Photo: Piotr Drabik / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Peter Weir, born on August 21, 1944 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is a film director and screenwriter. That puts Peter Weir at 81 years old in 2026. Education on record includes Vaucluse High School and University of Sydney. Awards on record include European Film Award for Best Non-European Film (1998), Commander of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, BAFTA Award for Best Direction (1999, 2004) and 4 more.
My Take
Peter Weir is, to my mind, one of cinema's great quiet masters. From Picnic at Hanging Rock to Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show and Master and Commander, he moved across genres with astonishing ease while always probing the same thing: what lies beneath ordinary human surfaces. What I respect most is his restraint. He trusts silence, atmosphere and the audience's intelligence rather than spelling everything out. His 2022 Honorary Oscar felt overdue. Few directors leave images that keep working on you days after the credits roll, and Weir does it again and again. I trust him completely as a storyteller.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Peter Weir
- Name (Japanese)
- ピーター・ウィアー
- Reading
- ぴーたー・うぃあー
- Born
- August 21, 1944 (age 81)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Monkey
- Origin
- Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Occupation
- film director / screenwriter / director
2. Background
- High school
- Vaucluse High School
- University
- University of Sydney
Awards & achievements
- 1998 European Film Award for Best Non-European Film
- Commander of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
- 1999 BAFTA Award for Best Direction
- 1982 Member of the Order of Australia
- 2004 BAFTA Award for Best Direction
- 1999 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
- 2018 Sitges Grand Honorary Award
- 2022 Academy Honorary Award
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Peter Weir born?
Born August 21, 1944 (age 81).
Where is Peter Weir from?
Peter Weir is from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
What does Peter Weir do?
Peter Weir works as film director, screenwriter, director.
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