Peter Halsten Thorkelson, better known by his stage name Peter Tork, was an American musician and actor. He was best known as the bass guitarist and keyboardist of the Monkees and co-star of the NBC television series of the same name (1966–68).
Tork was born at the former Doctors Hospital in Washington, D.C., in 1942, though many news articles incorrectly report him as having been born in 1944 in New York City—the date and location listed in early press releases for The Monkees television show. He was the son of Virginia Hope (née Straus) and Halsten John Thorkelson, an economics professor at the University of Connecticut. His paternal grandfather was of Norwegian descent, while his mother was of half German Jewish and half Irish ancestry.
Tork began studying piano at the age of nine, showing an aptitude for music by learning to play several different instruments, including the banjo, acoustic bass, and guitar. He attended Windham High School in Willimantic, Connecticut, and was a member of the first graduating class at E. O. Smith High School in Storrs, Connecticut. He attended Carleton College before he moved to New York City, where he became part of the folk music scene in Greenwich Village during the first half of the 1960s. While there, he befriended other up-and-coming musicians, such as Stephen Stills.
| Date of Birth | 13th February 1942 |
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| Date of Death | 21st February 2019 |
| Age at Death | 77 Years |
| Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
| Country | United States of America |
| Current City | Washington, D.C. |
| Birth Place | Washington, D.C. |
| Nationality | United States of America |
| Citizenship | United States of America |
| Signature |  |
| Aliases | Peter Tork |
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| Instruments | guitar, banjo, piano |
|---|---|
| Occupation | songwriter, pianist, television actor, guitarist, film actor, screenwriter, singer, singer-songwriter, bassist |
