Melvin Van Peebles, actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and one of the great icons and promoters of African-American cinema, has died at the age of 89. The artist, known for his roles in the series ‘The Shining’ or ‘Violent Persecution’, died at his home in Manhattan on Tuesday, September 21.
“We are saddened to announce the death of an American cinema giant, Melvin Van Peebles, who died last night (from Tuesday to Wednesday) at his home, with his family, at the age of 89″, they announced his son, actor Mario Van Peebles, and distributor Criterion Collections in a statement. At this time, a cause of death has not been released. however, he might have died due to old age.
The death of the man known as the godfather of the new film noir was confirmed by his son, Mario Van Peebles, through a statement. ” Dad knew that black images mattered. If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a movie worth? We want to be the hit we see, so we need to be free. True liberation does not mean imitating the mindset of the colonizer. It means appreciating the power, beauty, and interconnectivity of all people “, reads the text.
Born on August 21, 1932, in Chicago, Van Peebles started out in the world of short films. His first feature film was ‘La Permission’, a 1967 production about a black soldier who is degraded by an affair with a white woman. Back in 1970, he directed ‘Watermelon Man’, which revolves around a white man who one day discovers that the color of his skin has changed. With this comedy, the director offered his vision of what it meant to be black in the United States at that time.
His most prominent film is ‘Violent Persecution’, a representative title of the blaxploitation genre released in 1971. The film is about an orphan raised in a brothel whose sexual ability helps him get out of various difficult situations while facing racism in Los Angeles. The film had a very limited release, only in one theater in Atlanta and another in Detroit, but thanks to word of mouth it became the highest-grossing indie title in movie history at the time. The film features a soundtrack from the iconic group Earth, Wind & Fire.
In addition, the American co-wrote the script for ‘Crazy at the Wheel’, a 1977 biopic starring Richard Pryor as Wendell Scott, the first black driver to win a top-level NASCAR race.
Van Peebles also worked in the theater and in 1971 wrote the libretto, music, and lyrics for the play ‘Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death’, which ran for eight months on Broadway and won him two Tony Awards. ‘Don’t Play Us Cheap!’ (1972), ‘Reggae’ (1980), and ‘Waltz of the Stork’ (1982) are some of the artist’s later theatrical successes.
On television, he stood out as a scriptwriter for ‘The Sophisticated Gents’, a miniseries about a sports club of African Americans who meet after 25 years to honor their former coach. As an actor, he made occasional appearances in titles such as the miniseries ‘The Shining’, ‘All my children, ‘Police corruption’ or ‘Girlfriends’.
His last role dates from 2018 when he appeared in ‘Armado (The Great American Conspiracy)’. A short film entitled ‘Pile On!’ Is pending release.
Hollywood Says Goodbye To The Artist
After knowing his death, there have been many artists who have said goodbye to Van Peebles. ” I am very sorry for the loss of my brother, Melvin Van Peebles, who brought independent film noir to the forefront with his groundbreaking film Violent Persecution. Melvin was a huge supporter of my film career. He even appeared on the set of ‘Do It. you should ‘. Damn, we’ve lost another giant! “lamented Spike Lee, who shared a photo of a poster of Violent Persecution signed by the filmmaker.
Ava DuVernay , director of ‘Selma’ or the acclaimed miniseries ‘This is how they see us’, quoted the late author. ” You must not allow yourself to believe that you cannot. Do what you can do within the framework that you have. And don’t look outside. Look inside,” he tweeted.
“You have to not let yourself believe you can’t. Do what you can do within the framework you have. And don’t look outside. Look inside.”
― the iconic artist, filmmaker, actor, playwright, novelist, composer and sage Melvin Van Peebles, who has gone home at the age of 89. pic.twitter.com/36BQKzN9G7
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) September 22, 2021
“You have to not let yourself believe you can’t. Do what you can do within the framework you have. And don’t look outside. Look inside.”
― the iconic artist, filmmaker, actor, playwright, novelist, composer and sage Melvin Van Peebles, who has gone home at the age of 89. pic.twitter.com/36BQKzN9G7
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) September 22, 2021
“He made the most of every second, every frame and, without a doubt, although the last time I spent time with him was many years ago, it was a night where he danced non-stop. That man just lived, ” recalled the Oscar winner. by ‘Moonlight’ Barry Jenkins .
He made the most of every second, of EVERY single damn frame and admittedly, while the last time I spent any time with him was MANY years ago, it was a night in which he absolutely danced his face off. The man just absolutely LIVED pic.twitter.com/IIpfU8wI7q
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) September 22, 2021
” We have lost another lion, a true revolutionary, an artistic gangster, a cultural disruptor who changed the game forever. Rest in peace, Melvin Van Peebles, ” shared actor and comedian David Alan Grier.