Peter Spears

Peter Spears (born November 29, 1965) is an American actor and filmmaker. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in Overland Park, Kansas. Spears is best known for winning an Oscar for producing Nomadland, and for producing film Call Me by Your Name (2017). He directed the underground cult-favorite short film Ernest and Bertram, which portrayed Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie as gay lovers, and developed the television series Nightmare Cafe and John from Cincinnati.

Career In 2020, Spears founded his own production company, Cor Cordium. The company has multiple projects in development across film and television. Recent films include Queer and Bones and All, directed by Luca Guadagnino, and Drift, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Upcoming work includes On Swift Horses, directed by Daniel Minahan and starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Diego Calva, Will Poulter and Sasha Calle, which will be released April 25, 2025 by Sony Pictures Classics.

Spears's most successful production is Nomadland, which won an Oscar at the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony in 2021. The film also won the BAFTA, Golden Globe, PGA Award, and the Golden Lion at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. Spears also produced the critically acclaimed 2017 film Call Me by Your Name, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. He directed the underground cult-favorite short film Ernest and Bertram, which portrayed Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie as gay lovers in a loose parody of Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour.

In addition to his career as a film director and producer, Spears is also an actor, appearing in films such as Call Me By Your Name, Something's Gotta Give, The Opposite of Sex, and Father of the Bride Part II, as well as several television series, including Friends and E.R. He was most recently seen in the film Sublet.

Spears also co-founded OutSet: The Young Filmmakers Project, a collaboration between the Outfest Film Festival and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. The 6-month film lab selects a group of diverse 16-to-24-year-old emerging filmmakers to share their stories through film, by embarking on courses in screenwriting, pre-production, production and post-production, mentored by industry experts. The program culminates in the filmmakers' final thesis projects presented at the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival.

Personal life Spears is married to talent agent Brian Swardstrom, and the couple splits their time between upstate New York and California.

Filmography As actor Film Year Title Role Notes 1995 Father of the Bride Part II Dr. Wagner 1998 The Opposite of Sex Dr. Allen 2003 Something's Gotta Give Danny Benjamin 2017 Call Me by Your Name Isaac Also producer 2020 Nomadland Peter Also producer2020SubletDavid

Television Year Title Role Notes 1991 Pink Lightning Greg TV movie 1992 Murder Without Motive: The Edmund Perry Story Student Proctor TV movie 1992 Something to Live for: The Alison Gertz Story Peter TV movie 1993 Quantum Leap Doug Bridges / Reiser Episode: "Dr. Ruth" 1993 The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Robert Benchley Episode: "Young Indiana Jones and the Scandal of 1920" 1993 Café Americain Mark Durgin Episode: "Pilot" 1994 Matlock Barry Feldman Two episodes 1994 Cries from the Heart Jeff TV movie 1996 ER Episode: "Baby Shower" 1996 Friends Joel Episode: "The One with Barry and Mindy's Wedding" 1997 The Love Bug Young Dr. Stumpfel TV movie 1999 Love Boat: The Next Wave Jeff Blessing Episode: "Blind Love" 2001 Some of My Best Friends Terry Two episodes 2004 CSI: Miami Josh Dalton Episode: "Deadline"

As writer Year Title Notes 2002 Ernest and Bertram Short filmalso director

As director Year Title Notes 2002 Ernest and Bertram Short filmdirectorial debut 2007 Careless

As producer Film

Television Year Title Notes 1992 Nightmare Café Co-developerCreative consultantExecutive producer 2007 John from Cincinnati Co-developerCreative consultantExecutive producer