Peter Bogdanovich began his career with acting teacher Stella Adler as a teenager and performed in live television and theater. Before becoming a film director himself, he built his reputation with writings on film in Esquire and retrospective monographs on legendary filmmakers for the Museum of Modern Art. Having published over 12 books on films and filmmaking, most notably on John Ford and Orson Welles, Bogdanovich has gained a reputation as a leading chronicler of the art and craft of cinema.
His first job in feature film production was as second unit director, writer and assistant on Roger Corman’s The Wild Angels (1966). He then wrote, produced and directed his first feature, Targets (1968) and a documentary on his filmmaking idol; Directed by John Ford (1971). Bogdanovich’s first critical and box office hit was The Last Picture Show, nominated in 1972 for the DGA’s Feature Film Award and eight Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Bogdanovich. In 1998 the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress named the film to the National Film Registry. Picture Show was followed by the commercial and critical success What’s Up, Doc? which firmly established Bogdanovich as a leading director of the 1970s. In 1973, he directed Paper Moon, another critical and box office hit nominated for multiple Academy Awards and Golden Globes, including Best Director.
Bogdanovich’s later credits include the critically acclaimed Saint Jack (1979) and Mask (1985), as well as Daisy Miller (1974), At Long Last Love (1975), Nickelodeon (1976), They All Laughed (1981), Illegally Yours (1986), the sequel to The Last Picture Show; Texasville (1990), Noises Off… (1992), and The Thing Called Love (1993). For television he has directed the movies To Sir, With Love II (1996); Naked City: A Killer Christmas (1998); A Saintly Switch (1999); and The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004); as well as an episode each of the dramatic series The Sopranos and Fallen Angels.
Bogdanovich passed away in January 2022.