Peter Askin (born 1940) is an actor, director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing the 2007 film Trumbo , a documentary about the Oscar-winning Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo who was blacklisted for being a member of the Hollywood Ten. [1] For the film, he worked closely with Trumbo's son, Christopher Trumbo. [2]
Born to a Jewish family, [3] Askin is the son of Alma Askin, the daughter of Joseph Durst, [4] the founder of the Durst Organization and member of one of the most prominent real estate families in New York City in the 20th century. [5] He was educated at Middlebury College and Columbia University. [6] He trained under Wynn Handman at The American Place Theatre in New York City. [6] Askin made his debut in 1986 with Down an Alley Filled with Cats. [6] Askin was the screenwriter for such films as Company Man (which he also co-directed) and Smithereens , and he directed and produced the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch . [7] Askin operates the Off-Broadway Westside Theatre. Askin is the Principal Producer of New York-based film and entertainment company Reno Productions. Both fictional movies and documentaries are produced. In 2022 Askin released Salt in My Soul. [8]