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Peter Levin
Peter Levin
Peter Levin
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Peter Levin (born Daniel Henry Levin; 12 March 1932) is an American director of film, television and theatre.

Key Information

Career

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Since 1967, Levin has amassed a large number of credits directing episodic television and television films. Some of his television series credits include Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, James at 15, The Paper Chase, Family, Starsky & Hutch, Lou Grant, Fame, Cagney & Lacey, Law & Order and Judging Amy.[1]

Some of his television film credits include Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case (1980), A Reason to Live (1985), Popeye Doyle (1986), A Killer Among Us (1990), Queen Sized (2008) and among other films.[1] He directed "Heart in Hiding", written by his wife Audrey Davis Levin, for which she received an Emmy for Best Day Time Special in the 1970s.

Prior to becoming a director, Levin worked as an actor in several Broadway productions. He costarred with Susan Strasberg in "[The Diary of Ann Frank]" but had to leave the production when he was drafted into the Army. He trained at the Carnegie Mellon University. Eventually becoming a theatre director, he directed productions at the Long Wharf Theatre and the Pacific Resident Theatre Company. He also co-founded the off-off-Broadway Theatre [the Hardware Poets Playhouse] with his wife Audrey Davis Levin and was also an associate artist of The Interact Theatre Company.[2]

References

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Peter Levin

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Peter Levin was an American television director known for his prolific career spanning episodic series, television movies, and miniseries over several decades. He began as an actor on Broadway, appearing in the original 1955 production of The Diary of Anne Frank as Peter Van Daan, and performed in Shakespearean roles at venues including The Old Globe and The McCarter Theater. Levin co-founded the off-off-Broadway Hardware Poets Playhouse, where he started directing, before entering television as an associate director at CBS and making his directorial debut on the soap opera Love Is a Many Splendored Thing. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1976, Levin became a prominent director of television content, helming pilots for series such as Knots Landing and Palmerstown, U.S.A., along with episodes of notable shows including Lou Grant, Cagney & Lacey, Midnight Caller, Judging Amy, The Guardian, and Joan of Arcadia. He directed more than three dozen television movies, among them The Marva Collins Story, The Royal Romance of Charles & Diana, Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story, Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, And Never Let Her Go, and In from the Night, many of which aired on networks like CBS and Hallmark Hall of Fame. Levin earned Emmy nominations for his work on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing in 1973 and an episode of Lou Grant in 1980. Born December 3, 1932, in Trenton, New Jersey, Levin studied theater at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University), in London on a Fulbright Scholarship, and with Lee Strasberg in New York. He was married to playwright Audrey Davis Levin and maintained involvement in theater directing, including productions for L.A. Theatre Works. Levin died on December 29, 2023, in Manhattan, New York City.

Early life

Background and education

Peter Levin was born on December 3, 1932, in Trenton, New Jersey. He studied theater at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University). He continued his training in London on a Fulbright Scholarship and studied with Lee Strasberg in New York. Limited details are available about his family background or specific early experiences in Trenton. He entered the entertainment industry with early roles as an actor in Broadway productions before shifting focus to directing in theater and then television.

Career

Early work in daytime and assistant directing

Peter Levin's early career in television included work as an assistant director before he transitioned to directing in daytime drama during the late 1960s. He began directing episodes of the CBS soap opera Love Is a Many Splendored Thing in 1967 and continued through the show's run until 1973. His directing on the series earned him a nomination for Outstanding Achievement by Individuals in Daytime Drama at the 1974 Daytime Emmy Awards. In the early 1970s, Levin directed for the ABC anthology series The ABC Afternoon Playbreak, including the episode "The Other Woman" in 1973 and "Heart in Hiding" in 1974. These credits in daytime serials and afternoon dramatic specials established his reputation in television directing and facilitated his move to primetime opportunities.

Primetime episodic television directing

Peter Levin became a prolific director of primetime episodic television series starting in the late 1970s, contributing to numerous network dramas over the following decades. His most extensive involvement was with the CBS journalism drama Lou Grant, where he directed ten episodes between 1979 and 1982. He also directed episodes of the CBS police procedural Cagney & Lacey, including two in the second season: "Hopes and Dreams" (1983) and "Affirmative Action" (1983). Levin helmed five episodes of the ABC military drama Call to Glory during its 1984–1985 season. In later years, Levin directed four episodes of the CBS legal drama Judging Amy between 2002 and 2003, one episode of The Guardian ("The Men from the Boys," 2001), and one episode of Joan of Arcadia (2003). His primetime credits further include work on series such as Midnight Caller, Fame, and Chicago Hope.

Television films and later projects

Peter Levin established himself as a prolific director of made-for-television movies from the late 1970s onward, with a body of work that emphasized emotional dramas, biographical stories, and social issues often drawn from real-life events. His contributions to the format included a steady output across networks such as CBS, Lifetime, and ABC, helping define the made-for-TV movie landscape during its peak decades. Among his notable earlier television films are The Comeback Kid (1980) and projects from the 1980s and 1990s such as Innocent Victims (1988), which experimented with new videotape technology for sharper broadcast imaging, Precious Victims (1993), and Little Girl Fly Away (1998). In the 1990s and 2000s, Levin directed several high-profile TV movies, including To Love, Honor & Betray (1999), In the Name of the People (2000), And Never Let Her Go (2001), Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003), In from the Night (2006), A Perfect Day (2006), and Queen Sized (2008). These later works frequently explored themes of personal resilience, family dynamics, and overcoming adversity, with Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story depicting a young woman's rise from homelessness to academic success at Harvard University. His television film career extended into the late 2000s, marking a long span of consistent work in the genre before his directing credits tapered off.

Awards and nominations

Peter Levin was born Daniel Henry Levin in Trenton, New Jersey, to Max Levin, a merchant who owned the Eton Shop for men and boys, and Katherine (née Klempner) Levin. He was married to playwright Audrey Davis Levin. They had a daughter, Kristina Davis. Levin died on December 29, 2023, in Manhattan, New York City.

Death

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