Peter Cushing

**Peter Cushing**, OBE (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. He is best known for his roles in horror movies and _Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope_.

## Career

Born Peter Wilton Cushing in London, England. His movie career began in 1939 in a small role in _The Man in the Iron Mask_ (1939), followed by _Laddie_ (1940). He played a character called Osric in a movie version of William Shakespeare’s play _Hamlet_ (1948), with Laurence Olivier.

His most famous roles were Victor Frankenstein, in the British horror movie _The Curse of Frankenstein_ (1957), by Terence Fisher. Victor creates a monster in the attic of his castle. His other famous role was that of Doctor Van Helsing in _Dracula_ (1958), in this movie he must fight Dracula. In these two movies he was accompanied by another famous actor Christopher Lee. They formed a very successful duo, starring in dozens of Hammer movies as _The Hound of the Baskervilles_ (1959), _The Mummy_ (1959), _The Gorgon_ (1964), _Dr. Terror's House of Horrors_ (1965). They clashed again as Van Helsing and Dracula, in _Dracula A.D. 1972_ (1972), and _The Satanic Rites of Dracula_ (1974).

Also re-interpret the character of Baron Frankenstein, in _The Revenge of Frankenstein_ (1958), _The Evil of Frankenstein_ (1964), by Freddie Francis, _Frankenstein Created Woman_ (1967), _Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed_ (1969), and _Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell_ (1974), directed by Terence Fisher.

Peter Cushing also teamed with Vincent Price in movies including _Scream and Scream Again_ (1970), _Dr. Phibes Rises Again_ (1972), _Madhouse_ (1974), which plays an evil agent movie., and _House of the Long Shadows_ (1983).

In 1977 he obtained the role of Grand Moff Tarkin, in _Star Wars_ by George Lucas.

In the last years of his career had appearances in some comedies _Top Secret!_ (1984).

His last job was in 1986 in the movie _Biggles_ (1986).

In 1982 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He died of the disease in 1994.

## Television

Cushing also made television, in mystery series, including _Sherlock Holmes_ (1968), as Sherlock Holmes, _The Avengers_, _Great Mysteries_, _Space: 1999_, _The New Avengers_, _Hammer House of Horror_, and the TV movies _The Masks of Death_ (1984), as Sherlock Holmes

## Filmography

|Year|Títle|Role|class="unsortable"|Note|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1939|_The Man in the Iron Mask_|Second Officer|||
|1940|_Laddie_|Robert Pryor|||
|1940|_A Chump at Oxford_|Student (Jones)|||
|1940|_Vigil in the Night_|Joe Shand|||
|1940|_The Hidden Master_ (short)|Robert Clive|||
|1940|_Women in War_|Capt. Evans (uncredited)|||
|1940|_The Howards of Virginia_|Leslie Stephens (uncredited)|||
|1941|_They Dare Not Love_|Sub-Lieutenant Blackler (uncredited)|||
|1948|_Hamlet_|Osric|||
|1952|_Moulin Rouge_|Marcel de la Voisier|||
|1954|_The Black Knight_|The Black Knight|||
|1955|_The End of the Affair_|Henry Miles|||
|1955|_Magic Fire_|Otto Wesendonk|||
|1956|_Alexander the Great_|General Memnon|||
|1957|_Time Without Pity_|Jeremy Clayton|||
|1957|_The Curse of Frankenstein_|Victor Frankenstein|||
|1957|_The Abominable Snowman_|Dr. John Rollason|||
|1958|_Violent Playground_|Father Laidlaw|||
|1958|_Dracula_|Van Helsing|||
|1958|_The Revenge of Frankenstein_|Doctor Victor Stein|||
|1959|_The Hound of the Baskervilles_|Sherlock Holmes|||
|1959|_John Paul Jones_|Captain Richard Pearson|||
|1959|_The Mummy_|John Banning|||
|1960|_Manía_|Dr. Robert Knox|||
|1960|_Cone of Silence_|Capt. Clive Judd|||
|1960|_The Brides of Dracula_|Dr. J. Van Helsing|||
|1960|_Suspect_|Capt. Clive Judd|||
|1960|_Sword of Sherwood Forest_|Sheriff of Nottingham|||
|1961|_The Hellfire Club_|Merryweathe|||
|1961|_Fury at Smugglers' Bay_|Squire Trevenyan|||
|1961|_The Naked Edge_|Mr. Evan Wrack|||
|1962|_Cash on Demand_|Fordyce|||
|1963|_The Man Who Finally Died_|Dr. Peter von Brecht|||
|1964|_The Evil of Frankenstein_|Baron Frankenstein|||
|1964|_The Gorgon_|Dr. Namaroff|||
|1965|_Dr. Terror's House of Horrors_|Dr. Terror|||
|1965|_She_|Holly|||
|1965|_The Skull_|Dr. Christopher Maitland|||
|1965|_Dr. Who and the Daleks_|Dr. Who|||
|1966|_Island of Terror_|Dr. Brian Stanley|||
|1966|_Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D._|Dr. Who|||
|1967|_Some May Live_|John Meredith|||
|1967|_Frankenstein Created Woman_|Baron Frankenstein|||
|1967|_Night of the Big Heat_|Dr. Vernon Stone|||
|1967|_Torture Garden_|Lancelot Canning|||
|1968|_The Blood Beast Terror_|Detective Inspector Quennell|||
|1968|_Corruption_|Sir John Rowan|||
|1969|_Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed_|Baron Frankenstein|||
|1970|_Scream and Scream Again_|Major Heinrich Benedek|||
|1970|_One More Time_|Dr. Frankenstein (uncredited)|||
|1970|_The Vampire Lovers_|General von Spielsdorf|||
|1971|_The House That Dripped Blood_|Philip Grayson|||
|1971|_Twins of Evil_|Gustav Weil|||
|1971|_I, Monster_|Frederick Utterson|||
|1972|_Incense for the Damned_|Dr. Walter Goodrich|||
|1972|_Tales from the Crypt_|Arthur Edward Grimsdyke|||
|1972|_Dracula A.D. 1972_|Professor Van Helsing|||
|1972|_Fear in the Night_|The Headmaster/Michael Carmichael|||
|1972|_Dr. Phibes Rises Again_|Captain|||
|1972|_Asylum_|Mr. Smith|||
|1972|_Horror Express_|Dr. Wells|||
|1973|_Nothing But the Night_|Sir Mark Ashley|||
|1973|_The Creeping Flesh_|Emmanuel Hildern|||
|1973|_And Now the Screaming Starts!_|Dr. Pope|||
|1973|_The Satanic Rites of Dracula_|Prof. Van Helsing|||
|1974|_From Beyond the Grave_|The Proprietor|||
|1974|_Madhouse_|Herbert Flay|||
|1974|_The Beast Must Die_|Dr. Christopher Lundgren|||
|1974|_Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell_|Baron Victor Frankenstein|||
|1974|_The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires_|Professor Laurence Van Helsing|||
|1974|_Tendre Dracula_|MacGregor|||
|1975|_The Ghoul_|Dr. Lawrence|||
|1975|_Legend of the Werewolf_|Prof. Paul|||
|1975|_Shatter_|Paul Rattwood|||
|1976|_Trial by Combat_|Sir Edward Gifford|||
|1976|_At the Earth's Core_|Dr. Abner Perry|||
|1976|_The Devil's Men_|Baron Corofax|||
|1977|_Star Wars_|Grand Moff Tarkin|||
|1977|_Shock Waves_|SS Commander|||
|1977|_The Uncanny_|Wilbur Gray|||
|1977|_Die Standarte_|Baron von Hackenberg|||
|1978|_Son of Hitler_|Heinrich Haussner|||
|1979|_A Touch of the Sun_|Commissioner Potts|||
|1979|_Arabian Adventure_|Wazir Al Wuzara|||
|1981|_Mystery on Monster_|William T. Kolderup|||
|1981|_Black jack_|Sir Thomas Bedford|||
|1983|_House of the Long Shadows_|Sebastian Grisbane|||
|1984|_Top Secret!_|Bookstore Proprietor|||
|1984|_Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_|Seneschal / Gaspar|||
|1986|_Biggles_|Colonel William Raymond|||

## References

- Overview of Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes at Baker Street Dozen.
- Literature on Peter Cushing
- Peter Cushing Association

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Peter Cushing
- **image**: Peter cushing the brides of dracula (2).jpg
- **birth place**: Kenley, London, England
- **death place**: Canterbury, Kent, England
- **nationality**: British
- **occupation**: Actor