historical period...
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When a psychotic Santa tries to destroy Chanukah by hypnotizing Jewish children with bootlegged copi...
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Director Mario Van Peebles chronicles the complicated production of his father Melvin's classic 1971...
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THE BLACK LIST: VOL. 2 profiles some of today's most fascinating African-Americans. From the childho...
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Examines the evolution of the Black Power Movement in US society from 1967 to 1975. It features foot...
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Recent movies
| # | Name | Character | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Armed (2018) | Grandpa V. | - | - |
| 2 | Peeples (2013) | Grandpa Peeples | 6.5 | |
| 3 | The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011) | Self (voice) | - | - |
| 4 | The Black List: Volume Two (2009) | Self | - | - |
| 5 | American Swing (2009) | Self | 6 | |
| 6 | Blackout (2007) | George | - | - |
| 7 | Hard Luck (2006) | Hospital Prophet | 4 | |
| 8 | Baadasssss! (2004) | Director / Writer | 6 | |
| 9 | The Hebrew Hammer (2003) | Sweetback | 6 | |
| 10 | BaadAsssss Cinema (2002) | Self | - | - |
| 11 | Love Kills (1999) | Able | - | - |
| 12 | Classified X (1998) | Director / Writer | - | - |
| 13 | Fist of the North Star (1995) | Asher | 5.5 | |
| 14 | Terminal Velocity (1994) | Noble | 5 | |
| 15 | Posse (1993) | Papa Joe | 5 | |
| 16 | Last Action Hero (1993) | Self | 6.5 | |
| 17 | Boomerang (1992) | Editor | 5.4 | |
| 18 | True Identity (1991) | Taxi Driver | 6 | |
| 19 | Identity Crisis (1989) | Director / Writer | - | - |
| 20 | Jaws: The Revenge (1987) | Mr. Witherspoon | 3.7 | |
| 21 | Greased Lightning (1977) | Director / Writer | - | - |
| 22 | Don't Play Us Cheap (1973) | Director / Writer | 9 | |
| 23 | Wattstax (1973) | Self | 7 | |
| 24 | Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) | Director / Writer | 4.5 | |
| 25 | Watermelon Man (1970) | Director / Writer | 5 | |
| 26 | The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1968) | Director / Writer | 3 | |
| 27 | 500 Francs (1961) | Director / Writer | 4 | |
| 28 | Three Pick-Up Men for Herrick (1957) | Director / Writer | 4 | |
| 29 | Sunlight (1957) | Director / Writer | 5 |

