Oliver, Myrna (12 August 1994). "Peter Cushing, 81; Starred in Classic Horror Movies". Peter Cushing WAS the villain in Star Wars, Vadar was his lap dog. He appeared in several horror films and was in Lawrence Olivier's Hamlet. [107] His performance in Tales from the Crypt won him the Best Male Actor award at the 1971 French Convention of Fantasy Cinema in France. This led Lucas to write the character of Grand Moff Tarkin: a high-ranking Imperial governor and commander of the planet-destroying battlestation, the Death Star. [114], During the filming of Star Wars, Cushing was provided with a pair of boots far too small to accommodate the actor's size twelve feet. Answer (1 of 2): His former secretary and the executor/manager of his estate was apparently pleased with the result. He married actress Helen Beck in 1943. Adapted from a serial novella of the same name, it was a drama film about a nurse played by Carole Lombard working in a poorly-equipped country hospital. Like Guinness, Cushing had difficulty with some of the technical jargon in his dialogue, and claimed he did not understand all of the words he was speaking. 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. [153], Several filmmakers and actors have claimed to be influenced by Peter Cushing, including actor Doug Bradley, who played Pinhead in the Hellraiser horror films,[154] and John Carpenter, who directed such films as Halloween (1978), Escape from New York (1981) and The Thing (1982). [79], Although best known for his Hammer performances from the 1950s to the 1970s, Cushing worked in a variety of other roles during this time, and actively sought roles outside the horror genre to diversify his work. No, he did not have any children. 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. Ryan and Slater agreed, and Cushing later said performing the part was his most pleasant experience since his wife had died four years earlier. Peter Cushing's wife died in the early 1970's, they never had children so when he died of cancer in 1994 he left his estate to his secretary Joyce Broughton. His stoic portrayals in Hammer horror films and Star Wars is legendary, but did you know that he also played Dr Who in two films? The horror films were produced by Hammer Films in Britain.Peter Cushing, a British actor who chilled a generation of filmgoers as the evil Baron Frankenstein, died yesterday in a hospice in Canterbury, England. [21] Cushing became very ill with dysentery during filming and lost a considerable amount of weight as a result. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. The set provided technical difficulties, and all of Cushing's lines had to be post-synched. Majendie, Paul (7 August 1986). Before filming began, however, Cushing said he had reservations about the screenplay written by Jimmy Sangster and Peter Bryan. He was eventually noticed by a Broadway theatre talent scout,[25] and in 1941 he made his Broadway debut in the religious wartime drama The Seventh Trumpet. [11] Cushing hated the job, where he remained for three years without promotion or advancement due to his lack of ambition in the profession. Cushing had recently undergone dental surgery and he was trying not to open his mouth widely for fear of spitting. Despite making the movie in the late Seventies his fiendish character lives on the character was even revived in CGI form for 2016's Rogue One. 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. A Tale of Two Cities. Cushing appeared only briefly in A Chump at Oxford (1940) and his scenes took just one week to film, but he was proud to work with whom he called "two of the greatest comedians the cinema has ever produced. Studio executives were pleased with Cushing's performance, and there was talk among Hollywood insiders grooming him for stardom. [18] He found a modest success in a 1945 production of Sheridan's The Rivals at Westminster's Criterion Theatre, which earned him enough money to pay off some growing debts. [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. [13] He spent the next three years in an apprenticeship at Southampton Rep.,[10] auditioning for character roles both there and in other surrounding theatres, eventually amassing almost 100 individual parts. It was also turned down by Christopher Lee, and eventually went to Donald Pleasence, another of Cushing's former co-stars. [21][53] The two men continued to work together in many films for Hammer, and their names became synonymous with the company. Cushing agreed to take his place with very little notice or time to prepare, and earned a salary of ten pounds a week for the job. He portrayed heroes and villains with equal skill. [7] Cushing harboured aspirations for the arts all throughout his youth, especially acting. He earned particular acclaim for his lead performance as Winston Smith in a BBC adaptation of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954). [41] Director Val Guest said he was particularly impressed with Cushing's preparation and ability to plan which props to best use to enhance his performance, so much so that Cushing started to become known as "Props Peter". [105] Cushing used the emotions from the recent loss of his wife to add authenticity to the widower character's grieving. It was his final stage performance for a decade, but he continued to stay active in film and television during this period. Cushing later appeared in The Vampire Lovers (1970), an erotic Hammer horror film about a lesbian vampire, adapted in part from the Sheridan Le Fanu novella Carmilla. [24] Despite the promise, however, Cushing grew homesick and decided he wished to return to England. [21] During this discouraging period for Cushing, his wife encouraged him to seek roles in television, which was beginning to develop in England. [59] Dracula was released in 1958, with Cushing once again starring opposite Lee, who played the title character, although Cushing was given top billing. [81], He appeared in the biographical epic film John Paul Jones (1959), in which Robert Stack played the title role of the American naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. [77] Cushing and director Peter Graham Scott did not get along well during filming and at one point, when the two were having a disagreement on set, Cushing turned to cameraman Len Harris and said, "Take no notice Len. UnknownQTY 5 yr. ago (1973),[65] and The Beast Must Die (1974). [63] Cushing appeared in Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), a Hammer modernisation of the Dracula story set in the then-present day. He looked like a schoolteacher that would struggle to hold the attention of the children. His first film for the studio was 1957's "The Curse of Frankenstein," in which he played Frankenstein's monster opposite actor Peter Cushing. [113] As a result, Cushing was paid a larger daily salary than most of his fellow cast, earning 2,000 per day compared to weekly salaries of $1,000 for Mark Hamill, $850 for Carrie Fisher and $750 for Harrison Ford, who played protagonists Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo, respectively. [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. One of his designs was even worn by the queen mother. [80] Around the same time, he appeared in the film Alexander the Great (1956) as the Athenian General Memnon of Rhodes. Perhaps better known as Endora, the witch from "Bewitched," Agnes Moorehead sadly passed from cancer in 1974. 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 detective Sherlock Holmes. [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. Peter Cushing starred alongside icons like Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, and John Carradine, in this 1983 horror-comedy. Did St Peter who was married have any children? [10] Cushing saw a promotional poster for The Mummy that showed Lee's character with a large hole in his chest, allowing a beam of light to pass through his body. [27] During this tour he met Violet Hlne "Helen" Beck, a former dancer who was starring in the lead female role of Amanda Prynne. Parents who let children . [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. [10] She suggested he write to all the producers listed in the Radio Times magazine seeking work in the medium. The film failed to make a mark in critical terms as its source material (the classic novel Seven Keys to Baldpate) had already been adapted several times before. [155][156], In 2008, fourteen years after his death, Cushing's image was used in a set of stamps issued by the Royal Mail honouring Hammer Studios films on the fiftieth anniversary of the release of Dracula. [21] The film was roughly based on the Doctor Syn novels by Russell Thorndike. They first met on the set of the film, where Lee was still wearing the monster make-up prepared by Phil Leakey. Mr. Beard's first marriage, to Minnie Cushing, the daughter of a distinguished Newport, R.I., family, ended in divorce, as did his second, to Ms. Tiegs, to whom he was married in the 1980s. He performed in such plays as Robert E. Sherwood's The Petrified Forest, Arnold Ridley's The Ghost Train, S. N. Behrman's Biography and a modern dress version of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. [18] Although the job meant Cushing received no actual screen time, he was eventually cast in a bit part as the king's messenger, which made The Man in the Iron Mask his official film debut. "Horror-film actor Peter Cushing dies at 81, Played variety of roles From Sherlock Holmes to Baron Frankenstein" (12 August 1994). [41] Despite this continued success in live television, Cushing found the medium too stressful and wished to return to film. He also won best actor awards from the Guild of Television Producers in 1955,[39] and from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1956. [10] Cushing felt his first performance was much stronger than the second, but the second production is the only known surviving version. 4 Grand Moff Tarkin. He got fair grades only through the help of his brother, a strong student who did his homework for him. Peter Cushing (1913-1994) was one of the most respected and important actors in the horror and fantasy film genres. Cushing read Thorndike to prepare for the role, and made suggestions to make-up artist Roy Ashton about Blyss' costume and hairstyle. [112] However, Cushing has claimed that Lucas originally approached him to play the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and only decided to cast him as Tarkin instead after the two met each other. Born in Kenley, Surrey, Cushing made his stage debut in 1935 and spent three years at a repertory theatre before moving to Hollywood to pursue a film career. He appeared in the episode The Hidden Master (1940) as a young Clive of India, well before the soldier established the military and political supremacy of the East India Company. (1966). Fourteen days of rehearsal was originally scheduled for each episode, but they were cut down to ten days for economic reasons. [87][102] Cushing wrote the forewords to two books about the detective: Peter Haining's Sherlock Holmes Scrapbook (1974) and Holmes of the Movies: The Screen Career of Sherlock Holmes (1976), by David Stuart Davies. O'Flinn, Paul (1983). Peter Wilton Cushing was born on May 26, 1913 in Kenley, Surrey, England, to Nellie Maria (King) and George Edward Cushing, a quantity surveyor. Dis St Peter, who was married, have any. However, when producer Anthony Hinds proposed removing the character's deerstalker, Cushing insisted they remain because audiences associated Holmes with his headgear and pipes. Both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee had agreed to work together one last time. His wife passed away in the 1970s, he never remarried (there's a very sad interview with Christopher Lee about Peter Cushing where he mentions how after her death Cushing signed th. [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. He and his older brother David were raised first in Dulwich Village, a south London suburb, and then later back in Surrey. [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). [21] He once again co-starred opposite Lee, who portrayed the aristocratic Sir Henry Baskerville. Others closed after a few showings, like an ambitious five-hour stage adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace that opened and closed in 1943 in London's Phoenix Theatre. Acquaint yourself with Peter Cushing OBE (1913 -1994), film actor, television star and artist. As a result, playwright Edward Percy was brought in to make modifications to the script, though the rewrites pushed filming into early 1960 and brought additional costs to the production. [10] Director John Carpenter approached him to appear in the horror film Halloween (1978) as Samuel Loomis, the psychiatrist of murderer Michael Myers, but Cushing turned down the role. [42], Nevertheless, he continued to work in some film roles during this period, including the adventure film The Black Knight (1954) opposite Alan Ladd. It received poor reviews, however, and ran for only eleven days. Did peter cushing have any children? Cushing's estate owners were heavily involved with the creation which took place more than twenty years after Cushing died. [citation needed] Lee recognised Cushing's health was fading and did his best to keep his friend's spirits up, but Lee later claimed he had a premonition that it would be the last time he saw Cushing alive, which proved to be true. [43] He also starred in the film adaptation of the Graham Greene novel The End of the Affair (1955) as Henry Miles, an important civil servant and the cuckolded husband of Sarah Miles, played by Deborah Kerr. [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. [41], Cushing appeared in the television film The Masks of Death (1984), marking both the last time he played detective Sherlock Holmes and the final performance for which he received top billing. [114], Cushing got along well with the entire cast, especially his old co-star David Prowse who played Darth Vader and Carrie Fisher, who was appearing in her first major role as Princess Leia Organa. He was paid more for Star Wars than the lead actors. [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. Never harmed a fly. He appeared in several horror films and was in Lawrence Olivier's Hamlet. [133] Cushing appeared alongside his old co-stars Christopher Lee and Vincent Price in House of the Long Shadows (1983), a horror-parody film featuring Desi Arnaz, Jr. as an author trying to write a gothic novel in a deserted Welsh mansion. [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. 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. [10] Cushing accepted the role, and Hamlet (1948) marked his British film debut. I remember quite vividly the sincere anguish he so openly expressed to me when his beloved wife Helen passed away. Lawrence broke off the engagement citing his frequent crying and bringing his parents on dates. [109] Cushing appeared in the television film The Great Houdini (1976) as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Tender Dracula. [75] The Hound of the Baskervilles was originally conceived as the first in a series of Sherlock Holmes films, but eventually no sequels were made. Clive takes this to be an omen that he should live, and he goes on to perform great feats in his life. Peter Wilton Cushing OBE (26 May 1913 - 11 August 1994) was an English actor. 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did peter cushing have children