I love animals, and when I'm in the country I'm a keen bird-watcher." I shall remember you. [10], In 1947, when Laurence Olivier sought him out for his film adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Cushing's wife Helen pushed him to pursue a role. Cushing continued to perform in a variety of roles, although he was often typecast as a horror film actor. After the end of the First World War, they returned to the county of his birth: to neighbouring Purley, Surrey, where his father, a quantity surveyor, built an art deco house on St James Road in 1926. [55] In Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, Cushing portrayed Frankenstein as having gone completely mad, in a fitting coda to the earlier films. [52], The Curse of Frankenstein was an overnight success, bringing both Cushing and Lee worldwide fame. [21] During this discouraging period for Cushing, his wife encouraged him to seek roles in television, which was beginning to develop in England. The episodes aired in 1968. Peter Wilton Cushing, actor: born Kenley, Surrey 26 May 1913; OBE 1989; married 1943 Helen Beck (died 1971); died Canterbury 11 August 1994. [15] After Hamlet, both Peter and Helen Cushing accepted a personal invitation from Olivier to join Old Vic, Olivier's repertory theatre company, which embarked on a year-long tour of Australasia. [Warning: This story contains spoilers for … Time is interminable, the loneliness is almost unbearable and the only thing that keeps me going is the knowledge that my dear Helen and I will be reunited again some day. [19], Soon, he felt the urge to pursue a film career in the United States. After attending the London premiere, she was reportedly "taken aback" and "dazzled" with the effect of seeing Cushing on screen again. Although Peter Cushing was born in 1913 he always preferred to see the date of his birth as 1942–the year he met the woman who became his wife, Violet Helen Beck. Without her, I would have been nothing.. I look at my calendar once more, wondering how romantic it must have been for Cushing appeared in several other Hammer films, including The Abominable Snowman (1957), The Mummy and The Hound of the Baskervilles (both 1959), the last of which marked the first of the several occasions he portrayed the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. He was forced to withdraw from the film to care for his wife, and was ultimately replaced by Andrew Keir. [18] After Cushing attempted the accent and failed, Olivier replied, "Well, I appreciate you not wasting my time. kit-bag, such as sailors use. [151] He repeated the role of the man who lost family in other horror films, including Asylum (1972), The Creeping Flesh (1973), and The Ghoul (1975). In an interview published in 1966, he added, "I do get terribly tired with the neighbourhood kids telling me 'My mum says she wouldn't want to meet you in a dark alley'." All of us who are fans of Peter know how His mother had so hoped for a daughter that for the first few years of his life, she dressed Peter in girls' frocks, let his hair grow in long curls and tie them in bows of pink ribbon, so others often mistook him for a girl. "Peter Cushing, 81; Starred in Classic Horror Movies". Englands damp and foggy climate augmenting the already weakened heart and (1972), a sequel to The Abominable Dr. Phibes, and then co-starred with Price again in the film Madhouse (1974). [33] Cushing designed custom hand-scarves in honour of the Hamlet film, and as it was being exhibited across England, the scarves were eventually accepted as gifts by the Queen and her daughter Princess Elizabeth. When Violet Helene Beck...Met Peter Cushing. [121], When Star Wars was first released in 1977, most preliminary advertisements touted Cushing's Tarkin as the primary antagonist of the film, not Vader;[122] Cushing was extremely pleased with the final film, and he claimed his only disappointment was that Tarkin was killed and could not appear in the subsequent sequels. exercises. In the film, Clive tries to shoot himself twice but the gun misfires, then he fires a third time at a pitcher of water and the gun works perfectly. Helen, being multilingual, He left his first job as a surveyor's assistant to take up a scholarship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. with her three sisters and two brothers. [28], During the Second World War he served with the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). Peter Cushing Star Wars - H 2016 The actor had profound views on what comes after death that were shaped by the passing of his beloved wife Helen. They immediately accepted, and among the works Cushing recorded was The Return of Sherlock Holmes, a collection of thirteen one-hour stories. That date rings a bell for some reason, I thought. [142][143][unreliable source] In August 1994, Cushing entered himself into Pilgrims Hospice in Canterbury, where he died on 11 August at 81 years old. courtship, they married on April 10th 1943, the marriage being Since the film's primary antagonist Darth Vader wore a mask throughout the entire film and his face was never visible, Lucas felt a strong human villain character was necessary. Cushing envisioned the character as an idealist warrior for the greater good, and studied the original book carefully and adapted several of Van Helsing's characteristics from the books into his performance, including the repeated gesture of raising his index finger to emphasise an important point. "[7] A fan of comics and toy collectibles in his youth, Cushing earned money by staging puppet shows for family members with his glove-puppets and toys. [29] Cushing recorded occasional radio spots and appeared in week-long stints as a featured player in London's Q Theatre, but otherwise work was difficult to come by. [21] In the first, The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), his protagonist is sentenced to death by guillotine, but he flees and hides under the alias Doctor Victor Stein. [146], Several filmmakers and actors have claimed to be influenced by Peter Cushing, including actor Doug Bradley, who played Pinhead in the Hellraiser horror films,[147] and John Carpenter, who directed such films as Halloween (1978), Escape from New York (1981) and The Thing (1982). Peter Cushing, Actor: Star Wars. [21] Cushing had previously stated Knox was one of his role models in developing his portrayal of Baron Frankenstein. much he loved Helen and how he never really recovered completely after her [12], Cushing eventually applied for a scholarship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. [63] Cushing appeared in Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), a Hammer modernisation of the Dracula story set in the then-present day. Peter Cushing was born in 1913 and, after early roles in Hollywood, came to prominence as one of the original stars of BBC Television in the early 1950s. Among them were Land of the Minotaur, where he played Baron Corofax, the evil leader of a Satanic cult opposed by a priest played by Donald Pleasence. Peter Wilton Cushing was born in Kenley, a district in the English county of Surrey, on 26 May 1913 to George Edward Cushing (1881–1956) and Nellie Marie (née King) Cushing (1882–1961);[1] he was the younger of two boys – his brother George was three years older. [9] He attended the Purley County Grammar School, where he swam and played cricket and rugby. She would help Peter Very few. [45] After his wife's death Cushing visited several churches and spoke to religious ministers, but was dissatisfied by their reluctance to discuss death and the afterlife, and never joined an organized religion. Actor. [16][17] By the end of the summer of 1936, Cushing accepted a job with the repertory theatre company Southampton Rep, working as assistant stage manager and performing in bit roles at the Grand Theatre in the Hampshire city. He began in British Theater before making a name for himself in Hollywood with such … [68], Around the same time, he portrayed the famous detective Sherlock Holmes in the Hammer production of The Hound of the Baskervilles (also 1959), an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel of the same name. Hammer Studios' publicity department put out a story that when Cushing first encountered Lee without the make-up on, he screamed in terror. The hectic schedule became overbearing for Cushing, who had to drop out of the play and resolved to never again attempt a film and play simultaneously. Actually, I'm a gentle fellow. For information on reusing text from Wikipedia, please see the terms of use. Although not a financial success for Hammer, this film contains one of Cushing… [36] Other successful television ventures during this time included Epitaph for a Spy, The Noble Spaniard, Beau Brummell,[35] Portrait by Peko,[37] and Anastasia, the latter of which won Cushing the Daily Mail National Television Award for Best Actor of 1953–54. Oliver, Myrna (12 August 1994). Cushing appeared in several films released in 1961, including Fury at Smugglers' Bay, an adventure film about pirates scavenging ships off the English coastline;[84] The Hellfire Club, where he played a lawyer helping a young man expose a cult;[85] and The Naked Edge, a British-American thriller about a woman who suspects her husband framed another man for murder. Rather than recast the role of baddie Grand Moff Tarkin, once played by the late Peter Cushing, director Gareth Edwards and Industrial Light and Magic simply digitally re-created the actor. [60] During filming, Cushing himself suggested the staging for the final confrontation scene, in which Van Helsing leaps onto a large dining room table, opens window curtains to weaken Dracula with sunlight, then uses two candlesticks as a makeshift crucifix to drive the vampire into the sunlight. [155] His co-stars and colleagues often spoke of his politeness, charm, old-fashioned manners and sense of humour. After working in repertory theatre, he left for Hollywood in 1939, but returned in 1941 after roles in several films. ", "How a Holby City actor brought one of Star Wars' most iconic characters back to life", "See the Stunning Detail That Went into Recreating Two Star Wars Characters For Rogue One", "What Peter Cushing's Digital Resurrection Means for the Industry", "CUSHING, PETER (1913–1994) The Bois Saga", "Peter Cushing, actor, Dies at 81; Known for Playing Frankenstein", "Peter Cushing's Obituary – The Vegetarian (Autumn 1994)", The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society UK, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Cushing&oldid=1016748566, Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners, Officers of the Order of the British Empire, People associated with the Vegetarian Society, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from July 2020, Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata, Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This film was "riffed" on 14 April 2017 as part of the Season One (episode 14) release of, Season 1, episode 20: "The Escape of Rudolf Hess", Season 2, episode 7: "Drama '62: Peace with Terror", Season 1, episode 4: "La Grande Breteche", Season 1, episode 5: "The Counterfeit Trap", Long running gag involving being owed payment, This page was last edited on 8 April 2021, at 21:03. Although the idea was ultimately abandoned before filming began, Cushing and Prowse rehearsed those scenes in a set built by computer animation artist Larry Cuba. [14] Also appearing in the film was Christopher Lee, who eventually became a close friend and frequent co-star with Cushing. It'll be a glorious death, so long as I can hear what you're saying. Mrs Helen Cushing was born, Violet Helene Beck on February the 8th 1905 in St. Petersburg, now Leningrad in the USSR. [48] Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster wrote the protagonist as an ambitious, egotistical and coldly intellectual scientist who despised his contemporaries. Fisher agreed, and the scene was used in the film. [11] Cushing hated the job, where he remained for three years without promotion or advancement due to his lack of ambition in the profession. Although Cushing's protagonist was derived from television scripts used for First Doctor serials, his portrayal of the character differed in the fact that Cushing's Dr. Who was a human being, whereas the original Doctor as portrayed on TV by William Hartnell was extraterrestrial. [20] Cushing was hired as a stand-in for scenes that featured both characters played by Louis Hayward, who had the dual lead roles of King Louis XIV and Philippe of Gascony. Prone to homesickness, he was miserable at the boarding school and spent only one term there before returning home. He was raised in Kenley and Dulwich, South London. The first was J.B. Priestley's Eden End, which was televised in December 1951. [110] Cushing also appeared in the horror film The Uncanny (1977). [98], In July 1969, Cushing appeared as the straight man in The Morecambe & Wise Show, the British comedy series. Cushing turned it down, in part because he did not like the script by Jimmy Sangster, and the lead role was taken instead by Anton Diffring. [76] The next year, Cushing starred as an Ebenezer Scrooge-like manager of a bank being robbed in the Hammer thriller film Cash on Demand (1961). [39] Unlike the character from the novel and past film versions, Cushing's Baron Frankenstein commits vicious crimes to attain his goals, including the murder of a colleague to obtain a brain for his creature. [10][123][124], For the film Rogue One (2016), CGI and digitally-repurposed-archive footage[125][126] were used to insert Cushing's likeness from the original movie over the face of actor Guy Henry. He and his older brother David were raised first in Dulwich Village, a south London suburb, and then later back in Surrey. Helen Cushing. [10] While working, he actively provided feedback and suggestions on other elements beyond his performance, such as dialogue and wardrobe. Cushing was born in Kenley in Surrey on 26 May 1913. Managed by: Martin Severin Eriksen: Last Updated: December 28, 2016 "[22] Around this time actor Robert Coote, who met Cushing during a cricket game, recommended to director George Stevens that Cushing might be good for a part in Stevens' upcoming film Vigil in the Night (1940). That person is so close to you that you are able to share some things only with him. [56][57], When Hammer sought to adapt Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel Dracula, they cast Cushing to play the vampire's adversary Doctor Van Helsing. [106] After Cushing was cast in the role, several changes were made to the script at his suggestion. Cushing continued to make occasional cameos in the series over the next decade, portraying himself desperately attempting to collect a payment for his previous acting appearance on the show. Cushing's colleagues of that period commented on his faith and his conviction that his separation from his wife was only temporary.[157]. Cushing had a variety of interests outside of acting, including collecting and battling with model soldiers, of which he owned over five thousand. PETER CUSHING was one of … [150] He hand painted many and used the Little Wars rule set by H. G. Wells for miniature wargaming. [10] Along with Alec Guinness, who was ultimately cast as Kenobi, Cushing was among the best known actors at the time to appear in Star Wars, as the rest of the cast were then relatively unknown. His mother was the daughter of a carpet merchant and considered of a lower class than her husband. [10] The next year he was set to star in a sequel, Lust for a Vampire (1971), but had to drop out because his wife was ill and Ralph Bates substituted. seems to emanate. Cushing's biographer Tony Earnshaw said Cushing's performance in The Masks of Death was arguably the actor's best interpretation of the role, calling it "the culmination of a life-time as a Holmes fan, and more than a quarter of a century of preparation to play the most complex of characters". Their marriage seemed an idea one, each [48] The Curse of Frankenstein also featured Christopher Lee, who played Frankenstein's monster. [10] Cushing met a Columbia Pictures employee named Larry Goodkind, who wrote him a letter of recommendation and directed him to acquaintances Goodkind knew at the company Edward Small Productions. [38], In the two years following Nineteen Eighty-Four, Cushing appeared in thirty-one television plays and two serials, and won Best Television Actor of the Year from the Evening Chronicle. I [70] Hammer decided to heighten the source novel's horror elements, which upset the estate of Conan Doyle, but Cushing himself voiced no objection to the creative licence because he felt the character of Holmes himself remained intact. "Charleston fanatics ready to celebrate 'Revenge'". Originally, all of the character's lines were spoken aloud to himself, but Cushing suggested he speak to a framed photo of his deceased wife instead, and director Freddie Francis agreed. Sometimes you feel like [2], His father, a quantity surveyor from an upper-class family, was a reserved and uncommunicative man whom Peter said he never got to know very well. [10] Far from being deterred by Cushing's unsuccessful audition the year before, Olivier remembered the actor well and was happy to cast him,[10][18] but the only character left unfilled was the relatively small part of the foppish courtier Osric. PETER CUSHING, the prolific and well-loved actor, was known in Whitstable as a courteous and unassuming gentleman. [3], The Cushing family lived in Dulwich during the First World War, but moved to Purley after the war ended in 1918. But millions want to see me as [Baron] Frankenstein, so that's the one I do. Helen was born Violet Helene Beck on [10] As a result, while the film did well at the box-office with its target audience, it drew mixed to negative reviews from the critics. Helen, disliking her stays in the hospital, (tell me a person who does like it) Filmed on location in Munich, Cushing played Otto Wesendonck, the husband of poet Mathilde Wesendonck, who in the film is portrayed as having an affair with Wagner. [71] Cushing prepared extensively for the role, studying the novel and taking notes in his script. and sadness. whether it was nearby in London, or far away in Israel. Peter Cushing was fiercely dedicated to his wife Helen, to whom he was married for twenty-eight years until her death in 1971. by these publications: Peter Cushing: An Autobiography and (1984), the fantasy film Sword of the Valiant(also 1984) and the adventure film Biggles: Adventures in Time (1986). [15] The two had little money around this time, and Cushing had to collect from both National Assistance and the Actors Benevolent Fund. [34] Nevertheless, he continued to appear in several small roles in radio, theatre and film. [123] In 1989 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to the British film industry. death. Helen, also was in poor health, and Peter was pulling in a negligable salary working in plays on the West End. You have my permission to publish that ... really, you know, dear boy, it's all just killing time. As both actors were in their seventies, screenwriter N.J. [33] A huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, Cushing was highly anxious to play the character,[69] and reread the novels in anticipation of the role. Taking a job as a chorus girl and an [78] Among his final Hammer roles was Fear in the Night (1972), where he played a one-armed school headmaster apparently terrorising the protagonist, played by Judy Geeson. No tragic vagabond. [28] Cushing eventually had to leave ENSA due to lung congestion, an ailment his wife helped him recover from. [39] For that film, he travelled to Spain and filmed scenes on location in the castles of Manzanares el Real and El Escorial. He nevertheless maintained a belief in both God and an afterlife. Cushing wished for a strain of rose to be named after his wife, and it was arranged for the Helen Cushing Rose to be grown at the Wheatcroft Rose Garden in Edwalton, Nottinghamshire. I was assisted in writing my tribute [44] In 1959, Cushing originally planned to appear in the lead role of William Fairchild's play The Sound of Murder, while shooting a film at the same time. [21] Around the same time, Cushing played the original nineteenth century Van Helsing in The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (also 1974), a co-production between Hammer Studios and the Shaw Brothers Studio, which brought Chinese martial arts into the Dracula story. [10], Cushing continued to work in a few Hollywood engagements, including an uncredited role in the war film They Dare Not Love (1941), which reunited him with director James Whale. [24] Despite the promise, however, Cushing grew homesick and decided he wished to return to England. After making his motion picture debut in the film The Man in the Iron Mask (1939), Cushing began to find modest success in American films before returning to England at the outbreak of the Second World War. [39] Cushing, who enjoyed the tale as a child,[10] had his agent John Redway inform the company of Cushing's interest in playing the protagonist, Baron Victor Frankenstein. He also loved games and practical jokes,[15] and enjoyed drawing and painting watercolours, the latter of which he did especially often in his later years. Peter Cushing (and, until her untimely death in 1971, his wife Helen), lived in this one: As you can see, it is adorned by a blue plaque, and it is notably the only one in that row to have large bushes growing in its front garden. [45] He later said that his career decisions entailed selecting roles where he knew that he would be accepted by the audience. Violet Helene Cushing (Beck) Birthdate: February 08, 1905: Death: January 14, 1971 (65) Immediate Family: Wife of Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE.
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