Peter Hedges


Peter Simpson Hedges is an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, film director and film producer.

Early life

Hedges was born in West Des Moines, Iowa, where he was raised, the son of Carole, a psychotherapist, and the Rev. Robert Boyden Hedges, an Episcopal priest. His mother left when he was young so he was raised by his single father. He attended Valley High School, where he was involved in the theater department, including the improvisational group and the mime troupe, The Bakers Dozen. He later went to the North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied drama.

Career

Hedges' novel What's Eating Gilbert Grape was adapted into a critically acclaimed movie of the same title, which launched his film career.
In 2002, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for About a Boy. In the same year, he wrote and directed Pieces of April, starring Katie Holmes, which he dedicated to his mother.
In 2007, he co-wrote and directed Dan in Real Life.
He wrote and directed The Odd Life of Timothy Green, a film conceived by Ahmet Zappa, produced by Zappa and Scott Sanders, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. In 2018, he wrote and directed the drama Ben Is Back, about drug addiction, starring his son Lucas Hedges, and Julia Roberts.
His latest novel The Heights was published March 4, 2010 by Dutton.

Personal life

His wife is Susan Bruce, a poet. They have two boys, Simon, who works in private equity in New York, and Academy Award-nominated actor Lucas Hedges.

Filmography