Peter Cushing

Peter Cushing was a British actor who had a long and distinguished career in film, television, stage and radio. He was born on 26 May 1913 in Kenley, Surrey, England, to a family of actors and artists. He developed an interest in acting from an early age and made his stage debut in 1935 at the Worthing Repertory Theatre. He then moved to Hollywood to pursue a film career and appeared in minor roles in films such as The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) and Vigil in the Night (1940). He returned to England at the outbreak of World War II and joined the Entertainments National Service Association, performing for the troops. He also appeared in several British films, such as The Young Mr. Pitt (1942) and Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (1948), in which he played Osric. However, he struggled to find steady work during this period and considered giving up acting. His career was revived when he started to work in live television plays for the BBC, such as The Creature (1955) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954), in which he gave a memorable performance as Winston Smith. He became one of the most popular and respected actors on British television and won a BAFTA award for best actor in 1956. He also continued to work on stage, playing roles such as Richard III, Macbeth, King Lear and Henry VIII. Cushing achieved international fame when he starred in a series of horror films produced by Hammer Films, starting with The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Horror of Dracula (1958). He played iconic characters such as Baron Frankenstein, Dr. Van Helsing, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Jekyll. He often co-starred with his friend Christopher Lee, who played Dracula, the Mummy and other monsters. Cushing became known as one of the masters of horror and earned a loyal fan base around the world. He also appeared in other genres of films, such as The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), The Brides of Dracula (1960), The Mummy (1959), The Abominable Snowman (1957), She (1965), Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965), Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966), At the Earth's Core (1976) and The Beast Must Die (1974). He reached a new generation of fans when he played Grand Moff Tarkin, the commander of the Death Star, in Star Wars (1977). He continued to act until the early 1990s, appearing in films such as Top Secret! (1984), Biggles: Adventures in Time (1986) and Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror (1994). He also wrote two autobiographies, Peter Cushing: An Autobiography (1986) and Past Forgetting: Memoirs of the Hammer Years (1988). Cushing was married to actress Helen Beck from 1943 until her death from emphysema in 1971. He never remarried and had no children. He was deeply devoted to his wife and suffered from depression after her death. He found solace in his hobbies, such as painting, gardening, birdwatching and collecting books and antiques. He was also a vegetarian and an animal lover. He was known for his kindness, humility, professionalism and generosity towards his fans and colleagues. He died on 11 August 1994 at his home in Canterbury, Kent, England, from prostate cancer. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in a secret location, according to his wishes. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation and one of the legends of horror cinema. ¹²³