Mark Peploe

Mark Peploe (24 February 1943 – 18 June 2025) was an English screenwriter and film director. He was the brother of Clare Peploe, and the brother-in-law of director Bernardo Bertolucci.

Mark Peploe
Born	Mark Alexis More Peploe (1943-02-24)24 February 1943 Nairobi, Colony and Protectorate of Kenya
Died	18 June 2025(2025-06-18) (aged 82) Florence, Italy
Occupations	Film director screenwriter
Years active	1972–1996
Relatives	Clare Peploe (sister) Bernardo Bertolucci (brother-in-law)

Early life and career

Mark Peploe was born in Nairobi on 24 February 1943.^[1] His paternal grandfather was the renowned Scottish painter Samuel John Peploe (S. J. Peploe), and his maternal great-great-grandfather was the German sculptor Adolf von Hildebrand. His mother, Clotilde Peploe, was a noted painter, and his father, Willy Peploe, worked as an art dealer. He had a sister, Clare Peploe, also a screenwriter.^[2]

He started making documentaries, but turned to writing scripts. He wrote the screenplay for the 1975 film The Passenger. He went on to write High Season (1987) with his sister Clare, as well as The Last Emperor (1987) with Bernardo Bertolucci. He won an Academy Award in the best adapted screenplay category for the latter. Peploe also helped write The Sheltering Sky (1990) and Little Buddha (1993), both directed by Bertolucci.^[2]

Personal life and death

Peploe's partner was art historian Alina Payne. Prior to that, he was married to costume designer Louise Stjernsward, with whom he had a daughter, Lola.^[2]

Peploe died in Florence, Italy on 18 June 2025, at the age of 82.^[2][3]

Filmography

As Screenwriter

Year	Title	Director	Notes
1972	The Pied Piper	Jacques Demy	Writing Credit with Andrew Birkin and Jacques Demy
1975	The Passenger	Michelangelo Antonioni	Writing Credit with Michelangelo Antonioni and Peter Wollen
	Wanted: Babysitter	René Clément	Writing Credit with Nicola Badalucco, René Clément and Luciano Vincenzoni
1985	Samson and Delilah	Self	Short Film Writing Credit with Frederick Seidel Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Short Film
1987	High Season	Clare Peploe	Writing Credit with Clare Peploe
	The Last Emperor	Bernardo Bertolucci	Writing Credit with Bernardo Bertolucci Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay David di Donatello for Best Script Nominated - Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay
1990	The Sheltering Sky		Writing Credit with Bernardo Bertolucci
1991	Afraid of the Dark	Self	Writing Credit with Frederick Seidel
1993	Little Buddha	Bernardo Bertolucci	Writing Credit with Rudy Wurlitzer
1996	Victory	Self	Writing Credit with Frederick Seidel