[129][130][131] Joyce Broughton, Cushing's former secretary, had approved recreating Cushing in the film. No, he did not have any children. [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. At times, this put him at odds with writers and producers; Hammer Studios producer Anthony Hinds once declared him a "fusspot [and] terrible fusser about his wardrobe and everything, but never a difficult man. Although some childhood injuries prevented him from serving on active duty,[10] a friend suggested he entertain the troops by performing as part of the Entertainments National Service Association. [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. 2014-12-17 19:28:59. ", "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. [84] In 1965, Cushing appeared in the Ben Travers farce play Thark at Westminster's Garrick Theatre. [55] In Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, Cushing portrayed Frankenstein as having gone completely mad, in a fitting coda to the earlier films. Peter Wilton Cushing, actor: born Kenley, Surrey 26 May 1913; OBE 1989; married 1943 Helen Beck (died 1971); died Canterbury 11 August 1994. The episodes aired in 1968. [99][141] He was an ardent vegetarian for most of his life who served as a patron with the Vegetarian Society from 1987 until his death. He and his older brother David were raised first in Dulwich Village, a south London suburb, and then later back in Surrey. [62] For the sequel, Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), which marked Lee's return to the title role for the first time since 1958, Cushing granted permission for archival footage featuring him to be used in the opening scene, a reprisal of the climax from the first Dracula film. [92] Although the series proved popular, Cushing felt he could not give his best performance under the hectic schedule, and he was not pleased with the final result. In January 1995, a memorial service was held in The Actor's Church in Covent Garden, with addresses given by Christopher Lee, Kevin Francis, Ron Moody and James Bree. Chibnall, Steve and Petley, Julian (2001). O'Brien, John (20 April 2002). [61], In 1959, Cushing agreed to reprise the role of Van Helsing in the sequel, The Brides of Dracula (1960). [10], In 1947, when Laurence Olivier sought him out for his film adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Cushing's wife Helen pushed him to pursue a role. Study now. As a Hammer Film actor, he portrayed Baron Frankenstein, Dr. Van Helsing, and . [82] Cushing played Robert Knox in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960), based on the true story of the doctor who purchased human corpses for research from the serial killer duo Burke and Hare. Peter Cushing (1913-1994) was one of the most respected and important actors in the horror and fantasy film genres. Here are five little-known facts behind the man who brought the Grand Moff to life. It was his final stage performance for a decade, but he continued to stay active in film and television during this period. However, they did share a mutual respect for one another's work. Peter Cushing FameChain Links. [10] Cushing met a Columbia Pictures employee named Larry Goodkind, who wrote him a letter of recommendation and directed him to acquaintances Goodkind knew at the company Edward Small Productions. [10] D.J. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were two of the most prolific actors in horror cinema. Cushing often said he felt his life had ended when hers did,[10] and he was so crushed that when his first autobiography was published in 1986, it made no mention of his life after her death. Peter Wilton Cushing OBE (26 May 1913 11 August 1994) was an English actor. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 (license statement/permission). [112] However, Cushing has claimed that Lucas originally approached him to play the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and only decided to cast him as Tarkin instead after the two met each other. Peter Cushing seems like the perfect person to play the Doctor. His daughter Antonia told the Hollywood Reporter that he passed on due to natural causes. Both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee had agreed to work together one last time. [13][18] While he was in Southampton he met an 18 year old fellow actor Doreen Lawrence and they were engaged to be married. With the aid of advanced CGI, a walking, talking Cushing once again reprises his role as the sneering Imperial Officer Grand Moff Tarkin from the 1977 original Star Wars: A New Hope, even though. [142] He also had a great interest in ornithology and wildlife in general. [20], Only a few days after filming on The Man in the Iron Mask was completed, Cushing was in the Schwab's Drug Store, a famous Sunset Boulevard hangout spot for actors, when he learned producer Hal Roach was seeking an English actor for a comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy. [15] After Hamlet, both Peter and Helen Cushing accepted a personal invitation from Olivier to join Old Vic, Olivier's repertory theatre company, which embarked on a year-long tour of Australasia. [43] He also starred in the film adaptation of the Graham Greene novel The End of the Affair (1955) as Henry Miles, an important civil servant and the cuckolded husband of Sarah Miles, played by Deborah Kerr. Matt Smith 2010 - 2013. "Production and Reproduction: The Case of Frankenstein". [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. [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. Here is all you want to know, and more! Presumably living in a famous actor's former house is a mixed blessing for its current occupants. Peter Cushing is one of the most highly regarded performers amongst all manner of cinephiles. Cushing was known for his roles as Baron Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Van Helsing, Dr. Who, and Grand Moff Tarkin. [8], He began his early education in Dulwich, South London, before attending the Shoreham Grammar School in Shoreham-by-Sea, on the Sussex coast between Brighton and Worthing. "[77], Cushing and Lee appeared together in the horror film The Gorgon (1964), about the female snake-haired Gorgon character from Greek mythology and in She (1965), about a lost realm ruled by the immortal queen Ayesha, played by Ursula Andress. [30] The war years continued to prove difficult for him, however, and at one point he was forced to work designing ladies head-scarves at a Macclesfield-based silk manufacturer to make ends meet. No, he did not have any children. [72] Lee later claimed to be awestruck by Cushing's ability to incorporate many different props and actions into his performance simultaneously, whether reading, smoking a pipe, drinking whiskey, filing through papers or other things while portraying Holmes. [63] Cushing appeared in Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), a Hammer modernisation of the Dracula story set in the then-present day. [114] Cushing consciously attempted to define their characters as opposite representations of good and evil, and the actor purposely stood in the shadows so the light shone on Fisher's face. When Peter Cushing was a child, his mother dressed him as a girl. [153], Several filmmakers and actors have claimed to be influenced by Peter Cushing, including actor Doug Bradley, who played Pinhead in the Hellraiser horror films,[154] and John Carpenter, who directed such films as Halloween (1978), Escape from New York (1981) and The Thing (1982). [10] The next year he was set to star in a sequel, Lust for a Vampire (1971), but had to drop out because his wife was ill and Ralph Bates substituted. What movie did Peter Cushing play a vampire or has he ever played a vampire? [28] Shot in dynamic colour with a 65,000-budget, the film became known for its heavy usage of gore and sexual content. Peter Cushing real name: Peter Wilton Cushing Height: 5'11''(in feet & inches) 1.8034(m) 180.34(cm) , Birthdate(Birthday): May 26, 1913 , Age on August 11, 1994 (Death date): 81 Years 2 Months 16 Days Profession: Movies (Actor), Features: Hair and eyes dark brown, Address: Purley, Surrey, Father: George Edward Cushing, Mother: Nellie Marie Cushing, Religion: Roman Catholic, School: Shoreham . Peter Wilton Cushing was born in Kenley, then a district in the English county of Surrey, on 26 May 1913 to George Edward Cushing (18811956) and Nellie Marie (ne King) Cushing (18821961). He was forced to withdraw from the film to care for his wife, and was ultimately replaced by Andrew Keir. Cushing read Thorndike to prepare for the role, and made suggestions to make-up artist Roy Ashton about Blyss' costume and hairstyle. The former seaside home of film legend Peter Cushing has gone on the market for 1.4 million. Ryan and Slater agreed, and Cushing later said performing the part was his most pleasant experience since his wife had died four years earlier. "Peter Cushing, 81; Starred in Classic Horror Movies". Text taken from Peter Cushing, Wookieepedia, Wikia. [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. To their surprise, however, Cushing recovered well enough to be released from the hospital,[149] and although his health continued to gradually decline, Cushing lived another twelve years without any operative treatment or chemotherapy. [114], During the filming of Star Wars, Cushing was provided with a pair of boots far too small to accommodate the actor's size twelve feet. Answer (1 of 4): Absolutely. During filming he asked director Terence Fisher for permission to drive a harpoon through the mummy's body during a fight scene, to explain the poster image. [10] As a result, while the film did well at the box-office with its target audience, it drew mixed to negative reviews from the critics. .mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}To learn how to add open license text to Wikipedia articles, please see this how-to page. [13] Cushing often learned and practised his lines in an attic at work, under the guise that he was putting ordnance survey maps into order. PETER CUSHING, the prolific and . [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. Moorehead claimed she got the illness from a feature film she starred in, and she was not the only one. Peter Wilton Cushing was born on May 26, 1913 in Kenley, Surrey, England, to Nellie Maria (King) and George Edward Cushing, a quantity surveyor. [65], Although most well known for his roles in the Frankenstein and Dracula films, Cushing appeared in a wide variety of other Hammer productions during this time. His old friend and co-star John Mills encouraged him to publish his memoirs as a way of overcoming the reclusive state Cushing had placed himself into following her death. [24] Despite the promise, however, Cushing grew homesick and decided he wished to return to England. link]: I shall remember you. Cushing himself passed away in 1994 aged 81, leaving behind an . In the skit, Cushing portrayed King Arthur, while the other two gave comedic portrayals of characters like Merlin and the knights of the Round Table. Payne, Graham (June 1958). "[31] Nearing middle age and finding it increasingly harder to make a living in acting, Cushing began to consider himself a failure. Originally Doyle wanted to call his detective Sherrinford Hope. He appeared in several horror films and was in Lawrence Olivier's Hamlet. [80] Around the same time, he appeared in the film Alexander the Great (1956) as the Athenian General Memnon of Rhodes. 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. He also staged An Evening with Peter Cushing at St. Edmund's Public School in Canterbury to raise money for the local Cancer Care Unit. [48] The Curse of Frankenstein also featured Christopher Lee, who played Frankenstein's monster. In the Gospel of Matthew, Peter was living with his mother-in-law in Capharnaum, and thus was married with a wife. [28] Picturegoer writer Margaret Hinxman, who was not complimentary of Lee's performance, praised Cushing and wrote of the film: "Although this shocker may not have created much of a monster, it may well have created something more lasting: a star! [104], For Tales from the Crypt, an anthology film made up of several horror segments, Cushing was offered the part of a ruthless businessman but did not like the part and turned down the role. [21] The small role involved sword-fighting and, although Cushing had no experience with fencing, he told Whale he was an excellent fencer to ensure he got the part. Very few. Although one of her lines referred to Tarkin's "foul stench," she said the actual actor smelled like "linen and lavender," something Cushing attributed to his tendency to wash and brush his teeth thoroughly before filming because of his self-consciousness about bad breath. [105], In 1975, Cushing was anxious to return to the stage, where he had not performed in ten years. [14][28] They fell in love and were married on 10 April 1943. He was not cast because he insisted he could not perform in an American accent. [102] He appeared alongside Vincent Price in Dr. Phibes Rises Again! The film gave Cushing the highest amount of visibility of his entire career, and helped inspire younger audiences to watch his older films. [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. Biography - A Short Wiki. [10] She suggested he write to all the producers listed in the Radio Times magazine seeking work in the medium. 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