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PETER CUSHING

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Men Of Character                     Character Star

Peter Cushing

                                                 The Curse Of Frankenstein/ Baron Victor Frankenstein
                                                 The Hound Of The Baskervilles/ Sherlock Holmes
                                                 Sword Of Sherwood Forest/ The Sheriff Of Nottingham
                                                 Dracula/ Dr. Van Helsing

Per Quinlan's Film Stars:

Dark haired, gaunt faced British actor with distinctive receding temples and a cold, cultured personality.

Peter Cushing was born in 1913 at Kenley, Surrey, England.

Cushing was educated at Shoreham College. At an early age Cushing was attracted to acting. He eventually attended the Guildhall School Of Music And Drama in London afterwards appearing in repertory theater at Worthington at Sussex.

In 1939 he moved to Hollywood making his film debut in 1939 in the film The Man In The Iron Mask.  Cushing appeared in several films including A Chump At Oxford along with Laurel and Hardy.

Moving back to England in 1941, he served with the Entertainment National Service Association during World War Two.

Cushing's major break came when he appeared in Hamlet (1948) with Laurence Olivier as Osric.

He became a familiar face on British television until the end of the 1950' when he began his legendary association with Hammer Film Productions. Cushing continued in horror films well into the 1970's.

Some of the film roles of Peter Cushing were:

The Man In The Iron Mask (1939) as Second Officer

Laddie (1940) as Robert Pryor

A Chump At Oxford (1940) as A Student

Vigil In The Night (1940) as Joe Shand

The Howards Of Virginia (1940) as Leslie Stephens

They Dare Not Love (1941) as Sub Lt. Blackler

Hamlet (1948) as Osric

When We Are Married (1951-TV) as General Forbes

Pride And Prejudice (1952-TV Miniseries) as Mr. Darcy

If This Be Error (1952-TV) as Nick Grant

Moulin Rouge (1952) as Marcel de la Voisier

Epitaph For A Spy (1953-TV Miniseries) as Josef Vadassey

Rookery Nook (1953-TV) as Clive Popkiss

The Noble Spaniard (1953-TV) as Duke Of Hermanos

The Black Knight (1954) as Sir Palamides

The Face Of Love (1954-TV) as Mardian Thersites

The End Of The Affair (1955) as Henry Miles

Magic Fire (1955) as Otto Wesendonk

The Browning Version (1955-TV) as Andrew Crocker-Harris

Richard Of Bordeaux (1955-TV) as Richard II

Alexander The Great (1956) as General Memnion

Time Without Pity (1957) as Jeremy Clayton

The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957) as Victor Frankenstein

Home At Seven (1957-TV) as David Preston
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The Abominable Snowman (1957) as Dr. Rollason

Violent Playground (1958) as Father Laidlaw

The Winslow Boy (1958-TV) as Sir Robert Morton

Uncle Harry (1958-TV) as Harry

Horror Of Dracula (1958) as Dr. Van Helsing

The Revenge Of Frankenstein (1958) as Dr. Victor Stein

The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959) as Sherlock Holmes

John Paul Jones (1959) as Capt. Richard Pearson

The Mummy (1959) as John Banning

The Flesh And The Fiends (1960) as Dr. Robert Knox

Trouble In The Sky (1960) as Capt. Clive Judd

The Brides Of Dracula (1960) as Dr. Van Helsing

The Risk (1960) as Professor Sewell

Sword Of Sherwood Forest (1960) as Sheriff Of Nottingham

The Hellfire Club (1961) as Mr. Merryweather

Fury At Smugglers Bay (1961) as Squire Trevenyan

The Naked Edge (1961) as Mr. Evan Wrack

Cash On Demand (1961) as Harry Fordyce

Night Creatures (1962) as Rev. Dr. Bliss

The Spread Of The Eagle (1963-TV Miniseries) as Cassius

The Man Who Finally Died (1963) as Dr. Peter von Brecht

The Evil Of Frankenstein (1964) as Frankenstein

The Gorgon (1964) as Dr. Namaroff

Dr. Terror's House Of Horrors (1965) as Dr. Terror/ Dr Schreck

She (1965) as Major Holly

The Skull (1965) as Christopher Maitland
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Dr. Who And The Deleks (1965) as Dr. Who

Island Of Terror (1966) as Dr. Brian Stanley

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A D (1966) as Dr. Who

Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) as Baron Frankenstein

Island Of The Burning Damned (1967) as Dr. Vernon Stone

Torture Garden (1967) as Lancelot Canning

Some May Live (1967) as John Meredith

The Blood Beast Terror (1968) as Detective Inspector Quennell

Corruption (1968) as Sir John Rowan

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) as Baron Frankenstein

Scream And Scream Again (1970) as Major Heinrich Benedek

Incense For The Damned (1970) as Dr. Walter Goodrich

The Vampire Lovers (1970) as General von Spielsdorf

The House That Dripped Blood (1971) as Philip Grayson

Twins Of Evil (1971) as Gustav Weil

I, Monster (1971) as Utterson

Tales From The Crypt (1972) as Arthur Edward Grimsdyke

Dracula A D 1972 (1972) as Professor Van Helsing

Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) as Captain

Asylum (!972) as Smith

Fear In The Night (1972) as Headmaster Carmichael

Horror Express (1972) as Dr. Wells

Nothing But The Night (1973) as Sir Mark Ashley

The Creeping Flesh (1973) as Emmanuel Hildern

...And Now The Screaming Starts (1973) as Dr. Pope

The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1973) as Van Helsing

Shatter (1974) as Paul Rattwood

From Beyond The Grave (1974) as The Proprietor

Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell (1974) as Baron Frankenstein

The Beast Must Die (1974) as Dr. Lundgren

Madhouse (1974) as Herbert Flay

The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires (1974) as Professor Van Helsing

Confessions Of A Blood Drinker (1974) as MacGregor

Legend Of The Werewolf (1975) as Professor Paul

The Ghoul (1975) as Dr. Lawrence

A Dirty Knight's Work (1976) as Sir Edward Gifford

At The Earth's Core (1976) as Dr. Abner Perry

The Devil's Men (1976) as Baron Corofax

The Great Houdini (1976-TV) as Sir Arthur Coynan Doyle

Sat Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope ( 1977) as Grand Moff Tarkin

Shock Waves (1977) as SS Commander

The Uncanny (1977) as Wilbur

The Standard (1977) as Baron von Hackenberg

Son Of Hitler (1978) as Heinrich Haussner

Arabian Adventure (1976) as Wazir Al Wuzara

A Touch Of The Sun (1979) as Commissioner Potts

A Tale Of Two Cities (1980-TV) as Dr. Alexander Manette

Mystery On Monster Island (1981) as William Kolderup

Black Jack (1981) as Sir Thomas Bedford

House Of The Long Shadows (1983) as Sebastian Grisbane

Helen Keller; The Miracle Continues (1984-TV) as Professor Charles Copeland

Top Secret! (1984) as Bookstore Proprietor

Sword Of The Valiant: The Legend Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight (1984)
                                                           as Seneschal- Gaspar

Sherlock Holmes And The Mask Of Death (1984-TV) as Sherlock Holmes

Biggles: Adventures In Time (1986) as Air Commodore Col. William Raymond

Like Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing worked for Hammer Studios for a good part of his career.

As Lee, Cushing portrayed the detective Sherlock Holmes and, as Lee, made an excellent Holmes.

Cushing and Lee were very good friends and appeared together in a number of films from the Hammer Studios.

Lee generally played Dracula while Cushing played Baron Frankenstein or several variations of.

Another famous character that Peter Cushing played was that of Dr. Who in two films based on the BBC science fiction TV series Doctor Who.

Mr. Cushing also appeared on television in such programs as The Silver Swan, You Are There, BBC Sunday Night Playhouse, ITV Television Playhouse, Comedy Playhouse, Story Parade, Thirty Minute Theater, The Avengers, Sherlock Holmes, Great Mysteries, Space 1999, Hammer House Of Horror and Tales Of The Unexpected among others.

In an interview published in 1964 in ABC Film Review Cushing said  "People look at me as some sort of a monster but I can't think why. In my macabre pictures, I have either been a monster maker or a monster destroyer, but never a monster. Actually, I'm a gentle fellow. Never harmed a fly. I love animals and when I'm in the country I'm a keen bird watcher."

In a later interview in 1966 Cushing added, "I do get terribly tired of the neighborhood kids telling me that 'My mum says she wouldn't want to meet you in a dark alley,'".

Cushing's best known appearance outside of the horror genre was that of the Grand Moff in the original Star Wars film.

He turned down the role of Dr. Sam Loomis in the original 1976 Halloween film. That role went to Donald Pleasance.

Cushing was made an Officer Of The British Empire in recognition of his contributions to the acting profession both in Britain and worldwide.

He was married to Viola Helene Beck from 1943 until her death in 1971.

Peter Cushing passed away in 1994 at age 81 from prostate cancer.

Like Christopher Lee, I always enjoyed the film performances of Peter Cushing. My particular favorites were The Curse Of Frankenstein, The Evil Of Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Gorgon, Horror Express, The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Dracula, The House That Dripped Blood, Sword Of Sherwood Forest, Island Of Terror, The Skull, The Creeping Flesh and Star Wars.

Louie The Movie Buff 













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