Born in Chicago in 1932, Van Peebles graduated with a B.A. in literature from Ohio Wesleyan University and less than two weeks later, joined the Air Force in which he served for nearly four years. His early work, including the book “The Big Heart,” eventually led him to filmmaking. His first short, “Pickup Men for Herrick,” was made in 1957 and quickly followed by others.
Though Hollywood initially rejected Van Peebles’ bid for feature filmmaking, his globe-trotting nature eventually led to earning more admirers and accolades across the world.
In the early ’60s, he moved to France, where he continued to write, make films, and even launch his debut album. His first feature, “The Story of a Three-Day Pass” won an award at the San Francisco International Film Festival and subsequently caught the eye of Hollywood brass. In 1970, he made his studio debut with the Columbia Pictures film “Watermelon Man.”
His followup feature was the groundbreaking “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song,” which privately funded with his own money, and directed, scripted, edited, wrote the score, and even directed the marketing campaign. The film helped kickstart the blaxploitation craze in American cinema, and in 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National
Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
The iconic creator continues to be celebrated today, even just this week, as the New York Film Festival will this weekend host a 50th anniversary screening of his landmark film “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.” A Criterion Collection box set, “Melvin Van Peebles
: Essential Films” will be released next week, and a revival of his play “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death” is slated for a return to Broadway next year.
