Peter Cushing

Peter Wilton Cushing was born on May 26, 1913 in Kenley, Surrey, England, to Nellie Maria (King) and George Edward Cushing, a quantity surveyor. He and his older brother David were raised first in Dulwich Village, a south London suburb, and then later back in Surrey. At an early age, Cushing was attracted to acting, inspired by his favorite aunt, who was a stage actress. While at school, Cushing pursued his acting interest in acting and also drawing, a talent he put to good use later in his first job as a government surveyor's assistant in Surrey. At this time, he also dabbled in local amateur theater until moving to London to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama on scholarship.

He then performed in repertory theater in Worthing, deciding in 1939 to head for Hollywood, where he made his film debut in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939).

Other Hollywood films included A Chump at Oxford (1939) with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Vigil in the Night (1940) and They Dare Not Love (1941). However, after a short stay, he returned to England by way of New York (making brief appearances on Broadway) and Canada. Back in his homeland, he contributed to the war effort during World War II by joining the Entertainment National Services Association.

In 1945 with no money for presents, he found a large piece of silk, cut it into a neat square, painted Dickens characters on it and gave it to his wife as a present. She later loaned it to a friend who wore it to a party where it was seen by a textile manufacturer who gave Peter a contract as a silk scarf designer. Amongst those he designed were those for the Festival of Britain and the Coronation.

After the war, he performed in the West End and had his big break appearing with Laurence Olivier in Hamlet (1948), in which Cushing's future partner-in-horror Christopher Lee had a bit part.

During the 1950s, Cushing became a familiar face on British television, appearing in numerous teleplays, such as 1984 (1954) and Beau Brummell (1954), until the end of the decade when he began his legendary association with Hammer Film Productions in its remakes of the 1930s Universal horror classics. His first Hammer roles included Dr.

Both actors also appeared in Moulin Rouge (1952) but did not meet until their later horror films.

Along with Arnold Marlé and Wolfe Morris, he was one of only three actors to reprise their roles from BBC Sunday-Night Theatre: The Creature (1955) in the film remake The Abominable Snowman (1957).

Frankenstein in The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dr.

Van Helsing in Horror of Dracula (1958), and Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959). Cushing continued playing the roles of Drs. Frankenstein and Van Helsing, as well as taking on other horror characters, in Hammer films over the next 20 years. He also appeared in films for the other major horror producer of the time, Amicus Productions, including Dr.

He was was originally cast in the lead role in The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959), dropped out down shortly before filming began. When Cushing claimed illness after breaking his oral commitment, the studio threatened legal action against its biggest star but didn't follow through.

He was preferred to original Doctor Who (1963) lead actor William Hartnell as star of Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) because he was more widely recognized by American audiences.

Terror's House of Horrors (1965) and its later horror anthologies, a couple of Dr.

Who films (1965, 1966), I, Monster (1971), and others.

He died only four days after his Torture Garden (1967) and Tales from the Crypt (1972) co-star Robert Hutton.

He considered The Blood Beast Terror (1968) to be the worst film he ever made.

By the mid-1970s, these companies had stopped production, but Cushing, firmly established as a horror star, continued in the genre for some time thereafter.

He dropped out of The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), Lust For A Vampire (1971) and The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) in order to care for his ailing wife.

Both he and his Asylum (1972) and And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973) co-star Herbert Lom played Professor Van Helsing in films starring Christopher Lee as Count Dracula: Cushing in Horror of Dracula (1958), Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) and The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) and Lom in Count Dracula (1970). Cushing also played the role in The Brides of Dracula (1960) and The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974), in which Lee did not appear.

He was guest of honor at the Famous Monsters of Filmland Convention in New York City in 1975. After receiving a thunderous ovation from those in attendance, he looked at everyone and said, "Have you ever felt unloved?".

In his later years, he and Joyce DeWitt of Three's Company (1976) fame became transatlantic pen pals, when the two became part of the voice-over ensemble for the animated film Walpurgis Night. Peter recorded his role in England, while Joyce later commenced recording in California, alongside his old friend Ferdy Mayne. It was during this time that Joyce, being a fan of both classic films and Shakespeare's works, and Peter, an admirer of the American West, enjoyed their friendship by post.

Perhaps his best-known appearance outside of horror films was as Grand Moff Tarkin in George Lucas' phenomenally successful science fiction film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).

He turned down Donald Pleasence's role as Dr. Sam Loomis in Halloween (1978).

He was considered for the roles of Dr. Hans Fallada, Sir Percy Heseltine and Dr. Armstrong in Lifeforce (1985).

Biggles: Adventures in Time (1986) was Cushing's last film before his retirement, during which he made a few television appearances, wrote two autobiographies and pursued his hobbies of bird watching and painting.

He was an ardent vegetarian for most of his life and was the patron of the Vegetarian Society from 1987 until his death.

In 1989, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his contributions to the acting profession in Britain and worldwide.