Peter Benchley

Peter Benchley
Portrait by Alex Gotfryd, 1974
Born	Peter Bradford Benchley (1940-05-08)May 8, 1940 New York City, U.S.
Died	February 11, 2006(2006-02-11) (aged 65) Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupations	Author screenwriter ocean activist
Years active	1967–2006
Spouse	Winifred "Wendy" Wesson ​ ​ (m. 1964)​
Parent(s)	Marjorie Bradford Nathaniel Benchley
Relatives	Robert Benchley (grandfather) Nat Benchley (brother)
Website	www.peterbenchley.com
Signature

Peter Bradford Benchley (May 8, 1940 – February 11, 2006) was an American author, screenwriter, and environmental activist. He is known for his bestselling novel Jaws and co-wrote its movie adaptation with Carl Gottlieb. Several more of his works were also adapted for both cinema and television, including The Deep, The Island, Beast, and White Shark.

Later in life, Benchley expressed some regret for his writing about sharks, which he felt indulged already present fear and false belief about sharks, and he became an advocate for marine conservation. Contrary to widespread rumor, Benchley did not believe that his writings contributed to shark depopulation, nor is there evidence that Jaws or any of his works did so.^[1]