Melvin Van Peebles (born August 21, 1932) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and composer.
He is most famous for creating (and starring in) the acclaimed film [Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971), which heralded a new era of African-American focused films. He is the father of actor and director Mario Van Peebles. He portrayed Dick Hallorann in the 1997 television adaptation of The Shining.