John Peyser

Mr. Peyser was considered one of the pioneers of television, although he excelled as a director and producer for the big screen, too. He got involved with TV in its early stages before World War II, he directed programs for the peacock network, NBC.
Mr Peyser graduated from Colgate University, he was born in New York and joined the army where he was commissioned to the Office of War Information.
When the war was over, John Peyser returned to the U.S. and entered CBS to direct some television programs of what somehow it is still considered the Golden Age of TV, obviously most of this work was live television. Among those programs he directed were "Studio One," "Prudential Theater," "The Frank Sinatra Show," "Danger," "Suspense," "Starlight Theater," "Crime Syndicate" and "Man Behind the Badge."
During the fifties, Mr. Peyser moved to California and there he worked as a contract director for several studios, supplying his art to great shows like "The Untouchables," "Perry Mason," etc. Later during the sixties he helmed episodes for series like "The Dick Powell Show," "Combat!," "Bonanza," then in the seventiesand eighties he directed "Hawaii 5-0," "Switch," "Quincy," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "ChiPs" and "The Rat Patrol."
During his eight-year residency in Spain, John Peyser agreed to direct feature films for the American studios. Among these films were "Honeymoon With a Stranger," "Four Rode Out," and "Kashmiri Run."
Once more, Mr. Peyser went back to the US and directed movies such as "The Young Warriors," and "Last Train to Alcatraz." He even returned to TV, in Jack Palance's series "Believe It Or Not."
John Peyser died Friday Aug. 16, 2002 in his sleep at his home in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 86.