Peter Dreyfuss is character in the Grand Theft Auto series, who appears as a stranger/freak in Grand Theft Auto V.
History
Background
Dreyfuss was a director in the 1970s who left the film industry, after his movie "Last Will and Testament" was a failure at the box office. The audience and critic reaction to the movie left Dreyfuss incandescent with rage and vowed to never work again.
During his absence from cinema, his films began to gain a cult following, and his image saw a renewal in popularity, with critics calling him one of the "last masterminds of American cinema". However, his image was not completely clean, as many women who worked with Dreyfuss over the years had accused him of sexual harassment.
In 1975, Dreyfuss tortured and killed Leonora Johnson. After this, he wrote a confession letter to David Richards, stating that he had to kill her (and later torment her family by mailing them pieces of her body) for "artistic purposes". He claimed that the murder would "hurt him most" and that making Leonora and her family suffer would give him artistic inspiration, though his words and actions hardly showed any remorse nor "hurt". Richards tore up the letter and scattered the pieces across Los Santos and Blaine County.
It is also revealed in his confession letter that at some point before 1975, he and an inebriated Richards paid two hookers in Mexico to stab each other.
Events of GTA V
In a internet news article from Public Liberty Online after the mission The Long Stretch, it is revealed that Dreyfuss is returning to the film industry after rumours that he was meditating in the Himalayas or teaching philosophy in Italy.
After all fifty pieces of the confession letter have been collected, Franklin Clinton visits Dreyfuss' house to confront him about the murder. Dreyfuss denies involvement and also tries to bribe him, but when Franklin rejects his pleas, Dreyfuss attempts to run away. Here, the player can choose between killing Dreyfuss or letting him get away. However, killing him is required to get the gold medal in the mission. During the chase, he makes many incoherent claims, trying to "justify" the murder, dissuade Franklin, or continually deny his involvement in the crime.
Murders committed by Peter Dreyfuss
- Leonora Johnson - Killed to teach her family about suffering just so he could learn to understand it without experiencing it himself.
Mission Appearances
- GTA V
- A Starlet in Vinewood (Can be killed)
List of Movies
- The Many Wifes of Alfredo Smith (1975)
- Bury Me (1977)
- Butchery And Other Hobbies (1983)
- Blue Blood (1986)
- The Redeemer (1989)
- Last Will and Testament (1991)
Gallery
Trivia
- His appearance as well as his personality might make him a reference to controversial director Roman Polański. he could have been also based on controversial film producer Harvey Wenstein, but this last one is unlikely, as the sexual harrasment allegations against him started in October 2017, nearly 4 years after the release of Grand Theft Auto V.
- At the Classicvinewood.com website, a comment made by the user 'hamstabber', about the movie Rum Runner, asks: "How come the chick in the wheelchair has such great legs?", this comment is most likely from Peter Dreyfuss, since the character in the wheelchair is portrayed by Leonora Johnson and his username is another clue, since he killed Leonora by stabbing her and he also wrote HAM in one of her legs.
- It's implied that Dreyfuss could be bisexual, as he asks Franklin if he is "here to copulate" when Franklin confronts him at his home.
- The number plate on his Landstalker reads DR3YFU55.
- Dreyfuss' surname may be a reference to actor Richard Dreyfuss.
- Regardless of the player's choice, a Weasel News radio broadcast will still say Dreyfuss was killed, suggesting that Rockstar made a placement error and this is just an oversight.
- This would also suggest that Dreyfuss' death at the hands of the player is the official aftermath.