everything in your life that you want to do and so far, I have." - Peter Breck
Peter Breck was born Joseph Peter Breck in Rochester, New York on March 13, 1929. His father, Joe Breck, was a
musician/bandleader who worked with Paul Whiteman and collaborated with Fats Waller on several tunes and his
mother was a dancer. He graduated from Rochester's John Marshall High School in 1947.
He started in the entertainment business singing and playing drums in clubs. His first job was at the age of fourteen
singing boy soprano at a burlesque house where dancers stripped. He sang from the wings and was not allowed to look
at the stage. When confronted with astonishment by this revelation Peter counters, "It was all back then, it wasn't now.
Fourteen year olds can look now."
Peter served in the Navy during World War II aboard the carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt as a baker. Afterwards he chose
to take advantage of the G.I. Bill of Rights and received a free education at the University of Houston in Texas majoring
in drama and minoring in psychology.
Peter began performing in regional theaters until Robert Mitchum selected him for a role in Mitchum's Thunder Road
(1958). He made several appearances in television shows, the first being in "Have Gun Will Travel" with Richard Boone.
In 1959, Peter starred in his own western series, Black Saddle, in which he played gunslinger-turned-lawyer Clay
Culhane. The show lasted for only one season.
His starring role in Sam Fuller's 1963 Shock Corridor, playing a reporter who poses as insane to investigate an asylum
and then goes mad, earned him the best actor award at The Cannes Film Festival.
While still a struggling actor he met a dancer named Diane Bourne. She was due to go on stage but was having trouble
with the power pack that was supposed to operate the twinkling lights on her hoop skirt. "I fixed her battery," Peter
recalls, "and lit up her life." They were married on June 11, 1960 and still are to this day. They adopted and raised one
son, named Chris. Sadly, Chris died of leukemia at the age of 30.
In 1965 Peter was the first actor signed for a new western TV series. He was cast as Nick Barkley in The Big Valley.
When Peter first took the role he said to his wife, "But how in the world can I understand such a complex character?"
She answered, "Just look in the mirror." In regards to his character's personality on the show, Peter has said, "Nick was
the loud mouth. He really was a redneck. He had a horrible scene where he beats up a gypsy because of grapes. It was
really awful of him. He didn't apologize."
For the episode "Night of the Wolf" he was nominated for an Emmy in 1966. This also happens to be his personally most
memorable episode. Eventually Peter came to own the horse that his character rode throughout most of the series, Coco.
He was riding Coco on the set when the horse died underneath him from a burst heart.
In speaking of the series Peter fondly recalls, "We all adored and loved each other. We had a great family, a wonderful
relationship with one another." It is the role of Nick Barkley that Peter is most often identified with but he has no com-
plaints, "I don't mind it. He bought my house. Nick's been very good to me. I'm very happy to say that I'm proud I was
Nick Barkley or that I am Nick Barkley.
He has several opinions about show business today. The entertainment industy in general, "People at that time were
more professional, but not to say more talented," and "We're the only business in the world where we have a wrap party.
We're the only profession that celebrates its unemployment."
Comparing the current flock of actresses to the actresses of yesterday, "In the generation before mine, you had Joan
Crawford, Ida Lupino, Barbara Stanwyck, Loretta Young, Ann Sheridan. Five totally different people, totally different
leading ladies. You had all of these beautiful ladies and they were strong, all of them. Barbara Stanwyck walked into a
scene, or Joan Crawford, and there was strength there, just in making an entrance."
His most memorable career parts were playing the roles of "Cyrano" or the prince in "Hamlet" in classic theater.
"Tunes of Glory" is his favortie motion picture and Sir Alec Guiness and Sophia Loren are his favorite actors. His
favorite TV show was "Maverick" and a tune his Dad wrote "Girl of My Dreams" is his favorite song. His favorite sport-
ing activity is dirt bike riding and he enjoys hiking and writing.
In 1986 Peter and Diane moved to North Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada in order to assist her aging parents.
There he started the Breck Academy for the Performing Arts, which would eventually be located in three Canadian
cities; Vancouver, Victoria and Bellingham.
The most important message he tried to convey to his students, "Take advantage of everything that is given to you be-
cause opportunities come around once and that's it." The schools became prohibitive in that he couldn't do anything else.
They took all of his and Diane's time so despite the success of the schools they eventually decided to close them. He still
does occasional weekend seminars, however.
He and Diane now live in Surrey, B.C. and he stays busy making guest appearances at conventions, recording music CDs
and promoting several projects. He wants to produce film biographies of Jimmy the Greek and Fatty Arbuckle and is
working to get a Big Valley reunion movie off the ground. Recently he was awarded the Buck Jones Film Festival Award.