Gregory Peck

Eldred Gregory Peck
1916 - 2003 (cardiorespiratory arrest and bronchpneumonia)
American born La Jolla, California

Height 6' 3" (1.91 m) . Peck was born in La Jolla, California. His father was a druggist in San Diego. His parents divorced when he was five years old. An only child, he was sent to live with his grandmother. He never felt he had a stable childhood. His fond memories are of his grandmother taking him to the movies every week and of his dog, which followed him everywhere. He studied pre-med at Berkeley and, while there, Peck got the acting bug and decided to change the focus of his studies. He enrolled in the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and debuted on Broadway after graduation. His debut was in Emlyn Williams' stage play "The Morning Star" (1942). By 1943, he was in Hollywood where he debuted in the RKO film Days of Glory (1944).Stardom came with his next film, The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Peck's screen presence displayed the qualities for which he became well known. He was tall, rugged, and heroic, with a basic decency that transcended his roles. He appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945) as the amnesia victim accused of murder. In The Yearling (1946), Peck was again nominated for the Academy Award and won the Golden Globe. Peck appeared in Westerns such as Duel in the Sun (1946), _Yellow Sky (1949)_ and The Gunfighter (1950). He was nominated again for the Academy Award with his roles in Gentleman's Agreement (1947), a story of discrimination, and Twelve O'Clock High (1949), a story of high level stress at bomber command.With a string of hits behind him, Peck soon took the decision to only work in films that interested him. He continued to appear as the heroic figures in larger-than-life films such as Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951) and Moby Dick (1956). He worked with Audrey Hepburn in her debut film, Roman Holiday (1953). After four nominations, Peck finally won the Oscar for his performance as Lawyer Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). In the early 60s, he appeared in two dark films, Cape Fear (1962) and Captain Newman, M.D. (1963), which dealt with the way people live. He also gave a powerful performance as Captain Keith Mallory in The Guns of Navarone (1961), one of the biggest cinematic hits of that year.In the early 70s, he produced two movies, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine (1972) and The Dove (1974), while his film career waned. He made a comeback playing the wooden Robert Thorn in the horror film The Omen (1976). After that, he returned to the bigger than life roles as MacArthur (1977) and the evil Doctor Mengele in The Boys from Brazil (1978). In the 80s, Peck moved into television with the mini series "The Blue and the Gray" (1982) (mini) and the movie The Scarlet and the Black (1983) (TV). In 1991, he appeared in the remake of his 1962 film, playing a different part, in Cape Fear (1991). He was also cast as the liberal owner of a wire and cable business in Other People's Money (1991).In 1967, Peck received the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. He was also been awarded the Medal of Freedom. Always politically liberal, Peck was active in causes dealing with charities, politics or the film industry. He died in June 2003, aged 87. Spouse Veronique Passani (31 December 1955 - 12 June 2003) (his death) 2 children, Greta Kukkonen (October 1942 - 1955) (divorced) 3 children.

Moby Dick (1998) , The Portrait (1993) , Cape Fear (1991) , Other People's Money (1991) , Old Gringo (1989) , Amazing Grace and Chuck (1987) , The Scarlet and the Black (1983) , "The Blue and the Gray" (1982) , The Sea Wolves (1980) , The Boys from Brazil (1978) , MacArthur (1977) , The Omen (1976) , Billy Two Hats (1974) , Shoot Out (1971) , I Walk the Line (1970) , Marooned (1969) , The Chairman (1969) , Mackenna's Gold (1969) , The Stalking Moon (1968) , Arabesque (1966) , Mirage (1965) , Behold a Pale Horse (1964) , Captain Newman, M.D. (1963) , "The Dick Powell Show" (1963) , To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) , How the West Was Won (1962) , Cape Fear (1962) , The Guns of Navarone (1961) , On the Beach (1959) , Beloved Infidel (1959) , Pork Chop Hill (1959) , The Big Country (1958) , The Bravados (1958) , Designing Woman (1957) , Moby Dick (1956) , The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) , The Purple Plain (1954) , Night People (1954) , Boum sur Paris (1954) , Roman Holiday (1953) , The Million Pound Note (1953) , The World in His Arms (1952) , The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) , David and Bathsheba (1951) , Only the Valiant (1951) , Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951) , The Gunfighter (1950) , Twelve O'Clock High (1949) , The Great Sinner (1949) , Yellow Sky (1948) , The Paradine Case (1947) , Gentleman's Agreement (1947) , The Macomber Affair (1947) , Duel in the Sun (1946) , The Yearling (1946) , Spellbound (1945) , The Valley of Decision (1945) , The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) , Days of Glory (1944)