Peter James Yates (24 July 1929 – 9 January 2011) was an English film director and producer. He was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. The son of an army officer, he attended Charterhouse School as a boy, graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked for some years as an actor, director and stage manager. In the 1950s he started in the movie industry as a dubbing assistant and later an assistant director for Tony Richardson. Summer Holiday (1963), his first film as director, was a "lightweight" vehicle for Cliff Richard. Yates had directed the original Royal Court production of N. F. Simpson's play One Way Pendulum and was chosen to make the film version released in 1964. Robbery (1967), a crime thriller, is a fictionalised version of the Great Train Robbery of 1963. This led to Bullitt (1968), of which Bruce Weber has written, "Mr. Yates’s reputation probably rests most securely on “Bullitt” (1968), his first American film — and indeed, on one particular scene, an extended car chase that instantly became a classic." Yates was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Direction for Bullitt (1968). Yates produced and directed Breaking Away (1979), which was nominated for five Academy Awards ("Oscars") including Best Director and Best Film for Yates. Yates also produced and directed The Dresser (1983), which was an adaptation of the Ronald Harwood stage play. The film received seven BAFTA and five Oscar nominations, including the BAFTA Award for Best Film and for Best Direction and the Academy Award for Best Film and for Best Director for Yates. The Dresser was also entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival. Yates died in London on 9 January 2011. He was 81 years old. Description above from the Wikipedia article Peter Yates, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 24, 1929
- January 9, 2011 (aged 81)
- Aldershot, Hampshire, England, UK
- Director and producer, also writer
- 29 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
What are Peter Yates' films like?
Across their 24 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 21
Light 8 · Serious 11 · Dark 5
Grounded 19 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2
A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 7 · Intense 11
A split, not a type: Steady 11 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 3
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 6
Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 16 · Relentless 0
Casual 7 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 11 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 4
Resolved 18 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Happy7
- Bittersweet12
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Peter Yates' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 29 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Peter Yates' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
35 credits, 29 with a MovieCove page; 8 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
A Separate Peace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Don Quixote(2000)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
It All Came True(1998)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Good Will Hunting(1997)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Run of the Country(1995)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Roommates(1995)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Needful Things(1993)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Year of the Comet(1992)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
An Innocent Man(1989)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Suspect(1987)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Eleni(1985)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
The Dresser(1983)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Krull(1983)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Eyewitness(1981)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Breaking Away(1979)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Deep(1977)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Mother, Jugs & Speed(1976)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
For Pete's Sake(1974)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
The Hot Rock(1972)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Murphy's War(1971)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
John and Mary(1969)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Stasera Fernandel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Koroshi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Bullitt(1968)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Robbery(1967)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
One Way Pendulum(1965)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Summer Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Saint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
A Taste of Honey(1961)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
The Guns of Navarone(1961)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Danger Man(1960)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows
The Entertainer(1960)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Cover Girl Killer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Career shape
A full career of 35 titles from 1959 to 2004.
Biggest box office
The Deep (1977)
Highest rated
Breaking Away (1979)
Most popular right now
Needful Things (1993)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Peter Yates' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 28; across their 24 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up12
- 50th to 74th8
- 25th to 49th9
Shape of the crowd
14 of their 29 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved5
- Crowd Pleaser14
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 24 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Peter Yates' work okay for kids?
Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and alcohol & drugs lighter.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Peter Yates work with?
People who share at least 2 of Peter Yates' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ray Lovejoy shares the most, 6.
Writers
- Steve TesichShared titles: Eleni (1985), Eyewitness (1981), Breaking Away (1979)See all 3 shared titles with Steve Tesich
- John MortimerShared titles: Don Quixote (2000), John and Mary (1969)See all 2 shared titles with John Mortimer
- William GoldmanShared titles: Year of the Comet (1992), The Hot Rock (1972)See all 2 shared titles with William Goldman
Actors
- Peter MaloneyShared titles: It All Came True (1998), Breaking Away (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Peter Maloney
- Albert FinneyShared titles: The Run of the Country (1995), The Dresser (1983)See all 2 shared titles with Albert Finney
- Dennis QuaidShared titles: Suspect (1987), Breaking Away (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Dennis Quaid
- Liam NeesonShared titles: Suspect (1987), Krull (1983)See all 2 shared titles with Liam Neeson
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Ray LovejoyShared titles: Year of the Comet (1992), The House on Carroll Street (1988), Suspect (1987), Eleni (1985), Krull (1983), The Dresser (1983)See all 6 shared titles with Ray Lovejoy
- Frank P. KellerShared titles: Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976), For Pete's Sake (1974), The Hot Rock (1972), Murphy's War (1971), John and Mary (1969), Bullitt (1968)See all 6 shared titles with Frank P. Keller
- Richard HartleyShared titles: Don Quixote (2000), It All Came True (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Richard Hartley
- Mike SouthonShared titles: Roommates (1995), The Run of the Country (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Mike Southon
Producers
- Nigel WoollShared titles: The Run of the Country (1995), Year of the Comet (1992), Eleni (1985), The Dresser (1983)See all 4 shared titles with Nigel Wooll
- Michael DeeleyShared titles: Murphy's War (1971), Robbery (1967), One Way Pendulum (1965)See all 3 shared titles with Michael Deeley
- Robert W. CortShared titles: Roommates (1995), An Innocent Man (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Robert W. Cort
- Scott KroopfShared titles: Roommates (1995), An Innocent Man (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Scott Kroopf