Peter Bogdanovich trained as an actor under Stella Adler. Later, he appeared in modest theatre works, some of which he wrote and directed.
He appeared onstage with the New York Shakespeare Festival in the 1950s and directed an Off-Broadway production of Clifford Odets’ The Big Knife in 1959.
During that time, Bogdanovich provided critiques and pieces to publications such as Esquire and Cahiers du cinéma.
His monographs at the Museum of Modern Art on Orson Welles (1961), Howard Hawks (1962), and Alfred Hitchcock (1963) were well received, and volumes on Fritz Lang (1967), John Ford (1968), and Allan Dwan (1971) followed.
How did Peter Bogdanovich die?
According to his daughter, Antonia Bogdanovich, Peter Bogdanovich died peacefully at his Los Angeles residence. He died of natural causes, according to her.
Peter Bogdanovich, the ascot-wearing cinephile and director of black-and-white masterpieces such as The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon from the 1970s, was indeed a phenomenal man. He was 82 years old.
