Peter was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but spent his formative years in Rye, New York. His journey into acting began as a sophomore at St. John's Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts, where he took a dare and started performing. During his senior year, he landed the role of Estragon in Samuel Beckett's iconic play "Waiting For Godot".
After graduating from Arizona State University, Peter pursued a Master of Fine Arts degree in the Hilberry Repertory Co. at Wayne State University in Detroit. He began his professional career in Chicago, acting in original comedies at the Practical Theatre Company.
Throughout the 1980s, Peter performed on numerous Chicago stages, appeared in commercials and industrials, and was twice featured on WMAQ-TV's Playwrights Festival. In the early 1990s, he relocated to New York City and has since been active in television, film, Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theatre productions across the United States and abroad.
In recent years, Peter was part of the 2012 SAG Award-winning ensemble of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire". He is also the lead guitarist for the garage-rock band Riffmaster & The Rockme Foundation, which has been together for over three decades.
Interestingly, Peter has a long history of attending iconic music events. He won tickets from WDRC radio in Hartford to see The Beatles at Shea Stadium in August 1966. Additionally, he hitchhiked to the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair in Bethel, New York in August 1969.
