Peter Coyote

Robert Peter Cohon, known professionally as Peter Coyote, was born on October 10, 1941, in New York City. He moved to Englewood, New Jersey, where he attended Dwight Morrow High School, graduating in 1959. Coyote pursued higher education at Grinnell College in Iowa, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature in 1964. During his time at Grinnell, in 1961, he participated in a student delegation to Washington, D.C., supporting President John F. Kennedy’s peace efforts during the Cuban Missile Crisis, an event that garnered significant media attention. After college, he began a master’s degree in creative writing at San Francisco State University but soon became involved in the burgeoning countercultural scene.

From 1967 to 1975, Coyote was a central figure in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury counterculture, co-founding The Diggers, an anarchist group that provided free services like food and goods, challenging prevailing norms of private property and consumerism. This period was formative, shaping his social and political perspectives. He also spent time at the Black Bear Ranch commune. In the mid-1970s, Coyote deepened his engagement with Zen Buddhism, becoming a dedicated practitioner and later a lay priest in the Sōtō tradition, an ordination he received formally in 2015. This spiritual path informed much of his subsequent work and personal philosophy.

Coyote’s acting career began in 1978 with theatrical performances at San Francisco’s Magic Theatre. His transition to film occurred in 1980 with “Die Laughing,” followed by notable roles such as the mysterious scientist Keys in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) and leading parts in “Jagged Edge” (1985) and “Outrageous Fortune” (1987). Throughout his career, he has collaborated with acclaimed directors like Roman Polanski and Pedro Almodóvar, accumulating over 120 film and television credits. Beyond acting, Coyote is a prolific narrator, recognized for his work on numerous documentaries, including multiple collaborations with Ken Burns. He received a Primetime Emmy Award in 2015 for his narration in “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History” and continues to lend his voice to significant projects, including recent political commentary for The Lincoln Project.