From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Peter Hedges (born July 6, 1962) is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director. Hedges grew up in West Des Moines, Iowa, and attended Valley High School, where he was involved in the theater department, including the improv group and the mime troupe, "The Bakers Dozen". He later went to the North Carolina School of the Arts. His novel What's Eating Gilbert Grape was adapted into a critically acclaimed movie of the same title, which launched his ...