Gil Peterson

'''Gil Peterson''' is an American former actor and singer best known for such films and television series as ''The Cool Ones'' and ''The F.B.I.''.

== Early life and education== Peterson was born to H. W. and Mable Peterson in Winona, Mississippi. His older brother, Donald, would later become a NASA astronaut.<ref name=pete>{{cite news | newspaper=The Clarion-Ledger | date=November 23, 1989 | last=Cearnal | first=Sidney | title=H. W. "Pete" Peterson, Army veteran | page=2B | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/clarion-ledger-pete-peterson-obit/127941147/}}</ref> Peterson played football at both Winona High School and Mississippi State in the position of halfback and left-footed punter, graduating from the university in 1958 as a physical education major.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=The Greenwood Commonwealth | date=December 12, 1969 | page=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greenwood-commonwealth-gil-peterson/127947170/ 10] | title=Local Boy Makes Good | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greenwood-commonwealth-gil-peterson/127947096/}}</ref><ref name=halfback>{{cite news | newspaper=The Greenwood Commonwealth | date=August 7, 1962 | page=2 | title="Singing Halfback" Has New Recording | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greenwood-commonwealth-gil-peterson/127947775/}}</ref> During college vacations, Peterson sang in night clubs in the south, and had a screen test in his senior year.<ref name=jennings /> He served for several months with the United States Air Force Reserve.<ref name=dongil>{{cite news | newspaper=The Winona Times | date=August 24, 1967 | pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-winona-times-dongil-p7/127949670/ 7] | title=Don and Gil Peterson are grateful for home support | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-winona-times-dongil-p1/127949750/ }}</ref>

== Career ==

Peterson moved to Los Angeles, and worked in the physical education department of the school system while pursuing a performing career.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=Asheville Citizen-Times | date=August 21, 1966 | page=54 | title=Gil Peterson Is TV Star Safeguarded By Education | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/asheville-citizen-times-gil-peterson-saf/127948982/}}</ref> Peterson began as a singer with the DownBeats. In 1962, he recorded a single, "Baby, Baby All the Time" with "Nobody's Fool on the B-side, released by the Karle Company, and recorded an album with Bobby Troup, about which Peterson joked, "It sold seven copies. My folks bought six and I bought one." He recorded two other albums which were also not successes.<ref name=dongil /><ref name=halfback />

He performed in summer stock theater and studied acting with James Best. After making a number of commercials, his first television role was on ''Combat!''.<ref name=dongil /> Peterson appeared in ''Never Too Young'', ''Paradise Bay'', ''Run for Your Life'', and ''The Young Marrieds''.<ref name=jennings />

In 1966, Peterson was cast as the lead in ''The Cool Ones''.<ref name=jennings>{{cite news | newspaper=The Commercial Appeal | location=Memphis, Tennessee | date=August 21, 1966 | page=3 | last=Jennings | first=Robert | title=Former Bulldog is Among 'The Cool Ones' | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-gil-peterson-cool/127948058/}}</ref> Turner Classic Movies notes that ''The Cool Ones'' was not favorably reviewed on its release, but quotes a modern reviewer: "Some bad movies are more entertaining than their much better cousins, and ''The Cool Ones'' falls squarely into that category."<ref>{{cite web | last=Stafford | first=Jeff | title=The Cool Ones | website=Turner Classic Movies | date=July 10, 2023 | url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16679/the-cool-ones | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917195812/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16679/The-Cool-Ones/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 17, 2011 | access-date=July 10, 2023}}</ref> After ''The Cool Ones'', Peterson was offered a five-year, five-film deal by Jack L. Warner.<ref name=muir>{{cite news | newspaper=Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph | last=Muir | first=Florabel | date=September 2, 1966 | page=15 | title=Looking at Hollywood | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/colorado-springs-gazette-telegraph-gil-p/127946883/}}</ref>

Peterson appeared on ''Death Valley Days'' in 1967.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=The Charlotte Observer | date=July 1, 1967 | page=16 | title=In The Spotlight | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-gil-peterson-deat/127947335/}}</ref> Other roles included ''12 O'Clock High'', ''The FBI'', and ''Valley of the Dolls''.<ref name=dongil /> In 1974, Peterson appeared on ''Emergency!''.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=The Winona Times | date=February 14, 1974 | page=14 | title=Gil Peterson on "Emergency" | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-winona-times-gil-peterson-emergency/127941310/}}</ref>

Peterson established JaXon Productions, a film corporation in Mississippi, in 1969, intending to change his career from acting and singing to producing.<ref name=jaxon>{{cite news | newspaper=The Conservative | location=Carrollton, Mississippi | date=December 4, 1969 | pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-conservative-gil-peterson-jaxon-p3/127941897/ 3] | title=Winona plans for Mississippi movies | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-conservative-gil-peterson-jaxon-p1/127941763/}}</ref>

By 1989, Peterson had retired from acting and moved to Winchester, Oregon.<ref name=pete />

== Personal life == After first moving to California, Peterson married a model from Sacramento, who died of cancer.<ref name=jennings /> Peterson is a licensed flight instructor and owned an aviation business in California.<ref name=jaxon />

==Partial filmography==

* ''The Brain Machine'' (1977) as Dr. Elton Morris * ''Valley of the Dolls'' (1967) (uncredited){{r|dongil}} * ''The Cool Ones'' (1967) as Cliff Donner

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0677168}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Gil}} Category:1936 births Category:Living people Category:American male film actors Category:American male television actors Category:Male actors from Mississippi Category:People from Winona, Mississippi