---
name: "John Peakes"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-peakes"
fi1m_id: "john-peakes"
imdb_id: "nm0668858"
tmdb_id: 11755
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "1 July 1933"
died: "26 January 2017"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-17T23:44:30.166926+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# John Peakes

## Identity

John Peakes

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/john-peakes
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** john-peakes
- **IMDb ID:** nm0668858
- **TMDB ID:** 11755
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0668858/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11755

Actor. Born 1 July 1933. Died 26 January 2017.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 1 July 1933
- **Died:** 26 January 2017
- **Elsewhere:** https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0668858/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11755

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Evil Dead II*](https://film.one/film/evil-dead-ii.md) (86)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

John Peakes (1933–2017) was an American actor. He is best known for playing Professor Knowby in the horror film *Evil Dead II* (1987). He also appeared as Dr Charles Foster in *6 Souls* (2010) and as Harry McHale in *The Mighty Macs* (2009), and had a guest role in the television series *Cold Case* (2005).

Peakes co-founded the BoarsHead Theater in Lansing, Michigan, in 1966 with Richard Thomsen and served as its artistic director until 2003. He performed and directed in hundreds of productions there and taught drama and literature at Lansing Community College in the early 1970s. His regional theatre work in Michigan connected him to director Sam Raimi.

He was married to Judith Gentry and, earlier, to Connie Villiers. His son Ian Merrill Peakes is also an actor.

*Sources: imdb.com, lansingstatejournal.com, willistonblogs.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Evil Dead II* (1987), Fi1m 86, as Professor Knowby — [page](https://film.one/film/evil-dead-ii.md)

## Complete filmography (4)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Mighty Macs* (2011), as Harry McHale
- *6 Souls* (2010), as Doctor Charles Foster
- *The Making of 'Evil Dead II' or The Gore the Merrier* (2000), Actor
- *Evil Dead II* (1987), as Professor Knowby — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/evil-dead-ii.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/john-peakes