Peter Newton Ford (born February 5, 1945) is an American retired actor, singer, and former President and Co-Founder of Blackoak Development Company.

Early life

Ford was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, the son of Canadian-American actor

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006), known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-born American actor. He was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of th ...

and American actress-dancer

Eleanor Powell Eleanor Torrey Powell (November 21, 1912 – February 11, 1982) was an American dancer and actress. Best remembered for her tap dance numbers in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s, she was one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's top dancing stars durin ...

. As a child, Ford's interest in rock and roll music inadvertently contributed to "Rock Around the Clock" being chosen as the title track for ''

Blackboard Jungle ''Blackboard Jungle'' is a 1955 American social drama film about an English teacher in an interracial inner-city school, based on the 1954 novel ''The Blackboard Jungle'' by Evan Hunter and adapted for the screen and directed by Richard Brook ...

''. Ford graduated from Chadwick High School in

Palos Verdes, California The Palos Verdes Peninsula () is a peninsular subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located within southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is often called simply "Palos Verdes", and is made up of a group of cities in the Palos ...

in 1962, received an Associate of Arts degree from

Santa Monica College Santa Monica College (SMC) is a Public university, public community college in Santa Monica, California. Founded as a Junior college#United States, junior college in 1929, SMC enrolls over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. The coll ...

in 1966, and graduated, ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'', from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

in 1968 with a B.A. degree in English. While attending the University of Southern California, Ford met his future wife, Lynda Gundersen. Ford was accepted to the

University of Southern California School of Law The University of Southern California Gould School of Law located in Los Angeles, California, is the law school of the University of Southern California. The oldest law school in the Southwestern United States, USC Law traces its beginnings to 18 ...

, but chose instead to work as an actor and singer.

Career

Musical career

Originally under contract to

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

, Ford was mentored by

Nat "King" Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and pop vocalist starte ...

. Later, recording for

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by Netherlands, Dutch electronics company Philips and in 1999 was absorbed into Netherlands, Dutch-United States, American music corporation Universal Music Group. It was founded as Philips Phonograph ...

the release of his singles, "Don't Keep It To Yourself"
Blue Ribbons
which were noted in Billboard's Pop Spotlight's Top 60, resulting in the song's appearance on many teen music television shows of the era, including

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'' (AB) is an American Music television, music performance and dance television series that aired in various iterations from 1952 to 1989. It was hosted by Dick Clark who also served as the program's Television producer, pr ...

, Hullabaloo and Ninth Street West. He eventually formed his own group, The Creations, which appeared in various local clubs, as well as the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed The Whisky) is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boulev ...

in West Hollywood and the El Cortez Club in Las Vegas.

Acting

Ford also worked on nearly two dozen film projects as an actor and dialogue director. The first was '' Gilda'' where director Charles Vidor used Ford's photo to represent Johnny Farrell (Glenn's role in the film) as a child. Ford's first speaking role was in '' The Gazebo'' in 1959, co-starring

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer and entrepreneur. Her acting career spanned almost 70 years. Reynolds performed on stage and television and in films into her 80s. She was nom ...

. He also appeared in ''

Pocketful of Miracles ''Pocketful of Miracles'' is a 1961 American comedy film starring Glenn Ford and Bette Davis, produced and directed by Frank Capra, filmed in Panavision. The screenplay by Hal Kanter and Harry Tugend was based on Robert Riskin's screenplay f ...

'', ''

Dear Heart ''Dear Heart'' is a 1964 American romantic-comedy film starring Glenn Ford and Geraldine Page as lonely middle-aged people who fall in love at a hotel convention. It was directed by Delbert Mann, from a screenplay by Tad Mosel. Its theme song " ...

'', '' Advance to the Rear'', ''

Fate is the Hunter ''Fate Is the Hunter'' is a 1961 memoir by aviation writer Ernest K. Gann. It describes his years working as a pilot from the 1930s to 1950s, starting at American Airlines in Douglas DC-2s and DC-3s when civilian air transport was in its inf ...

'', and '' The Rounders''. In the early 1970s, Ford began working at Fox and was cast as a series regular and dialogue director for '' Cade's County'', which starred his father

, playing forensic lab deputy Pete Odom. After ''Cade's County'' ended, Ford joined the Photo Unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as a Reserve Deputy, rising to the rank of Lieutenant before retiring in 1996.

Building

In the mid-1970s, Ford and his wife Lynda began remodeling and selling homes. Ford's first major home building commission was for producer Walter Coblenz, producer of ''

All the President's Men ''All the President's Men'' is a 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, two of the journalists who investigated the June 1972 break-in at the Watergate Office Building and the resultant political scandal for ''The Washingto ...

'' and '' The Onion Field''. He took a partner into his company and formed Blackoak Development Company. Ford went on to build and remodel homes for many clients involved in the film and television industry: producer

Steve Tisch Steven Elliot Tisch (born February 14, 1949) is an American film producer and businessman. He is the chairman, co-owner and executive vice president of the New York Giants, the NFL team co-owned by his family, as well as a film and television p ...

, actress

Mary Kay Place Mary Kay Place (born September 23, 1947) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Loretta Haggers on the television series '' Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', a role that won her the 1977 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Suppor ...

, producer

Jerry Belson Jerry Belson (July 8, 1938 – October 10, 2006) was an American writer, director, and producer of Hollywood films for over 40 years. Collaborating with figures like Steve Allen and Garry Marshall, Belson gained recognition for his work on various ...

, super agent Jeff Berg, producer

Don Simpson Donald Clarence Simpson (October 29, 1943 – January 19, 1996) was an American film producer, screenwriter, and actor, known for his work in blockbuster films of the 1980s and '90s. Simpson entered the film industry in the 1970s and worked at ...

, writers Chuck Shyer and

Nancy Meyers Nancy Jane Meyers (born December 8, 1949) is an American filmmaker. She has written, produced, and directed many critically, commercially successful films. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for '' Private Benja ...

, actress Jo Beth Williams, health guru Richard Simmons, actress

Sally Kellerman Sally Clare Kellerman (June 2, 1937 – February 24, 2022) was an American actress whose acting career spanned 60 years. Her role as List of M*A*S*H characters#Margaret Houlihan, Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in Robert Altman's film ''M*A*S ...

, and

Blake Edwards Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio scripts ...

and

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

. In 1989, Ford took over the building company and operated it as a sole proprietorship until his retirement from building in 1996. Blackoak/Ford was a respected custom residential construction firm. His work has been published in architectural magazines throughout the world, most notably the Schnabel House, designed by architect

Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry ( ; ; born February 28, 1929) is a Canadian-American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become attractions. Gehry rose to prominence in th ...

. It was noted by ''Architectural Digest'' as "one of the greatest houses of the 20th century".

Personal life

Ford married Lynda Gunderson (b. 1946) in 1970. Ford and Lynda have three children: Aubrey Newton Ford (b. 1977), Ryan Welsie Ford (b. 1984) and Eleanor Powell Ford (b. 1988).

Hobbies and interests

Ford is a student and collector of Native American culture who harbors an interest in genealogical research, with membership in the Society of Mayflower Descendants,

Society of Colonial Wars The General Society of Colonial Wars is a patriotic society composed of men who trace their descents from forebears who, in military, naval, or civil positions of high trust and responsibility, by acts or counsel, assisted in the establishment, d ...

, Society of the Sons of the Revolution, The Baronial Order of the Magna Charta, the Order of the Crusades (with 11 Crusaders in his direct line), the Crown of Charlemagne (Charlemagne is Ford's 38th Great Grandfather) and The Order of Founders and Patriots of America. He also collects movie memorabilia from Hollywood's Golden Age, and maintains The Glenn Ford and Eleanor Powell Library and Archives and as a writer, he has published numerous articles. Ford's various interests led him to KIEV-AM 870 radio, where for nearly three years in the late 1990s he hosted a weekly nighttime political talk show in Los Angeles, The Peter Ford Show. Ford is also the author of ''Glenn Ford: A Life'', a biography of his father published by the University of Wisconsin Press. Ford and his wife Lynda currently reside in

Bigfork, Montana Bigfork is a census-designated place (CDP) in Flathead County, Montana, United States. It is within Montana's Rocky Mountains. The population was 5,118 at the 2020 census, up from 4,270 in 2010. History Some say the name "Bigfork" is derived ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Peter 1945 births Living people Male actors from Los Angeles Writers from Los Angeles University of Southern California alumni Santa Monica College alumni American businesspeople