Biography for Peter D. Marshall
Film Director – Author – Directing Coach
Peter D. Marshall is a filmmaker and film directing coach from Vancouver, Canada. He is also the author of the book “Making the Magic Happen: The Art and Craft of Film Directing” published by Michael Wiese Productions. http://mwp.com/product/making-magic-happen-craft-directing/
He graduated in 1975 from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto (now Ryerson University). He has worked in the Film and Television Industry for over 45 years – as a Film Director, Television Producer, First Assistant Director and TV Series Creative Consultant.
Peter has Directed over 30 episodes of Television Drama such as “John Woo’s Once a Thief”, “Wiseguy”, “21 Jumpstreet”, “Neon Rider”, “The Black Stallion”, “Scene of the Crime”, “Big Wolf on Campus” and “Largo Winch.”
As a First Assistant Director, Peter has worked on 12 Feature Films (including “Dawn of the Dead”, “The Butterfly Effect”, “Happy Gilmore”, “The Fly II”); 17 Television Movies; 4 Television Series Pilots; 7 Television Series and over 20 Commercials.
He has written, directed or produced over 50 hours of documentary and educational programs and his documentaries and dramas have won, or been nominated for, 14 International film awards.
Peter has worked for directors such as John Woo, Zack Snyder, Phillip Noyce, Ed Zwick, John Badham, Mark Rydell, Roger Vadim, Dennis Dugan, Anne Wheeler, Bobby Roth and Kim Manners.
He has also worked with actors such as Peter O’Toole, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, John Travolta, Kathy Bates, Michelle Pfiefer, Marcia Gaye Harden, Madeleine Stowe, Mel Gibson, Ashton Kutcher, Goldie Hawn, Judy Davis, Halle Berry and Adam Sandler.
Peter was a directing instructor and film mentor at the Vancouver Film School from 2008-2015. Peter was also a directing instructor and film mentor at the Shanghai Vancouver Film School from 2015-2023.
Peter has also taught film directing workshops over the past 20 years for Raindance Canada, Directors Guild of Canada, Victoria Motion Picture School, Shoreline Actors Lab, Vancouver Institute of Media Arts, Capilano College, Mediacorp (Singapore), Extra Cake PRA (Dubai, UAE), Nehemiah Records (Port-au-Prince, Haiti), Taipan Holdings (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) and Yoobee School of Design and Film (Auckland, New Zealand.)
Peter has also created his Film Directing Coach Substack website at https://substack.com/@filmdirectingcoach
Copyright (c) 2026 Peter D. Marshall / All Rights Reserved
