Peter Cushing - Biography

Actor, born in Kenley, Greater London, UK. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, making his stage debut in 1935. A trip to the USA resulted in his Hollywood film debut in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939). After the war he established himself as a classical actor with the Old Vic Company (1948–9). He was chiefly known for his long association with the Gothic horror films produced by Hammer Studios, such as The Curse of Frankenstein (1956), Dracula (1958), and The Mummy (1959). His numerous other films include Hamlet (1948), Dr Who and the Daleks (1965), and Star Wars (1977). He also enjoyed a long screen association with the character of Sherlock Holmes. His writing includes An Autobiography (1986) and Past Forgetting (1988).

Peter Cushing
Born	26 May 1913 Kenley, Surrey, England
Died	11 August 1994 Canterbury, Kent, England

Peter Cushing, OBE, (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor, best known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played Baron Frankenstein and Dr. Van Helsing, often appearing opposite his close friend Christopher Lee. He was also asked, because he was such a familiar face on both sides of the Atlantic, to appear as Grand Moff Tarkin in the original Star Wars film.

Biography

Early life

Cushing was born in Kenley in Surrey on 26 May 1913. After working in repertory theatre, he left for Hollywood in 1939, but returned in 1941 after roles in several films, one of them A Chump at Oxford (1940) appearing alongside Laurel and Hardy.

Early career

In the 1950s he worked in television, most notably as Winston Smith in the BBC's 1954 adaptation of the George Orwell novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, scripted by Nigel Kneale. Cushing drew much praise for his performance in this production, although he always felt that his performance in the existing version of the play — it was performed twice in one week and only the second version survives in the archives — was inferior to the first. During many of his small screen performances, Cushing also starred as Fitzwilliam Darcy in the BBC's 1952 production of Pride and Prejudice.

Hammer Horror

His first appearances in his two most famous roles were in Terence Fisher's films The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958).

Cushing will always be associated with playing Victor Frankenstein and Van Helsing in an unending string of quota quickie horror films produced by Hammer Horror.

Reportedly, he thought The Blood Beast Terror (1968) to be the worst film in which he participated. Cushing was blessed with a high crown but full head of hair and he was often cast opposite to the 6'5" Christopher Lee, with whom he became great friends.

"People look at me as if I were some sort of monster, but I can't think why.

In the mid-1960s, he played the eccentric Dr. Who in two movies (Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks — Invasion Earth 2150 AD) based on the television series Doctor Who.

He was one of many stars to guest on The Morecambe and Wise Show — the standing joke in his case being the idea that he was never paid for his appearance. Delightfully, when Cushing was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1989, one of the guests was Ernie Wise...who promptly presented him with a five pound note, but then, with typical dexterity, extorted it back from him.

Cushing played Sherlock Holmes many times, starting with Hammer's The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), the first colour Holmes film. Cushing, whose features resembled those of classic Holmes portrayer Basil Rathbone, seemed a natural for the part. Finally, Cushing played the detective in old age, in The Masks of Death (1984) for Channel 4.

Although madness was always a stronghold for Cushing, he was also regarded by many as one of the most "grandfatherly" horror actors on the screen.

Death of his wife

In 1971, Cushing withdrew from the film Blood from the Mummy's Tomb when his wife died (Hammer stalwart Andrew Keir inherited the role).

A half-dozen years later, his feelings were unchanged: "When Helen passed on six years ago I lost the only joy in life that I ever wanted.

In his autobiography, he says he attempted suicide the night that Helen died, by running up and down stairs in the vain hope that it would induce a heart attack.

In 1986, Cushing appeared on the British TV show Jim'll Fix It. Cushing's letter to the show, in copperplate handwriting, was shown, as was the identification and naming of a rose named "Helen Cushing".

Star Wars

In 1976, he was cast in Star Wars, which was shooting at Pinewood Studios, Boreham Wood, London. Cushing found accepting the role in a science fiction fantasy easy.

Costuming difficulties resulted in an endearing piece of trivia about Star Wars. A star-struck Carrie Fisher found it hard to seem terrified in his presence because of his comfortable slippers and due to the fact that she found Cushing to be so polite and charming off camera.

For Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, George Lucas wanted Cushing, now deceased, to reprise his role as Tarkin through the use of archive footage and digital technology, but poor film quality made this impossible.

Later career

After Star Wars, he continued appearing in films and television sporadically, as his health allowed.

In 1989 Cushing was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Cushing also worked as a painter, specializing in watercolors, and wrote and illustrated a children's book of Lewis Carroll style humor, The Bois Saga. His final professional engagement was as co-narrator of Flesh and Blood, the Hammer Heritage of Horror, produced by American writer/director Ted Newsom. As co-narrator, Cushing thus took his "last bow" with friend Christopher Lee, the BBC and Hammer Films. The narration was recorded in Canterbury near Cushing's home. The show was first broadcast in 1994, the week before Cushing's death in a Canterbury hospice, at the age of 81.

Lee remarked on his friend's death: "I don't want to sound gloomy, but, at some point of your lives, every one of you will notice that you have in your life one person, one friend whom you love and care for very much.