Jan Peters obit

Jan Peters

September 8, 1927 – March 27, 2013

 

He was not on the list.

Jan Peters, loving husband, father, grandfather, educator and actor, passed away peacefully on March 27, 2013 with his wife Rita at his bedside, after several years of declining health resulting from diabetes and congestive heart failure. He was 85 years old.

Jan was born Irwin Podolsky in Brooklyn, New York on September 8, 1927, to Samuel and Yetta Podolsky. His family moved to Spring Valley, New York, where he went to school and became a state champion high school wrestler, and a budding thespian. He also served in the Navy briefly during WWII, and was honorably discharged in 1946.

Irwin’s passion was acting. In 1948 he enrolled in Ithaca College, NY, where he spent the next four years studying drama and performing in numerous stage plays and Summer Stock, which included the lead roles in “Othello” and “Death of a Salesman”. He also met many new friends at this time, including budding actors and actresses, one of whom was a man named Alan See. During college together, the men decided to legally change their names; Irwin changed his to Jan Peters, and Alan changed his to Gavin McLeod (Gavin went on to star in the Mary Tyler Moore show and as Capt. Stubing on the Love Boat). Gavin and Jan have remained close friends ever since college.

After college, Jan met a lovely Italian girl named Rita Napolitano. After a short courtship, they married on October 30, 1953, in New York City on her lunch hour in a civil ceremony. The love affair still goes on today, even after his passing.

Jan and Rita started their lives together, with Jan pursuing acting jobs on both stage and screen, moving to California, back to New York, and then finally back to California for good in 1964. Before the final move, three sons were born: Ron in 1955, followed by twin sons Rick and Randy in 1957. To make ends meet, Jan took jobs as a driving instructor, real estate agent, cab driver, and part-time teacher, while also working in Hollywood on shows like Gunsmoke, Batman, Ben Casey and Checkmate. During this time, Jan also managed to obtain a Master’s Degree in English and a teaching credential from San Fernando Valley State College (now CSUN), and began his teaching career in 1965 in Thousand Oaks. Soon after his beautiful daughter, Lori, was born in 1966, Jan was hired to be a full-time English teacher at Newbury Park High School when it opened in 1967.

Jan still loved acting, and kept working in Hollywood in his spare time, with roles on series like Charlie’s Angels, Mission Impossible, Baretta, and on some movies and commercials as well. He moved his family to Thousand Oaks in 1970 to be closer to his full time work, and became active with the Conejo Players Theatre for many years, both as actor and director. His most treasured role was that of Tevya, in the musical production of “Fiddler on the Roof”. Jan also loved riding his motorcycles (from Harley Davidsons to Honda Goldwings), and had a passion for outdoors and travel which took him and his family all over the country, and with his wife all over the world, including Europe, Australia and Alaska. He loved camping, and for many years made an annual trip with his boys to the Kern River for trout fishing. He was a big man who lived a big life. Serving a 23 year career as teacher, counselor and attendance officer, Jan retired from education in 1987, but spent many years afterward acting, travelling, and spoiling his grandchildren.

Jan is survived by his wife of 59 years, Rita; his sons and daughters-in-law Ron and Connie Peters, Randy and Susan Peters, and Rick and Bambi Peters; and daughter Lori and husband Todd Geist. He is also survived by seven grandchildren: Marie, John, Brad, Sarah, Rachel, Blake and Allison. Memorial services for Jan will be held at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Park in Westlake Village on April 21, 2013 at 1:30 PM. 

Actor

Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Gavin MacLeod, and Lauren Tewes in The Love Boat (1977)

The Love Boat

6.3

TV Series

Minister

1986

1 episode

 

Valerie Harper and Max Gail in Fun and Games (1980)

Fun and Games

6.1

TV Movie

Treasurer

1980

 

Telly Savalas in Kojak (1973)

Kojak

7.1

TV Series

Ben

1977

1 episode

 

Hunter (1976)

Hunter

6.5

TV Series

Bar Patron

1977

1 episode

 

Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith in Charlie's Angels (1976)

Charlie's Angels

6.6

TV Series

Galbraith

1977

1 episode

 

Robert Blake in Baretta (1975)

Baretta

6.7

TV Series

Elman

1976

1 episode

 

The Blue Knight (1975)

The Blue Knight

6.8

TV Series

DriverCafe Attendent

1976

2 episodes

 

Joe Forrester (1975)

Joe Forrester

7.1

TV Series

Richie

1976

1 episode

 

The Best of Times

TV Movie

Truant Officer

1974

 

Raymond Burr and Barbara Sigel in Ironside (1967)

Ironside

6.9

TV Series

Bartender Roy Penner

1973

1 episode

 

Mannix (1967)

Mannix

7.4

TV Series

Patron

1973

1 episode

 

Barbara Bain, Martin Landau, Peter Graves, Peter Lupus, and Greg Morris in Mission: Impossible (1966)

Mission: Impossible

7.9

TV Series

General

1972

1 episode

 

Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole (1972)

Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole

7.4

TV Movie

Ivan Dvorsky

1972

 

Quarantined (1970)

Quarantined

6.3

TV Movie

Len Richards

1970

 

James Arness, Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone, and Dennis Weaver in Gunsmoke (1955)

Gunsmoke

8.1

TV Series

CardplayerCurley

1965–1969

2 episodes

 

Carl Betz and Stephen Young in Judd for the Defense (1967)

Judd for the Defense

7.6

TV Series

Second Detective

1969

1 episode

 

The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968)

The Legend of Lylah Clare

5.7

Prop Man (uncredited)

1968

 

The F.B.I. (1965)

The F.B.I.

7.4

TV Series

Delicatessen Clerk

1966–1967

2 episodes

 

Adam West and Burt Ward in Batman (1966)

Batman

7.5

TV Series

Typesetter

1966

2 episodes

 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

7.7

TV Series

Sergeant

1966

1 episode

 

The Legend of Jesse James (1965)

The Legend of Jesse James

7.1

TV Series

Sheriff

1966

1 episode

 

George C. Scott in East Side/West Side (1963)

East Side/West Side

8.4

TV Series

Police Sergeant

1964

1 episode

 

Ben Casey (1961)

Ben Casey

7.1

TV Series

1963

1 episode

 

Angela Lansbury and Tuesday Weld in The Eleventh Hour (1962)

The Eleventh Hour

7.6

TV Series

Bartender

1963

1 episode

 

Have Gun - Will Travel (1957)

Have Gun - Will Travel

8.4

TV Series

Carriage Maker

1962

1 episode

 

Peter Mark Richman in Cain's Hundred (1961)

Cain's Hundred

7.8

TV Series

Biggy Zink

1962

1 episode

 

Don Collier, Judy Lewis, and Bruce Yarnell in Outlaws (1960)

Outlaws

7.3

TV Series

Telegrapher

1961

1 episode

 

Checkmate (1960)

Checkmate

7.4

TV Series

Leopold Bass

1961

1 episode

 

Gardner McKay in Adventures in Paradise (1959)

Adventures in Paradise

8.1

TV Series

Willy

1961

1 episode

 

Peter Loves Mary (1960)

Peter Loves Mary

6.2

TV Series

Wilkins, The Milkman

1961

1 episode