Alfred Lutter’s life camera reel is not only fascinating and distinguished, but also filled with surprises. Since becoming a Parkite in 1996, he has immersed himself in an active and exciting mountain lifestyle providing the perfect fit and scene change.
Just a fledgling child actor at the time, Lutter first struck gold at the tender age of 11, when he was cast in Martin Scorsese’s iconic 1974 film and feminist anthem Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. He was Tommy, Alice’s son, played by legendary film star Ellen Burstyn, a role for which she won an Oscar as best actress. Co-star Kris Kristofferson was a newcomer on the 1970s film scene.
Roger Ebert, then film critic at Chicago Sun-Times, quipped in his review, “there is an interesting relationship between Kristofferson and Alfred Lutter, who does a very good job of playing a certain kind of 12-year-old kid.” Jodie Foster, another promising child actor, appeared in several scenes with Lutter, who recalls her being a “fabulous person and a consummate professional.”
For his performance, young Lutter was nominated by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts as most promising young actor. He laughs recalling being beaten out by another “young” actor, Robert DeNiro, almost 20 years his senior. “I was honored to be considered,” he says. The acting phenom went on to complete a trifecta of memorable films with Love and Death, written and directed by Woody Allen in 1975, and The Bad News Bears, starring film great Walter Matthau in 1976.
Throughout those halcyon early days as a child actor, by law Lutter was always accompanied on the set by his mom, “She really supported me, put her life on hold and spent a lot of time on the set watching me act,” he notes.
Growing up the youngest of four children in Ridgewood, New Jersey, he was both brilliant and funny. Uncommonly comfortable around adults, Lutter delighted in performing magic shows for family and friends. A self-avowed “ham,” he developed acting chops in school plays and TV commercials, after catching the eye of a New York talent scout.
Standing at the precipice of a promising future in the film industry, Lutter recalls those years with fondness. But there was yet another side that saw things differently: the brilliant side. Growing up, he was always interested in science and was “passionate” about solving problems. Young actors worked limited hours and were tutored on the set. “I was tutored in calculus and Latin in between takes, so I actually got a pretty good education,” he says. That’s evidenced by the fact that he scored almost perfect SAT scores as he looked toward college.
Lutter knew all too well that everything would change soon. “There’s a transition period for all child actors when they turn 18. As an adult, it’s suddenly a lot more difficult to make a living as an actor. There are fewer parts for 18- to 24-year-olds. If you do get a part, the hours are a lot longer, so it gets to be just a job,” he explains. Thus, he turned the page and began a new chapter in his fascinating young life.
Lutter’s stellar SAT scores opened the doors to many Ivy League universities, but he took aim at Stanford, which he calls the “Harvard of the West.” In 1980, Lutter set sail for northern California in his Lotus Europa. Cruising through Utah on Interstate 80, he took a left turn and drove into Park City, then a small ski resort he’d heard about. It was love at first sight, and Lutter vowed to return.
While at Stanford, he studied engineering and caught the computer bug, immersing himself in coding and software development. Soon after graduating in 1984, the ever-entrepreneurial Lutter formed an engineering software company, the first of half-a-dozen highly successful companies he’s founded since the mid-eighties. He went on to earn his master’s degree in management in 1988.
In 1986, he launched Lutter Consulting, the longest running of all his endeavors. Over the past four decades, Lutter has developed information systems for several Fortune 100 companies, including AT&T, Southern California Edison and GE.
When he moved to Park City in 1996, he and his wife, Jocelyn, immediately loved the community and active mountain lifestyle. After Jocelyn passed away in 2015, Lutter met Amanda at the San Francisco Yacht Club. The couple married in 2023 on a sailboat marking another beautiful adventure in his remarkable journey.
While he still takes on challenging projects, gathering top-notch technology teams and creating innovative software for a diversity of businesses, Lutter is gradually winding down from a very impressive second act.
Now in his early 60s, Lutter reflects on his pioneering career that stretches back to the dawn of the information generation. He admits there weren’t many guys like him. “It was a hot time, a lot easier to get started back then. You could create software and intellectual property without a bunch of capital. It’s a lot different now.”
These days, Lutter remains enchanted with the town he first encountered years ago. “It’s certainly not the funky little ski town I first visited in 1980, but I still love Park City.”
ALFRED LUTTER’S PARK CITY PICKS
Best thing about Park City: Park City has always had more culture, more arts and entertainment for its size than any other town. Also, the recreational opportunities are unlimited. Like they say, “Come for the winter, stay for the summer.”
Favorite restaurants: For me, nothing beats a great steak. My favorites are Ruth’s Chris Steak House in the Hotel Park City or Prime Steak House on Main Street.
Favorite trails: Round Valley, upper Summit Park and nearby Cottonwood Canyons for both alpine touring in the winter and mountain biking in the summer.
Favorite nonprofit: Hands down the Egyptian Theatre. World-class musical groups and entertainers perform there almost every weekend.
Bucket list: Locally, early spring snow camping at Lake Catherine above Alta. Also, glacier climbing on Mount Baker in Washington, bareboat sailing in the Caribbean, skiing in Antarctica, and sailing in Croatia and Tahiti.
