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Breck was born Joseph Peter Breck, son of jazz musician Joseph "Jobie" Breck, who performed with legends like Fats Waller, Bix Beiderbecke, Paul Whiteman, and Billie Holiday. Known as "Buddy" in his youth, Peter spent much of his early life with his grandparents in Haverhill, Massachusetts, as his parents were frequently on the road, providing him with greater stability.
After his parents divorced, Peter moved back to Rochester to live with his mother and her new husband, Al Weber, sports editor of the Rochester Times-Union. He attended John Marshall High School in Rochester, then served in the U.S. Navy. He later studied English and drama at the University of Houston, where he acted in college plays and apprenticed at Houston's Alley Theatre, appearing in productions such as "Stalag 17." A talented singer, he also performed in several Houston-area clubs.
Breck expanded his stage experience at Washington D.C.'s Arena Theatre. While performing in the 1957 production of George Bernard Shaw's "The Man of Destiny," he was discovered by Robert Mitchum, who cast him in an uncredited role in the 1958 film Thunder Road, which Mitchum produced, co-wrote, and starred in. Mitchum invited Breck to Los Angeles and helped him get established. Although he initially struggled to break into films, appearing as a juvenile delinquent in The Beatniks (1958), he found more success in rugged television roles. His first lead in a series was as Clay Culhane in the western Black Saddle (1959), about a gunfighter who trades his guns for law books to bring order to the West. The show co-starred Russell Johnson as a skeptical U.S. Marshal but was canceled after two seasons.
Despite the cancellation, Breck secured a Warner Brothers studio contract, increasing his visibility. Standing 6'2" and strikingly handsome, he guest-starred on many top Warner Bros. TV shows, including Sugarfoot, Surfside 6, Bronco, Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, Cheyenne, and portrayed Doc Holliday in Maverick. He returned to film with stronger lead and co-lead roles, such as in Portrait of a Mobster (1961) alongside Vic Morrow, and showed a softer side in the family drama Lad: A Dog (1962).
Leaving Warner Brothers after a few years, Breck led two low-budget cult thrillers: Shock Corridor (1963) and The Crawling Hand (1963), and appeared in the musical Hootenanny Hoot (1963), where, despite his singing talent, he was not given any songs. Television again revived his career when he co-starred as the brotherly lead in The Big Valley (1965). Although the strong ensemble cast included Richard Long, Lee Majors, and Linda Evans, only Barbara Stanwyck received Emmy nominations during its four-season run, winning once.
After this television success, Breck left Hollywood and dedicated the 1970s to theater work in the U.S. and Canada, performing in productions like "The Gazebo," "A Thousand Clowns," "The Rainmaker," and "Mister Roberts." Married since 1960 to former dancer Diana Bourne, they settled in Vancouver, Canada, with their son Christopher. There, Breck explored the local film scene and founded The Breck Academy, a full-time acting school that operated for ten years. Sadly, during this period, their son Christopher was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and passed away two years later.
Following this personal tragedy, Breck stepped back from the spotlight but continued to act occasionally in films and television. In his later years, he appeared in offbeat "B" movies such as Terminal City Ricochet (1990), Highway 61 (1991), Decoy (1995), Enemy Action (1999), and Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004). He also wrote a western column and made appearances at nostalgia conventions until diagnosed with dementia. His final film role was a small part in Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004). Breck passed away on February 6, 2012, in Vancouver, Canada.
