Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman was born into the television industry, at the height of his parent's careers. His mother is actress Elinor Donahue, and his late father was television producer Harry Ackerman. Peter's birth ended up tying him into two of his future vocations. With his parents it was almost a given that he would work in the television industry, but his mother, as an adult, while pregnant with him, was herself baptized at a Saturday evening, Easter Vigil service. On the way home from that service her water broke and she was taken to the hospital where Peter, a future Episcopal priest, was born on Easter Sunday! Peter followed first in his mother's career as an actor. He did forgettable one line roles on a few cable series produced by The Arthur Company, and everything from one line police officer, bell boy, and hospital orderly in various "Days of Our Lives" episodes. Peter's first big break came from his father who allowed Sally Powers to cast Peter as one of the surfers in "Gidget's Summer Reunion." Peter also appeared on three episodes of "The New Gidget.' During those later acting roles, and due to his father's back surgery, Peter drove his dad around to various casting and editing sessions and the backstage bug bit him then. His father died soon after that so Peter first began working in television commercial and music video production where he worked on Madonna's "Express Yourself" and Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun" videos (during the latter he got to stand in for Steven Tyler while the rest of the band played around him during a run through!). Eventually Peter began working in television first as a Production Assistant on "The Human Target" and next on the "Sinatra" miniseries. After this he worked in the Main Television Department of Lorimar TV which later was assumed by Warner Bros. Television. During his time in the latter he was loaned out to pilots as a Production Coordinator, a temporary Writer's Assistant on "Full House," or at times to film casting sessions. Eventually a friend, Line Producer, Todd Stevens, who Peter worked for on a pilot that was not picked up, asked Peter to be his Assistant on "Friends," which Peter did for Seasons 2 and 3. By this time Peter was married to his non industry wife, and began to discern a different calling. He left the industry and began working with youth through the Episcopal church, specifically in the parish he was attending. At that church he became their Parish Administrator, and through this discerned a call to the priesthood (in the Episcopal Church priests can be male or female, married, with kids, etc.) Peter went to seminary in 2004 and was ordained a priest in 2007. He opted to remain in Northern VA (near DC) where he had attended the Virginia Theological Seminary and has settled in that area where he serves a parish in nearby Springfield as their rector. Peter loves his show biz connection, and past and today still uses true anecdotes from his many adventures in "the biz" to liven up his sermons.