Sam Peckinpah

8.2	Listal rating

Stats

Birth Name: David Edward Samuel Ernest Peckinpah Jr.

Born: 21 February 1925 Died: 28 December 1984

Country of origin: United States

Height: 5' 9"

Ethnicity: White / Caucasian

Relationship Status: Married

Partner: Begoña Palacios

Lists

102 votes

Directors:The Filmography of... (207 items)
list by propelas

Published 2 years, 2 months ago

20 comments

88 votes

The Idiot's Guide To Famous (Classic) Filmmakers (85 items)
list by Severin Severin

Published 2 months, 1 week ago

14 comments

75 votes

Directors and Their Masterpieces (52 items)
list by diabolical dr voodoo

Published 4 years, 2 months ago

32 comments

35 votes

The top-60 directors (60 items)
list by The Wolf

Published 4 years, 1 month ago

10 comments

25 votes

Top Deceased Directors (54 items)
list by diabolical dr voodoo

Published 4 years, 3 months ago

4 comments

View all Sam Peckinpah lists (21 more)

Photos

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View all Sam Peckinpah pictures (16 more)

About: David Samuel Peckinpah was born and grew up in Fresno, California, when it was still a sleepy town. Young Sam was a loner. The child's greatest influence was grandfather Denver Church, a judge, congressman and one of the best shots in the Sierra Nevadas. Sam served in the Marine Corps during World War II but - to his disappointment - did not see combat. Upon returning to the States, he enrolled in Fresno State College, graduating in 1948 with a B.A. in Drama. Having married Marie Selland in Las David Samuel Peckinpah was born and grew up in Fresno, California, when it was still a sleepy town. Young Sam was a loner. The child's greatest influence was grandfather Denver Church, a judge, congressman and one of the best shots in the Sierra Nevadas. Sam served in the Marine Corps during World War II but - to his disappointment - did not see combat. Upon returning to the States, he enrolled in Fresno State College, graduating in 1948 with a B.A. in Drama. Having married Marie Selland in Las Vegas in 1947, they moved to Los Angeles where he enrolled in the graduate Theater Department of the University of Southern California the next year, eventually took his Masters in 1952.

After drifting through several jobs -- including a stint as a floor-sweeper on "The Liberace Show" (1952) -- he got a job as Dialogue Director on 'Riot in Cell Block 11' with director Don Siegel. He continued to work for Siegel on several other films including (Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) -- in which Sam played Charlie Buckholtz, the town meter reader. Peckinpah eventually became a scriptwriter for such TV programs as "Gunsmoke" (1955) and _"The Rifleman" (which he created as an episode of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater titled 'The Sharpshooter' 1958). It was also for Dick Powell that he created the critically acclaimed western series "The Westerner" (1960).

In 1961, as his marriage to Selland was coming to an end, he directed his first feature film, a western titled The Deadly Companions (1961) starring Brian Keith and Maureen O'Hara. However, with his second feature Ride the High Country (1962) Peckinpah really began to establish his reputation. Featuring Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott (in his final screen performance), it told the story of two aging gunfighters in a tale that anticipated several of the themes Peckinpah would explore in future films including the controversial The Wild Bunch (1969). Following 'Ride the High Country' he was hired by producer Jerry Bresler to direct the Cavalry Western Major Dundee (1965), starring Charleton Heston, a film that brought to light Peckinpah's volatile reputation. During hot, on-location work in Mexico, Peckinpah's abrasive manner, exacerbated by booze and marijuana, provoked usually even-keeled Charlton Heston to threaten to run him through with a cavalry saber. At the same time, when the studio considered replacing Peckinpah, it was Heston who came to Sam's defense going so far as to offer to return his salary to help off-set any overages. Ironically, the studio accepted and Heston wound up doing the film for free. Post-production conflicts led to a bitter and ultimately losing battle with Jerry Bresler, and Columbia Pictures over the final cut and, as a result, the disjointed effort fizzled at the box office. It was during this period that Peckinpah met and married his second wife, the Mexican actress Begonia Palacios. However, the reputation he earned on 'Major Dundee' contributed to Peckinpah being replaced on his next film The Cincinnati Kid (1965) with Steve McQueen by director Norman Jewison.

His second marriage now failing, Peckinpah did not begin his next feature project for two years. However, he did direct a powerful adaptation of Katherine Anne Porter's 'Noon Wine" for ABC Television. This, in turn, helped relaunch his feature career as he was hired by Warner Bros. to direct the film for which he is, justifiably, best remembered. The success of The Wild Bunch (1969) rejuvenated his career and propelled him through highs and lows in the 1970s. Between 1970-1978 he directed 'The Ballad of Cable Hogue,' 'The Straw Dogs,' 'Junior Bonner,' 'The Getaway,' 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid,' 'Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia,' 'The Killer Elite,' 'Cross of Iron,' and 'Convoy.' Throughout this period, controversy followed him. He provoked more rancor over his use of violence in Straw Dogs (1971), introduced Ali MacGraw to Steve McQueen in The Getaway (1972), fought with MGM's James T. Aubrey over his vision for Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) that included the casting of Bob Dylan in an unscripted role as a character called 'Alias." His last solid effort was the Eastern Front WW II anti-war epic Cross of Iron (1977) (Maximilian Schell, James Coburn), bringing the picture in successfully despite severe financial problems.

Peckinpah lived life to its fullest. He drank hard and abused drugs, producers and collaborators. At the end of his life, he was considering a number of projects including the Stephen King-scripted "The Shotgunners". He was returning from Mexico in December 1984 when he died from heart failure in a hospital in Inglewood, California at age 59. At a standing room only gathering that held at the Director's Guild the following month, Coburn remembered the director as a man "who pushed me over the abyss and then jumped in after me. He took me on some great adventures". To which actor Robert Culp added that what is surprising is not that Sam only made fourteen pictures, but that given the way he went about it, he managed to make any at all. ... (more)

Sexist (2), Director (2), Chauvinist (2), American (1), Hated Women (1), Genius (1), Stagehand (1), Composer (1), Production Assistant (1), Dialogue Director (1), Dialogue Coach (1), Screenplay Supervisor (1), Actor (1), Producer (1), Writer (1), Heart Failure (1), Died Aged 59 (1), Alcoholic (1), Died 1984 (1), Born 1925 (1)

Movies directed by

1. Straw Dogs (1971)

Rating:

7.7

452 Watched

2. The Wild Bunch (1969)

Rating:

8.1

428 Watched

3. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)

Rating:

7.8

172 Watched

4. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

Rating:

7.8

171 Watched

5. The Getaway (1972)

Rating:

7.5

181 Watched

View all Sam Peckinpah movies (10 more)

Movies written by

1. Straw Dogs (1971)

Rating:

7.7

452 Watched

2. The Wild Bunch (1969)

Rating:

8.1

428 Watched

3. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

Rating:

7.8

171 Watched

4. Straw Dogs (2011)

Rating:

5.6

123 Watched

5. Ride the High Country (1962)

Rating:

7.6

86 Watched

View all Sam Peckinpah movies (3 more)

Movies

1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Rating:

7.5

368 Watched

2. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)

Rating:

7.8

172 Watched

3. Convoy (1978)

Rating:

6.4

79 Watched

4. Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)

Rating:

7.4

31 Watched

5. Junior Bonner (1972)

Rating:

35 Watched

View all Sam Peckinpah movies (8 more)

TV written by

1. Gunsmoke (1955)

Rating:

24 Watched

2. The Rifleman (1958)

Rating:

7.2

14 Watched

3. The Dick Powell Theatre (1961)

Rating:

8.7

3 Watched

4. Zane Grey Theater (1956)

Rating:

1 Watched

View all Sam Peckinpah tv

TV directed by

1. The Rifleman (1958)

Rating:

7.2

14 Watched

2. The Dick Powell Theatre (1961)

Rating:

8.7

3 Watched

3. Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963)

Rating:

9.5

2 Watched

4. Zane Grey Theater (1956)

Rating:

1 Watched

View all Sam Peckinpah TV

TV

1. Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade (2004)

Rating:

8.3

3 Watched

2. Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron (1993)

Rating:

1 want to see

Updates feed

richard tong voted for an image 2 weeks, 4 days ago

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A Movie for every Director (part. 2) (100 person items)

"The Wild Bunch (1969) "

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100 Greatest Movie Directors by Digitaldreamdoor (100 person items)

M.Stammberger posted a image 1 month, 4 weeks ago

Severin Severin added this to a list 2 months, 1 week ago

The Idiot's Guide To Famous (Classic) Filmmakers (85 person items)

" Sam's fetish for violence Back in the day, they called Peckinpah "Bloody Sam," because, you guessed it, he liked to see his anti-heroes spill the blood of whomever came in their way. The violence was realistic though- unlike other films, which masked any sort of brawling and killing under the guise of something an action hero simply HAD to do for morality's sake, Peckinpah didn't care if the character was sympathetic or not. Gone were the days of toned-down sissy violence; in his movies blo"

M.Stammberger added this to a list 2 months, 2 weeks ago

Best Movie Directors (10 person items)

- WreckMe - added this to a list 8 months, 4 weeks ago

The Best Directors of All Time (61 person items)

Mr. Saturn added this to a list 9 months ago

Directors to Watch (154 person items)

"Movies Watch-list: The Wild Bunch, The Ballad of Cable Hogue, Straw Dogs, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, Cross of Iron"

m08221196 added this to a list 9 months, 3 weeks ago

Matthew Takes on the Pantheon of Important Directo (40 person items)

"VIOLENCE KICKS ASS i"

diabolical dr voodoo added this to a list 1 year, 1 month ago

Directed by Don Siegel (402 person items)

"An Annapolis Story Invasion of the Body Snatchers"

diabolical dr voodoo added this to a list 1 year, 2 months ago

Directed by Sam Peckinpah (160 person items)

"Junior Bonner Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid Convoy"

SpG added this to a list 1 year, 3 months ago

SP's Favourite Directors (102 person items)

Gabrilele added this to a list 1 year, 3 months ago

Directors (405 person items)

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Directors with Beards (32 person items)

diabolical dr voodoo added this to a list 1 year, 6 months ago

Directed by... (37 person items)

"Directed by Sam Peckinpah "

Rocconeverdies added this to a list 2 years ago

Top 5 from my favorite director´s (11 person items)

"1. The Getaway 2. The Wild Bunch 3. Straw Dogs 4. Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia 5. (Havent seen so much of his movies yet)"

VozchikJack added this to a list 2 years, 2 months ago

The Magnificent Seven (7 person items)

propelas added this to a list 2 years, 2 months ago

Directors:The Filmography of... (207 person items)

"Best directors: Peckinpah by ilpado"

Aprakadabra added this to a list 2 years, 2 months ago

Director's Favorite Actors/Actresses (53 person items)

"James Coburn Major Dundee (1965) Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (1973) Cross of Iron (1977) Warren Oates Ride The Hide Country (1962) Major Dundee (1965) The wild Bunch (1969) Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974)"