Peter Yates was a British director and producer. As a boy he attended the Charterhouse School, and later graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He worked as a theatre actor and director, at first, and in the late 1950s began to work as assistant director on several films. He made his directing debut with the musical comedy Summer Holiday (1963), after which he directed the film version of N. F. Simpson’s drama One Way Pendulum (1964), which he previously directed in the theatre. Until 1967, he directed seven episodes of TV series The Saint (1963-1965) and Danger Man (1965-1967). His third film, the crime drama Robbery (1967), brought him commercial success, critical acclaim and an invitation to Hollywood. There he directed the successful Bullitt (1968) starring Steve McQueen. The scene of a car chase from this film became a classic. Then he made the romantic drama John and Mary (1969) starring Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow. In the1970s he directed the war drama Murphy's War (1971) starring Peter O'Toole, crime comedy The Hot Rock (1972) starring Robert Redford and George Segal, thriller The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) starring Robert Mitchum, comedies For Pete's Sake (1974) and Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976) and the horror The Deep (1977). His sports drama Breaking Away (1979), which he directed and produced, was nominated for five Oscar awards, among others for Best Film and for Best Director, but in the end won only the Oscar for Best Screenplay. In the 1980s he made the British drama The Dresser (1983), which was nominated for five Oscars as well (among the nominated were its two main actors - Tom Courtenay and Albert Finney, director, film, adapted screenplay) and seven BAFTA awards (in the same categories as Oscar as well as Best Supporting Actress - Eileen Atkins and Best Make Up). His other significant films from that period are the thriller Eyewitness (1981) with William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver, the fantastic drama Krull (1983), war drama Eleni (1985) with John Malkovich, thriller Suspect (1987) starring Cher and Dennis Quaid, The House on Carroll Street (1988) starring Kelly McGillis and Jeff Daniels as well as drama An Innocent Man (1989). In the 1990s he directed the action drama Year of the Comet (1992), comedy Roommates (1995), romantic drama The Run of the Country (1995) and the romantic comedy Curtain Call (1998), starring James Spader, Michael Caine and Maggie Smith. His last two films were the TV films Don Quixote (2000) and A Separate Peace (2004).