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