Peter Cushing (Cushing) is a famous British theater, film and television actor whose career began in the 1930s. In cinema, he became famous as an artist, brilliantly performing roles in horror films. He also portrayed Sherlock Holmes on screen in 1959 in The Hound of the Baskervilles.
During his acting career in cinema and television, Peter Kushing managed to star in 118 projects. Among them were television films and series, as well as, of course, successful full-length films. The actor worked in Hollywood, and also for a long time collaborated with such English film studios as Hammer and Amicus, which were mainly involved in the production of horror films.
Biography facts
The future famous English actor was born in 1913. His birthday: May 26. Peter Wilton Cushing was born in a small town called Kenley. This town is located in the British county of Surrey. The boy became the youngest child in the family. He had an older brother named David.
Unfortunately, there are no details about who Cushing's parents were, what they did. It is known that the father was named George Edward, and the mother was called Nellie Mary. David and Peter also had an aunt who was directly involved in their upbringing. The woman was an actress by profession. It was she who had a certain influence on little Peter, who from an early age was interested in theater and dreamed of performing on the big stage.
The boy spent his early years with his older brother in Dulwich, a small village located in the southern suburbs of London. There, the guys grew up without the supervision of dad and mom. They moved to their parents in Surrey when they began to receive schooling.
When Peter went to school, his interest in creativity and art increased many times over. Still under the influence of his aunt, the actress, the boy began to take an active part in school plays, enrolled in a theater group, and in his free time tried to hone his natural acting talent on his own. Growing older, Peter Cushing got into the troupe of the amateur English theater. We can say that at this moment his childhood dream of becoming a famous actor began to come true.
Having received a school certificate, the young man decided to continue his education, choosing, of course, a creative direction. He went to London, where he entered the High School of Music and Drama. After studying at this institution, Cushing set himself a goal: to move to America and conquer Hollywood there.
Until the moment Peter managed to visit the states for the first time, the young artist worked in London theaters. Cushing got his first connection with cinema when he signed a contract with the Worthing Repertory Company in 1935.
In the late 1930s, the young talented actor still went to the United States and managed to get on the set of Hollywood films. However, Peter Kushing did not manage to stay for a long time in America during this period of time. The outbreak of the Second World War interfered.
Back in the UK, the young man went to the front and joined the Entertainment National Services Association. Ultimately, Peter became an officer of the Order of the British Empire, but he did not plan to connect his entire future life with military affairs.
When the war ended, Peter Cushing returned to work on the set. During the 1950s, he worked primarily in television, appearing in English serials and television films. But later he was able to resume work in big cinema, starting to cooperate with the Hammer and Amicus studios.
It is also worth noting that throughout his life, the talented actor was seriously interested in birds. He was engaged in ornithology, and devoted several of his last years of his life to this hobby. Before his death, he also managed to write 2 autobiographical books.
Development of an acting career
The first film work for Peter Cushing was the role in the movie "The Man in the Iron Mask", which was released in 1939. The film was directed by James Weill. Then, during 1940, 3 full-length films with Cushing were released: Champ at Oxford, Vigil in the Night and Laddie. In the same year, he also starred in the short film Dreams.
After a forced break from the cinema, the artist returned, playing in the movie "Hamlet", which premiered in 1948.
In the next few years, Peter starred in serials and television films, among which the following projects can be distinguished: "Pride and Prejudice", "You Are There", "The Face of Love", "Richard of Bordeaux". In the 1950s, the artist also managed to work on a number of full-length films, the most successful were: "Moulin Rouge", "Alexander the Great".
Having signed contracts with horror film studios, Peter Kushing took part in the filming of such successful projects as "The Curse of Frankenstein", "Bigfoot", "Dracula", "Revenge of Frankenstein", "The Mummy", "Flesh and Demons" … In 1959, the first color film adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, was released. In this tape, the British artist played the main role of the famous detective.
Among the subsequent films by Cushing, it is worth highlighting: "Bride of Dracula", "Cash on Demand", "Bared Blade", "Sin of Frankenstein", "Gorgon", "House of Horror of Doctor Terror", "Skull", "Garden of Torture", "Mistresses vampires "," House where blood flows "," Tales from the crypt "," Psychiatric hospital "," Horror train "," And now the scream begins. " It is noteworthy that the artist himself never liked horror films. In his interviews, he repeatedly said that he loves comedies and musicals. However, he was not going to leave horror, because film critics and viewers highly appreciated his acting talent, which reveals itself in this genre of cinema.
In the further career of the artist, there were many more very successful projects that added fame to him. Particularly popular was his role in George Lucas's Star Wars films. He embodied on the screen the image of a character named Moff Tarkin. The artist believed that work in "Star Wars" was a failure and fall of his career, but critics, fans and ordinary viewers were of a completely different opinion.
In the late 1970s, he was asked to play Dr. Loomis in the acclaimed post-release movie Halloween. However, Peter refused, citing the fact that he was not satisfied with the fee. The last projects in the 1980s for the artist were: "Top Secret!", "The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", "Death Masks", "Biggles: Adventures in Time". In 1989, the artist finally ended his career and moved to the small town of Canterbury, located in the British county of Kent.
Personal life and death
Peter was married only once in his life. Helen Beck became his wife in 1943. She was a theater actress. The age difference between husband and wife was 8 years (Helen was older than Peter), but this did not stop the lovers from living happily in marriage.
In 1971, Beck passed away after a long illness during which Cushing tirelessly courted her. For Peter, the death of his beloved woman was a big blow. He not only temporarily stopped working in the cinema, but even tried to commit suicide. There was no question of marrying someone a second time.
In the late 1970s, the artist was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Peter tried to fight this disease, but it still turned out to be stronger. From oncology, Cushing died in mid-August in 1994. At that time he was 81 years old.
