Peter Francis Weller (born June 24, 1947) is an American actor and television director. He has appeared in more than 70 films and television series, including ''

RoboCop ''RoboCop'' is a 1987 American Science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen (actress), Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Dani ...

'' (1987) and its sequel '' RoboCop 2'' (1990), in which he played the titular character; '' The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension'' (1984); and ''

Star Trek Into Darkness ''Star Trek Into Darkness'' is a 2013 American science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. It is the 12th installment in the ''Star Trek'' franchise ...

'' (2013). He appeared in such films as

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

's ''

Mighty Aphrodite ''Mighty Aphrodite'' is a 1995 American comedy film written, directed by, and co-starring Woody Allen, alongside Mira Sorvino, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Rapaport, and F. Murray Abraham. The screenplay was vaguely inspired by the story of ' ...

'' (1995), the

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...

-produced ''

The New Age ''The New Age'' was a British weekly magazine (1894–1938),credited as a major influence on literature and the arts during its heyday from 1907 to 1922, when it was edited by Alfred Richard Orage. It published work by many of the chief politi ...

'' (1994), and

David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is a principal originator of the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and ...

's adaptation of William Burroughs's novel ''

Naked Lunch ''Naked Lunch'' (first published as ''The Naked Lunch'') is a 1959 novel by American author William S. Burroughs. The novel does not follow a clear linear plot, but is instead structured as a series of non-chronological "routines". Many of thes ...

'' (1991). In addition to a

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

nomination for his ''RoboCop'' role, he received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for his 1993 short ''Partners'', in which he also acted. In television, he hosted the program '' Engineering an Empire'' on the

History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...

from 2005 to 2007. He played Christopher Henderson in the fifth season of '' 24'', Stan Liddy in the fifth season of the Showtime original series ''

Dexter Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United ...

'', and Charles "Charlie" Barosky in 11 episodes in the sixth season of ''

Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American Action film, action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX (TV channel), FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008, to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-k ...

''. From 2012 to 2017, he was involved in the A&E (now

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

) series '' Longmire'' as a director and actor. In 2017, he appeared on '' The Last Ship'' as Dr. Paul Vellek. He reprised his role as RoboCop by providing his voice for ''

Mortal Kombat 11 ''Mortal Kombat 11'' is a 2019 fighting game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It is the eleventh main installment in the ''Mortal Kombat'' series and a sequel to '' Mortal Kombat X'' (20 ...

'' in 2019 and '' RoboCop: Rogue City'' in 2023. He holds a Ph.D. in Italian Renaissance Art History from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

Early life and education

Weller was born June 24, 1947, in

Stevens Point, Wisconsin Stevens Point is a city in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 25,666 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It forms the core of the Stevens Point micropolitan statistical area, which had a p ...

, the son of Dorothy Jean ( Davidson; 1924–2002), a homemaker, and Frederick Bradford Weller (1922–1986), a lawyer,

federal judge Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level. United States A U.S. federal judge is appointed by the U.S. president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Arti ...

, and career helicopter pilot for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. Weller had a "middle-class

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

" upbringing and is of English,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, French and Irish descent. As a result of his father's army work, Weller spent many years abroad during his childhood. His family lived in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

for several years before eventually moving to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, where he attended Alamo Heights High School in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, graduating in 1965. While enrolled at North Texas State University, now the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...

, he played

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

in one of the campus bands. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in theatre in 1970, and began his acting career after attending the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...

, where he graduated with the Class of 1972. In 2004, Weller completed a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in Roman and Renaissance Art at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

, and occasionally taught courses in

ancient history Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian language, ...

at the university. In 2007, he began a Ph.D. at

in Italian Renaissance Art History. He defended his dissertation in May 2013, and filed the completed manuscript In October 2013. The dissertation, titled
Alberti Before Florence: Early Sources Informing Leon Battista Alberti’s ''De pictura''
, led to him being awarded his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in 2014.

Career

Stage

Weller's stage career began in the 1970s with appearances on Broadway in ''Full Circle'', directed by

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( ; ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian Americans, Austrian-American film and theatre director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the the ...

, and '' Summer Brave'', William Inge's rewrite of his play ''Picnic''. About this time, he became a member of the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights located on West 44th Street in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. The studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method actin ...

. In December 2006, Weller starred as architect

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...

at Chicago's

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the ...

in the play, ''Frank's Home'', by Richard Nelson.

Film

Weller appeared in the 1984 film ''

Firstborn A firstborn (also known as an eldest child or sometimes firstling) is the first child born to in the birth order of a couple through childbirth. Historically, the role of the firstborn child has been socially significant, particularly for a first ...

'' with

Christopher Collet Christopher Collet () is an American actor and voice director. He starred in the lead role in the 1986 film '' The Manhattan Project''. Early life, family and education Christopher Collet was born in New York City, New York. Career Collet ent ...

and Corey Haim, where he played the abusive boyfriend of Haim's mother (played by

Teri Garr Terry Ann Garr (December 11, 1944 – October 29, 2024), known as Teri Garr, was an American actress. Known for her comedic roles in film and television in the 1970s and 1980s, she often played women struggling to cope with the life-changing ex ...

). During filming, he got violent with Corey on-set, who was a child at the time. Weller has appeared in more than 50 films and television series, including turns as the title character in '' The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension'' (1984) and blockbuster hits ''

'' (1987) and '' RoboCop 2'' (1990), He portrayed Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus in ''

'' in 2013 and has appeared in such critically acclaimed films as

's ''

'' (1995), the

-produced ''

'' (1994), and

's 1991

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

of William Burroughs's novel ''

''. In 1995, he appeared in '' Screamers'', a science-fiction film based on the short story "

Second Variety "Second Variety" is a science fiction Novella#Versus novelette, novelette by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in ''Space Science Fiction'' magazine, in May 1953, with illustrations by Alex Ebel. Set in a world where a war betwee ...

" by Philip K. Dick and directed by Christian Duguay.

Television

In a 1977 episode of the television series '' Lou Grant'', he played Donald Sterner/Stryker, a tragically disillusioned

Jewish-American American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are Americans, American citizens who are Jews, Jewish, whether by Jewish culture, culture, ethnicity, or Judaism, religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of Am ...

Neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

leader who later committed suicide off-screen when his heritage was discovered. On television, he played the shuttle captain in the short-lived series ''

Odyssey 5 ''Odyssey 5'' is a Canadian science fiction television series, which was shown in 2002 on Space in Canada and on Showtime in the United States. The premise involves five space travelers who witness the destruction of the Earth; they are given ...

'' and made guest appearances as Terran supremacist John Frederick Paxton in the '' Star Trek: Enterprise'' episodes "

Demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in media including fiction, comics, film, t ...

" and " Terra Prime" and on ''

Fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts and music * "The Fringe", or Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * Purple fri ...

'' as the character Alistair Peck. Weller was a contributor to the

in several productions, particularly as the host for the series '' Engineering an Empire''. He was credited as "Peter Weller,

", where he was an adjunct faculty member. He was later a graduate student in art history at

, focusing on the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

. In 2005, Weller co-starred as the Captain in a made-for-television remake of '' The Poseidon Adventure''. In 2006, Weller joined the cast of '' 24'' as terrorist collaborator Christopher Henderson. Weller received a "cheer" in ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

s "Cheers & Jeers" section for his performance. On January 15, 2010, Weller appeared in a teaser trailer for the companion documentary ''God of War: Unearthing the Legend'' that was featured in the game '' God of War III'' which Weller also hosted. On April 15, 2010, Weller guest-starred in an episode of the science fiction drama ''

''. He guest-starred on the Showtime original series ''

'', and had a guest appearance in the December 22, 2010, episode of ''

Psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened o ...

'' where he played villain "Yin". Since 2012, he is appearing in a recurring role as Lucien Connally on the crime drama television series '' Longmire''. In 2013, he played the part of the villain in the remake of the "Hookman" episode of the original '' Hawaii Five-O''. The part was originally played in 1973 by Jay J. Armes. In seasons six and seven of ''

'', he plays the ruthless ex-cop Charles Barosky, a boss at the Stockton port and has dealings with the SAMCRO motorcycle club. In 2017, Weller began appearing as Dr. Paul Vellek, a scientist, on '' The Last Ship''.

Directing

Weller has directed various projects for television, including episodes of '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', ''

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

'' and three episodes of ''Odyssey 5''. He directed a 1997 adaptation of

Elmore Leonard Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story author and screenwriter. He was, according to British journalist Anthony Lane, "hailed as one of the best crime writers in the land". His earliest no ...

's ''Gold Coast'' starring

David Caruso David Stephen Caruso (born January 7, 1956) is a retired American actor and producer, best known for his roles as Detective John Kelly on the ABC crime drama ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–1994) and Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the CBS series '' CSI: ...

and Marg Helgenberger after previously starring in a version of Leonard's thriller '' Cat Chaser'' (1989). He has directed eleven episodes of the series ''

'', two in season 4, titled "Dorylus" and "Hands", three in season 5, titled "Authority Vested", "Toad's Wild Ride" and "Darthy", three in season 6, titled "One One Six", "Los Fantasmas" and "Aon Rud Pearsanta", and three in season 7, titled "Some Strange Eruption", "What a Piece of Work Is Man" and "Suits of Woe". He has directed one episode each season of ''Longmire'' since 2012. Since 2018, Weller has directed episodes "Guts + Fuel + Hope" and "Banh Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason" of ''

MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the MacGyver (1985 TV series), 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in Mac ...

'', and episodes "Cry Murder" and "Whispers of Death" of '' Magnum P.I.''.

Voice acting

Weller voiced the character of Bruce Wayne / Batman in the two-part 2012–2013 animated adaptation of ''

The Dark Knight Returns ''The Dark Knight Returns'' (alternatively titled ''Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'' but originally titled ''Batman: The Dark Knight'') is a 1986 four-issue comic book miniseries starring Batman, written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Miller ...

'', and the titular character in the video game '' Wilson's Heart''. He returned to voice RoboCop in a series of commercials for

KFC KFC Corporation, doing business as KFC (an abbreviation of Kentucky Fried Chicken), is an American fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken and chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's se ...

and ''

'' in 2019, as well as '' RoboCop: Rogue City'' in 2023.

Personal life

In 1980, Weller met Ali MacGraw, during the making of '' Just Tell Me What You Want''. They had an on-off relationship for several years. Weller also briefly dated actress

Carrie Fisher Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The F ...

. On June 24, 2006, on his 59th birthday, Weller married his longtime girlfriend, actress Shari Stowe, at the Santa Maria Assunta church in

Positano Positano ( ; in Neapolitan language, Neapolitan: () is a village and ''comune'' on the Amalfi Coast (Province of Salerno), in Campania, Italy, mainly in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast. History The first evidence of a settle ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Weller and Stowe have one son.

Awards and nominations

* (1988) Saturn Award for Best Actor – ''

'' (Nominated) * (1992) Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – ''

'' (Nominated) * (1994)

Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under numerous names, since 1957. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, ''Best Short Subject, On ...

– ''Partners'' (Nominated) * (2002) Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male – ''

Ivans XTC ''ivansxtc'' is a 2000 British-American independent drama film co-written by Bernard Rose and Lisa Enos, produced by Enos and directed by Rose, the first of several Enos-Rose collaborations, including ''Snuff-Movie'' (2005), ''Kreutzer Sonata'' ...

'' (Nominated)

Filmography

Feature film

Television film

Television series

Video games

References

Bibliography

''Weller, Peter. Leon Battista Alberti in Exile: Tracing the Path to the First Modern Book on Painting.Cambridge University Press. 2025''

External links

* * * *
History Channel's ''Engineering an Empire'' site

''New York Daily News''

''Wired News''
"RoboCop speaks to Detroit"
''Funny Or Die'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Weller, Peter Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Alamo Heights High School alumni American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni American male film actors American male television actors American people of English descent American people of French descent American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American television directors Male actors from San Antonio Male actors from Wisconsin People from Stevens Point, Wisconsin Syracuse University alumni University of North Texas alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni 1947 births