Peter Weller

Peter Frederick Weller was born on June 24, 1947, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. His early life involved extensive travel due to his father’s career as a United States Army helicopter pilot, leading him to attend high schools in Heidelberg, Germany, and San Antonio, Texas. He pursued his musical interests by playing trumpet at the University of North Texas, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre in 1970. Weller then received a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in 1972, and began his career on the New York stage, appearing in Joseph Papp’s production of “Sticks and Bones” and later repeating the role in London.

Weller quickly gained critical recognition for his theatrical performances, including his role as Billie Wilson in Mike Nichols’ “Streamers” at Lincoln Center and as Nick in the first American production of David Mamet’s “The Woods.” He became a member of the Actor’s Studio under Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg. His film career began in 1979 with “Butch and Sundance: The Early Days,” followed by roles in “Just Tell Me What You Want” (1980) and Alan Parker’s “Shoot the Moon” (1982). A significant milestone was earning the Best Actor award at the Paris International Film Festival for his performance in “Of Unknown Origin” (1983). Over his career, Weller has appeared in more than 70 films and television series, including his defining roles as the titular character in “RoboCop” (1987) and “RoboCop 2” (1990), and as Bill Lee in David Cronenberg’s “Naked Lunch” (1991), which earned him a Genie Award nomination.

Beyond acting, Weller has an accomplished career as a director, with credits including episodes of “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Monk.” He has directed 15 episodes of “Hawaii Five-0” between 2013 and 2020, 11 episodes of “Sons of Anarchy” across multiple seasons, and 5 episodes of “Magnum P.I.” from 2018 to 2021. His academic pursuits are notable, holding a Master of Arts degree in Roman and Renaissance Art from Syracuse University (2004) and a PhD in Italian Renaissance Art History from UCLA (2014), where he also lectured on ancient history. He has lent his voice to video games like “Mortal Kombat 11” (2019) and “RoboCop: Rogue City” (2023), reprising his iconic character.