Peter Hyams (born July 26, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer known for directing the 1977 conspiracy thriller film Capricorn One (which he also wrote), the 1981 science fiction-thriller Outland, the 1984 science fiction film 2010: The Year We Make Contact (a sequel to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey), the 1986 action/comedy Running Scared, the comic book adaptation Timecop, the action film Sudden Death (both starring Jean-Claude Van Damme), and the horror films The Relic and End of Days.
Hyams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Ruth Hurok and Barry Hyams, who was a theatrical producer and publicist on Broadway. His maternal grandfather was Sol Hurok, the Russian Jewish impresario. His stepfather was blacklisted conductor Arthur Lief. His sister was casting director Nessa Hyams. His son, John Hyams, is also a film director.
Hyams studied art and music at Hunter College and Syracuse University before working as a producer/anchorman for WHDH-TV. During 1966 while working for a CBS owned station in New York, he served three months as a news correspondent in Vietnam. He worked in Boston then in January 1968 he joined WBBM-TV in Chicago as an anchorman and reporter to replace Fahey Flynn. A contemporary report described him as a "glamor type".
During his time with CBS (where he worked from 1964 to 1970), he then began to shoot documentary films.
Hyams moved to Los Angeles in 1970 where he sold his first screenplay, T.R. Baskin, to Paramount Pictures in 1971. Herbert Ross directed the film and Hyams produced.
Hyams made his directorial debut with an ABC Movie of the Week for Aaron Spelling, Rolling Man (1972) starring Dennis Weaver. Hyams worked on it solely as director, with the script being written by the producers.
Hyams followed it directing another TV movie which he also wrote, Goodnight, My Love (1972), about a private eye and a dwarf. The film was highly acclaimed.
Hyams optioned a novel Going All the Way which he intended to adapt and direct but it was not made.
The praise for Goodnight My Love meant Hyams was able to get finance for his debut feature as writer-director, Busting (1974), a buddy cop movie starring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake. He followed it with Our Time (1974), a romance with Pamela Sue Martin, which he directed only.
Hyams made Peeper (1975), for the producers of Busting with Michael Caine and Natalie Wood. It was a financial failure and Hyams' career was at a low ebb. He wrote the script Hanover Street which he could have sold outright but Hyams insisted on directing. He wrote the screenplay for the Charles Bronson thriller Telefon (1977), doing a draft for Richard Lester (who ended up not directing the film). It was rewritten extensively.
Hyams had written the script for Capricorn One (1977) a number of years earlier. It was a conspiracy thriller about a faked mission to Mars. Paul Lazarus managed to raise financing with Hyams as director and the film was his first hit.
This was followed by the less successful Hanover Street (1979), which starred Harrison Ford.
Hyams did a rewrite of Ted Leighton's screenplay for the Steve McQueen film The Hunter (1980) which he was to direct. However, he dropped out after clashes with McQueen.
He wanted to do a Western but was unable to get financing, so he then wrote and directed the science fiction cult classic Outland (1981), which starred Sean Connery in a 'High Noon' scenario set on Io, one of Jupiter's moons.
Hyams directed the thriller The Star Chamber (1983), starring Michael Douglas, also rewriting the script.
For MGM Hyams produced, directed, and wrote the screenplay for 2010 (1984), collaborating closely with author Arthur C. Clarke (2010).
Hyams also co-authored with Clarke The Odyssey File: The Making of 2010, published 1985, a collection of their email correspondence which illustrates their fascination with the then pioneering medium, and its use for them to communicate on an almost daily basis while planning and producing the film.
Hyams directed an episode of Amazing Stories, "The Amazing Falsworth".