Peterman was born in Los Angeles, on January 3, 1932. He graduated from Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California, before serving in the United States Army during the early 1950s. Peterman began shooting documentaries for the U.S. Army during his time in the service. Peterman began his professional career as a clapper loader for Hal Roach Studios at the age of 22 after leaving the U.S. Army. He departed Hal Roach Studios for Cascade Studios, where he worked the optical printer and animation camera. Peterman left Cascade Studios to on the Lassietelevision series, but later returned to Cascade Studios to become director of photography for the studio's television commercial productions. Peterman made his film debut as director of photography in the 1979 horror film, When a Stranger Calls. The film, described by Peterman as a "a down-and-dirty production," was shot in 25 days with a $1.7 million budget. Peterman was able to shoot nighttime scenes in six foot-candles of soft light without the aid of high-speed film stock or lenses. Peterman was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography on the 1983 film, Flashdance, starring Jennifer Beals. However, he lost to Sven Nykvist at the 56th Academy Awards. Peterman received his second nomination for in 1986 for his work on , which was directed by Leonard Nimoy, but lost to Chris Menges at the 59th Academy Awards in 1987. Peterman's many other film credits included Splash in 1984, Cocoon in 1985, 1991's Point Break and the comedyGet Shorty, which was released in 1995, and Men In Black in 1997. In 1997, Peterman suffered head injuries, a broken leg and broken ribs in an accident on the film set of Mighty Joe Young. Peterman was on a platform suspended eighteen feet from the ground when the crane holding the platform snapped, throwing Peterman to the ground. A cameraman working with Peterman was also injured in the accident. Production was delayed for two days, and Peterman was replaced by Oliver Wood for the remainder of principal photography. Peterman's last film was Ron Howard's How the Grinch Stole Christmas in 2000. Don Peterman died at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California, of myelodysplastic syndrome on February 5, 2011, at the age of 79.
