Screenwriter Playwright Director
Steven Peros is an award-winning playwright and filmmaker with credits in Film, Television, and Theatre. His research into a mysterious 1924 death on board William Randolph Hearst's yacht (in the company of Charlie Chaplin, Marion Davies, and Louella Parsons), led to his original screenplay, THE CAT'S MEOW, which Lionsgate brought to the screen in 2002, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Kirsten Dunst, Eddie Izzard, Edward Herrmann, Cary Elwes and Jennifer Tilly. The film appeared on a dozen year end “Ten Best” lists, including Film Comment and major dailies from coast to coast. In the world of theatre, the 1997 Los Angeles World Premiere of “The Cat's Meow”, his play on the same topic, had an extended nine-week run, garnering rave reviews from The Los Angeles Times, Daily Variety, CBS Radio, and
many others in the print and radio press. It has since been published
by Samuel French, Inc. Steven has been interviewed about the film and
play on television (Sundance Channel’s Anatomy of a Scene, E! Entertainment's Mysteries & Scandals), radio (KPFK-FM, KYPA-AM) and in print (Los Angeles Times, London Guardian, MovieMaker, Scr(i)pt, Screenwriter).
In 1994, Steven directed the Los Angeles World Premiere of his full-length play, KARLABOY, a ghost story set against the studio system of 1950’s Hollywood, for which he received a Drama-Logue Critics Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing. It, too, has been published by Samuel French. Also in the Old Hollywood vein, Steven penned three episodes of AMC’s Emmy-award winning 2001 comedy series, THE LOT.
In 2009, Steven completed his first feature as director, FOOTPRINTS, a mystery set entirely on Hollywood Boulevard amidst historic landmarks including Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and The Egyptian Theatre. His second feature, a ghost story, THE UNDYING, starring Emmy nominee Robin Weigert (HBO's "Deadwood") and Wes Studi ("Avatar"), will be completed in April, 2010.
Other screen projects in development include: "Welcome to the Family" for Echo Lake and producer Doug Mankoff ("Away from Her", "Tsotsi", Best Foreign Film Oscar); "Stretch 29" for producer Lauren Levine ("Bridge to Terabithia"); “Car Trouble”, a comedy with Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis, based on events from her family; and “With This Ring”, a romantic comedy for director Frank Coraci (“Click”, “The Wedding Singer”). Also for Coraci, Steven did extensive uncredited writing on Disney’s AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, starring Jackie Chan.
Steven has been a frequent contributor to MovieMaker Magazine. His writing on film has also been published in New York's Newsday and Village Voice, Scr(i)pt, and South Bay's Weekly.
Steven is a graduate of New York University's Film School where he wrote and directed a half-hour film, “Old Clowns Don't Bite”, which received a record five awards at the school's prestigious film festival including Best Director, Screenplay, and a Judge's Citation for Achievement in Black Comedy. It was televised as part of the PBS series, “Off Hollywood”.
Steven is a member of the Writers Guild of America.
