Melvin Van Peebles (born August 21, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, playwright and composer, and the father of actor and director Mario Van Peebles.

Prior to entering Hollywood, Van Peebles directed the French film Story of a Three Day Pass (La Permission). His first Hollywood film was the 1970 comedy Watermelon Man, written by Herman Raucher. The movie told the story of a casually racist but well meaning white man who suddenly wakes up black and finds himself alienated from his friends, family and job. In 1970 Van Peebles was also to direct filming of the Powder Ridge Rock Festival which was banned by court injunction.

Van Peebles then wrote and directed the independent feature, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song which is credited with starting the blaxploitation genre. His son Mario's 2004 film BAADASSSSS! tells the story behind his father's film. Despite the success of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, he has directed only a few other films.

Melvin Van Peebles speaks English, French and Dutch. He was educated at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Van Peebles was recently the subject of a documentary entitled How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It) (2005). Van Peebles' next project will be a double album with Madlib, to be released on Stones Throw Records. The first disc of the album will be Brer Soul Meets Quasimoto and the second disc will be the Madlib Invazion remix. Madlib had previously sampled Van Peebles heavily on both of his albums under the Quasimoto moniker. He is also working on a new film, titled Memories of an Ex-Dufus Mother.
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