", "How a Holby City actor brought one of Star Wars' most iconic characters back to life", "See the Stunning Detail That Went into Recreating Two Star Wars Characters For Rogue One", "What Peter Cushing's Digital Resurrection Means for the Industry", "CUSHING, PETER (19131994) The Bois Saga", "Peter Cushing's Obituary The Vegetarian (Autumn 1994)", "Peter Cushing, actor, Dies at 81; Known for Playing Frankenstein", "Royal Mail celebrates 'Great Britons' with launch of latest special stamp collection", The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society UK, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Cushing&oldid=1136944646, Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners, Officers of the Order of the British Empire, People associated with the Vegetarian Society, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2022, Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata, Turner Classic Movies person ID different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This film was "riffed" on 14 April 2017 as part of the Season One (episode 14) release of, Season 1, episode 20: "The Escape of Rudolf Hess", Season 2, episode 7: "Drama '62: Peace with Terror", Season 1, episode 4: "La Grande Breteche", Season 1, episode 5: "The Counterfeit Trap", Four separately recorded interviews, (with, Long running gag involving being owed payment, This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 00:06. He appeared in several horror films and was in Lawrence Olivier's Hamlet. Acquaint yourself with Peter Cushing OBE (1913 -1994), film actor, television star and artist. [71] Cushing prepared extensively for the role, studying the novel and taking notes in his script. [136], Cushing wrote two autobiographies, Peter Cushing: An Autobiography (1986) and Past Forgetting: Memoirs of the Hammer Years (1988). He was 81. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 (license statement/permission). Helen Cushing David CushingNellie Marie CushingGeorge Edward Cushing Peter Cushing/Family. [59] Dracula was released in 1958, with Cushing once again starring opposite Lee, who played the title character, although Cushing was given top billing. [14] His first audition was before the actor Allan Aynesworth, who was so unimpressed with Cushing's manner of speech that he rejected him outright and insisted he not return until he improved his diction. [138] His final acting job was narrating, along with Christopher Lee, the Hammer Films documentary Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror (1994), which was recorded only a few weeks before his death. [5] Although raised during wartime, Cushing was too young to understand or become greatly affected by it, and was shielded from the horrors of war by his mother, who encouraged him to play games under the kitchen table whenever the threat of possible bombings arose. [38], In the two years following Nineteen Eighty-Four, Cushing appeared in thirty-one television plays and two serials, and won Best Television Actor of the Year from the Evening Chronicle. [69] Cushing drew generally mixed reviews: Film Daily called it a "tantalising performance" and Time Out's David Pirie called it "one of his very best performances",[74] while the Monthly Film Bulletin called him "tiresomely mannered and too lightweight" and BBC Television's Barry Norman said he "didn't quite capture the air of know-all arrogance that was the great detective's hallmark". Peter Cushing was born on the 26th of May, 2013. [10][123][124], For the film Rogue One (2016), CGI and digitally-repurposed-archive footage[125][126] were used to insert Cushing's likeness from the original movie over the face of actor Guy Henry. Cushing appeared in several other Hammer films, including The Abominable Snowman (1957), The Mummy and The Hound of the Baskervilles (both 1959), the last of which marked the first of the several occasions he portrayed the detective Sherlock Holmes. The horror films were produced by Hammer Films in Britain.Peter Cushing, a British actor who chilled a generation of filmgoers as the evil Baron Frankenstein, died yesterday in a hospice in Canterbury, England. [28] In 1972, he was quoted in the Radio Times as having said, "Since Helen passed on I can't find anything; the heart, quite simply, has gone out of everything. [58] Cushing said one of the biggest challenges during filming was not missing whenever he struck a prop stake with a mallet and drove it into a vampire's heart. [106] After Cushing was cast in the role, several changes were made to the script at his suggestion. Since the film's primary antagonist Darth Vader wore a mask throughout the entire film and his face was never visible, Lucas felt a strong human villain character was necessary. Davies, the Purley County Grammar School physics teacher who produced all the school's plays, recognised some acting potential in him and encouraged him to participate in the theatre, even allowing Cushing to skip class to paint sets. [48] The Curse of Frankenstein also featured Christopher Lee, who played Frankenstein's monster. [139] He hand-painted many and used the Little Wars rule set by H. G. Wells for miniature wargaming. [10] The scene in which Tarkin and Organa appear together on the Death Star, just before the destruction of the planet Alderaan, was the first scene with major dialogue that Fisher filmed for Star Wars. [102] He appeared alongside Vincent Price in Dr. Phibes Rises Again! Afterward, he was granted the scholarship and given odd jobs around the theatre, such as selling refreshments and working as an assistant stage manager. Cushing gained worldwide fame for his appearances in 22 horror films from the Hammer studio, particularly for his role as Baron Frankenstein in six of their seven Frankenstein films, and Doctor Van Helsing in five Dracula films. "[146], In his autobiography, Cushing implies that he attempted suicide on the night of his wife's death by running up and down stairs in the vain hope that it would induce a heart attack. [41], Cushing appeared in the television film The Masks of Death (1984), marking both the last time he played detective Sherlock Holmes and the final performance for which he received top billing. [81], He appeared in the biographical epic film John Paul Jones (1959), in which Robert Stack played the title role of the American naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. This caused a great deal of pain for him during shooting, but the costume designers did not have enough time to get him another pair. [115][116][117][118][119] During rehearsals, Lucas originally planned for Tarkin and Vader to use a giant screen filled with computerised architectural representations of hallways to monitor the whereabouts of Skywalker, Solo and Organa. [18] In the autumn of 1946, after the war ended, Cushing unsuccessfully auditioned for the part of Paul Verrall in a stage production of the play Born Yesterday that was being staged by famed actor and director Laurence Olivier. Cushing also wrote a children's book called The Bois Saga, a story based on the history of England. Twins of Evil. Peter Cushing's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. [155][156], In 2008, fourteen years after his death, Cushing's image was used in a set of stamps issued by the Royal Mail honouring Hammer Studios films on the fiftieth anniversary of the release of Dracula. [28][35] Nevertheless, a second televised production was filmed and aired, and Cushing eventually drew both critical praise and acting awards, further cementing his reputation as one of Britain's biggest television stars. Cushing starred as Parson Blyss, the local reverend of an 18th-century English coastal town believed to be hiding his smuggling activities with reports of ghosts. (1973),[65] and The Beast Must Die (1974). The order of these top Peter Cushing movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Peter Cushing movies will be at the top of the list. Actor: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. Wiki User. [10][42][68], On 10 April 1943, Cushing married Violet Hlne Beck, sister of Reginald Beck. [152] In total, Cushing appeared in more than 100 films throughout his career. [21] In that film, Cushing's Van Helsing travels to the Chinese city Chungking, where Count Dracula is heading a vampire cult. Actually, I'm a gentle fellow. Knight, Chris (1971). He appeared in several horror films and was in Lawrence Olivier's Hamlet. [55] In Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, Cushing portrayed Frankenstein as having gone completely mad, in a fitting coda to the earlier films. [36] Other successful television ventures during this time included Epitaph for a Spy, The Noble Spaniard, Beau Brummell,[35] Portrait by Peko,[37] and Anastasia, the latter of which won Cushing the Daily Mail National Television Award for Best Actor of 195354. [14] Also appearing in the film was Christopher Lee, who eventually became a close friend and frequent co-star with Cushing. Though only in his early 50s at the time, Cushing regularly played decrepit characters. Scully, Rob (11 August 1994). one didn't go to work if you had children. Cushing considered this among the favourites of his films,[21] and some critics believed it to be among his best performances, although it was one of the least seen films from his career. [133] Cushing appeared alongside his old co-stars Christopher Lee and Vincent Price in House of the Long Shadows (1983), a horror-parody film featuring Desi Arnaz, Jr. as an author trying to write a gothic novel in a deserted Welsh mansion. "[32], Hamlet won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and earned Cushing praise for his performance. He said his only regret about working on it was that he wasn't able to be in ESB or RotJ. [21] In the first, The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), his protagonist is sentenced to death by guillotine, but he flees and hides under the alias Doctor Victor Stein. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. [121], When Star Wars was first released in 1977, most preliminary advertisements touted Cushing's Tarkin as the primary antagonist of the film, not Vader;[122] Cushing was extremely pleased with the final film, and he claimed his only disappointment was that Tarkin was killed and could not appear in the subsequent sequels. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. Known for a number of iconic roles, Peter Cushing's career stretched across multiple genres. He and his older brother David were raised first in Dulwich Village, a south London suburb, and then later back in Surrey. [3] Cushing's family consisted of several stage actors, including his paternal grandfather Henry William Cushing (who toured with Henry Irving),[4] his paternal aunt Maude Cushing (his father's sister) and his step-uncle Wilton Herriot, after whom Peter Cushing received his middle name. [21] The film was roughly based on the Doctor Syn novels by Russell Thorndike. There is a photo in Peter's biography showing a smiling Helen and His stoic portrayals in Hammer horror films and Star Wars is legendary, but did you know that he also played Dr Who in two films? Cushing's biggest claim to fame besides Star Wars was his tenure in the Hammer Horror films where he acted opposite Christopher Lee. Cushing turned it down, in part because he did not like the script by Jimmy Sangster, and the lead role was taken instead by Anton Diffring. Studio executives were pleased with Cushing's performance, and there was talk among Hollywood insiders grooming him for stardom. Peter Wilton Cushing was born on May 26, 1913 in Kenley, Surrey, England, to Nellie Maria (King) and George Edward Cushing, a quantity surveyor. The timeline seems to match, as James Mason passed away in 1984. Peter Cushing's wife died in the early 1970's, they never had children so when he died of cancer in 1994 he left his estate to his secretary Joyce Broughton. Text taken from Peter Cushing, Wookieepedia, Wikia. A Tale of Two Cities. [10] While working, he actively provided feedback and suggestions on other elements beyond his performance, such as dialogue and wardrobe. [16][17] By the end of the summer of 1936, Cushing accepted a job with the repertory theatre company Southampton Rep, working as assistant stage manager and performing in bit roles at the Grand Theatre in the Hampshire city. But millions want to see me as [Baron] Frankenstein, so that's the one I do. In the opening scene, Cushing portrays the nineteenth century Van Helsing as he did in the previous films, and the character is killed after battling Dracula. Chibnall, Steve and Petley, Julian (2001). [107] His performance in Tales from the Crypt won him the Best Male Actor award at the 1971 French Convention of Fantasy Cinema in France. [29], Cushing recorded occasional radio spots and appeared in week-long stints as a featured player in London's Q Theatre, but otherwise work was difficult to come by. Cushing played one part against Hayward in one scene, then the opposite part in another, and ultimately the scenes were spliced together in a split screen process that featured Hayward in both parts and left Cushing's work cut from the film altogether. [20] Cushing was hired as a stand-in for scenes that featured both characters played by Louis Hayward, who had the dual lead roles of King Louis XIV and Philippe of Gascony. 4 Grand Moff Tarkin. This marked his professional stage debut, although he had no lines and did little more than stand on stage behind other actors. They first met on the set of the film, where Lee was still wearing the monster make-up prepared by Phil Leakey. [21] He once said that he learned his parts "from cover to cover" before filming began. He has adorned our screens as Dr. . There was a general increase in BBC artists' fees, but Cushing's growing standing as a film actor must have given John Redway extra clout. [21][53] The two men continued to work together in many films for Hammer, and their names became synonymous with the company. [40] Among the plays he appeared in during this time were Terence Rattigan's The Browning Version, Gordon Daviot's Richard of Bordeaux, and the production of Nigel Kneale's The Creature (1955),[35] the latter of which Cushing starred in film adaptation released in 1957. The effects of his wife's death proved to be as much physical as mental. During his. [105] Cushing used the emotions from the recent loss of his wife to add authenticity to the widower character's grieving. [134] The final notable roles of Cushing's career were in the comedy Top Secret! Cushing's biographer Tony Earnshaw said Cushing's performance in The Masks of Death was arguably the actor's best interpretation of the role, calling it "the culmination of a life-time as a Holmes fan, and more than a quarter of a century of preparation to play the most complex of characters". [4][42], In an interview included on the DVD release of The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), Lee said of his friend's death: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, I don't want to sound gloomy, but at some point of your lives, every one of you will notice that you have in your life one person, one friend whom you love and care for very much. Cushing continued to perform in a variety of roles, although he was often typecast as a horror film actor. [21] Cushing and Lee became extremely close friends, and remained so for the rest of Cushing's life. Wesley Snipes has taken out more in single scenes, no doubt. The only enjoyment he got out of it was drawing prospectives of proposed buildings, which were almost always rejected because they were too imaginative and expensive and lacked strong foundations, which Cushing disregarded as a "mere detail. Tarkin, played by the late Peter Cushing, was outwardly polite and aristocratic, but as princess Leia noted, there's no hiding the foul stench of his evil. "[46] The film critic Roger Ebert described Cushing's work in the Hammer films: "[Cushing is] the one in all those British horror films, standing between Vincent Price and Christopher Lee. Although the idea was ultimately abandoned before filming began, Cushing and Prowse rehearsed those scenes in a set built by computer animation artist Larry Cuba. [5] With the exception of art, Cushing was a self-proclaimed poor student in most subjects and had little attention span for that which did not interest him. Ryan and Slater agreed, and Cushing later said performing the part was his most pleasant experience since his wife had died four years earlier. In the 1970s, he garnered fame for his role in a slew of horror films, including his performance as Van . See answer (1) Cushing said he would have preferred to play Kenobi rather than Tarkin, but could not have done so because he was to be filming other movie roles when Star Wars was shooting, and Tarkin's scenes took less time to film than those of the larger Kenobi role. Instead, Cushing asked to play Arthur Grymsdyke,[105] a kind, working-class widower who gets along well with the local children, but falls subject to a smear campaign by his snobbish neighbours. Actors Who Have Played Sherlock Holmes. [14][28][29][145], In 1971 Cushing's wife died of emphysema. Cushing visited the company, which was only a few days away from shooting The Man in the Iron Mask (1939), the James Whale-directed adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas tale based on the French legend of a prisoner during the reign of Louis XIV of France. As one of the most famous women on the planet throughout the 1950s and '60s the one thing that she didn't have . That person is so close to you that you are able to share so. Dis St Peter, who was married, have any. Cushing often appeared alongside actor Christopher Lee, who became one of his closest friends, and occasionally with the American horror star Vincent Price. [19], Soon, he felt the urge to pursue a film career in the United States. The Curse of Frankenstein also featured Christopher Lee, who was married, have any: Episode IV - New... From the recent loss of his wife to add authenticity to the script at his suggestion said he! May, 2013 films and was in Lawrence Olivier & # x27 ; s stretched... 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