Peter Cushing Peter Cushing ( May 26 , 1913 – August 11 , 1994 ) was an best known for his roles in the of the 1950s , ' 60s , and ' 70s , as well as his performance as Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin in " " ( 1977 ) . Spanning over six decades , his acting career included appearances in more than 100 , as well as many , and roles . Born in , , Cushing made his stage debut in 1935 and spent three years at a theater before moving to to pursue a film career . After making his motion picture debut in the 1939 film " " , Cushing began to find modest success in American films before returning to England at the outbreak of . Despite performing in a string of roles , including one as in film adaptation of " " ( 1948 ) , Cushing struggled greatly to find work during this period and began to consider himself a failure . His career was revitalized once he started to work in live , and he soon became one of the most recognizable faces in television . He earned particular acclaim for his lead performance in a 1954 adaptation of " " . Cushing gained worldwide fame for his appearances in twenty - two horror films by the independent Hammer Studios , particularly for his role as in six of their seven " " films , and in five " " films . Cushing often starred alongside actor Christopher Lee , who became one of his closest friends . Cushing appeared in several other Hammer Studios films , including " " , " " and " " , the last of which marked the first of many times he portrayed the famous detective throughout his career . Cushing continued to perform a variety of roles , although he was often as a horror film actor . He gained the highest amount of visibility in his career in 1977 , when he appeared as Grand Moff Tarkin in the first " Star Wars " film . George Lucas wanted a particularly strong actor for the part and Cushing was his first choice , although the actor claimed he was initially approached to play the Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi . Cushing continued acting into his later years , until his death in 1994 due to . He wrote two and was fiercely devoted to his wife of twenty - eight years , Helen Cushing , who died in 1971 . Biography . Early life . Peter Wilton Cushing was born in , a district in the county of , on May 26 , 1913 to George Edward Cushing and Nellie Marie Cushing , nee King . The youngest of two boys — his brother George was three years older — his mother had so hoped for a daughter that for the first few years of his life , she would dress Peter in girls ' , let his hair grow in long curls and tie them in bows of pink ribbon , so others would often mistake him for a girl . His father , a from an family , was a reserved and uncommunicative man who Peter claimed he never got to know very well . His mother was the daughter of a carpet and considered of a lower class than her husband . Cushing ' s family consisted of several stage , including his paternal grandfather Henry William Cushing ( who toured with ) , his paternal aunt Maude Ashton and his step - uncle Wilton Herriot , after whom Peter Cushing received his middle name . The Cushing family lived in during , but moved to after the war ended in 1918 . Although raised during wartime , Cushing was too young to understand or become greatly affected by it , and was shielded from the horrors of war by his mother , who encouraged him to play games under the kitchen table whenever the threat of possible bombings arose . In his infancy , Cushing twice developed and once what was then known as " . " Although he survived , the latter was often fatal during that period . During one in his youth , Cushing saw a production of " " , which served as an early source of inspiration and interest toward acting . Cushing loved dressing up and from an early age , and later claimed he always wanted to be an actor , " perhaps without knowing at first . " A fan of and toy collectibles in his youth , Cushing earned money by staging for family members with his glove - puppets and toys . He began his early education in Dulwich , an affluent area of South , before attending the in , on the coast between and . Prone to homesickness , he was miserable at the and spent only one term there before returning home . He attended the , where he and played and . With the exception of , Cushing was a self - proclaimed poor student in most subjects and had little attention span for that which did not interest him . He got fair grades only through the help of his brother , a strong student who did his homework for him . Cushing harbored aspirations for all throughout his youth , especially acting . His childhood inspiration was , an American film actor and star of many . D . J . Davies , the Purley County Secondary School teacher who produced all the school ' s plays , recognized some acting potential in him and encouraged him to participate in the theater , even allowing Cushing to skip class to . He played the lead in nearly every school production during his teenage years , including the role of Sir Anthony Absolute in a 1929 staging of play , " " . Cushing wanted to enter the acting profession after school , but his father opposed the idea , despite the theatrical background of several of his family members . Instead , seizing upon Cushing ' s interest in art and , he got his son a job as a surveyor ' s assistant in the drawing department of the and Purley Urban District Council ' s surveyor ' s office during the summer of 1933 . Cushing hated the job , where he remained for three years without promotion or advancement due to his lack of ambition in the profession . The only enjoyment he got out of it was drawing prospectives of proposed buildings , which were almost always rejected because they were too imaginative and expensive and lacked strong foundations , which Cushing disregarded as a " mere detail . " Thanks to his former teacher Davies , Cushing continued to appear in school productions during this time , as well as amateur plays such as " " , " The Torch - Bearers " , and " The Red Umbrella " , by Brenda Girvin and Monica Cosens . Cushing would often learn and practice his lines in an attic at work , under the guise that he was putting ordnance survey maps into order . He would regularly apply for auditions and openings for roles he found in the arts - oriented newspaper " " , but was turned down repeatedly due to his lack of professional experience in the theater . Early career . Cushing eventually applied for a scholarship at the in . His first audition was before the actor , who was so unimpressed with Cushing ' s manner of speech that he rejected him outright and insisted he not return until he improved his . Cushing continued to persistently pursue a scholarship , writing exactly twenty - one letters to the school , until actor and finally agreed to meet Cushing in 1935 simply so he could ask him in person to stop writing . During that meeting , Cushing was given a walk - on part as a courier in that night ' s production of " Cornelius " . This marked his professional stage debut , although he had no lines and did little more than stand on stage behind other actors . Afterward , he was granted the scholarship and given odd jobs around the theater , such as selling refreshments and working as an . One of his earliest professional stage performances was in 1935 as Captain Randall in " The Middle Watch " at the in Worthing . By the end of the summer of 1936 , Cushing accepted a job with the theater company Rep . , working as assistant stage manager and performing in bit roles at the Grand Theatre in the city . He spent the next three years in an apprenticeship at Southampton Rep . , auditioning for character roles both there and in other surrounding theaters , eventually amassing almost 100 individual parts . Soon , he felt the urge to pursue a film career in the . In 1939 , his father bought him a one - way ticket to , where he moved with only to his name . Cushing met a employee named Larry Goodkind , who wrote him a letter of recommendation and directed him to acquaintances Goodkind knew at the company . Cushing visited the company , which was only a few days away from filming the 1939 film " " , the - directed adaptation of the based on the of a prisoner during the reign of . Cushing was hired as a for scenes that featured both characters played by , who had the of King Louis XIV and Philippe of . Cushing would play one part against Hayward in one scene , then the opposite part in another , and ultimately the scenes would be spliced together in a that featured Hayward in both parts and left Cushing ' s work cut from the film altogether . Although the job meant Cushing would receive no actual screen time , he was eventually cast in a bit part himself as the king ' s messenger , which made " The Man in the Iron Mask " his official film debut . The small role involved and , although Cushing had no experience with , he told Whale he was an excellent fencer to ensure he got the part . Cushing later said his unscreened scenes alongside Hayward were terrible performances , but that his experience on the film provided an excellent opportunity to learn and observe how filming on a studio set worked . Only a few days after filming on " The Man in the Iron Mask " was complete , Cushing was in the , a famous hangout spot for actors , when he learned producer was seeking an English actor for a starring . Cushing sought and was cast in the role . Cushing appeared only briefly in " " ( 1940 ) and his scenes took just one week to film , but he was proud to work with who he called " two of the greatest the cinema has ever produced . " Around this time actor , who met Cushing during a cricket game , recommended to that Cushing might be good for a part in Stevens ' upcoming film " " ( 1940 ) . Adapted from a , it was a about a nurse played by working in a poorly - equipped country hospital . Stevens cast Cushing in the second male lead role of Joe Shand , the husband of the Lombard character ' s sister . Shooting ran from September to November 1939 , and the film was released in 1940 , drawing Cushing ' s first semblance of attention and critical praise . Cushing continued to work in a few Hollywood engagements , including an uncredited role in the " " ( 1941 ) , which reunited him with director James Whale . In 1941 , Cushing was cast in one of a series of in the series " " , which focused on strange - but - true historical events . He appeared in the episode " Your Hidden Master " as a young , well before the soldier established the military and political supremacy of the . 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 . Clive takes this to be an omen that he should live , and he goes on to perform great feats in his life . Studio executives were pleased with Cushing ' s performance , and there was talk among Hollywood insiders grooming him for stardom . Despite the success he was starting to enjoy , however , Cushing grew homesick and decided he wished to return to England . He moved to in anticipation of his eventual return home , during which time he voiced a few and joined a company to raise money for his voyage back to England . He performed in such plays as " " , " " , " Biography " and a version of " " . He was eventually noticed by a talent scout , and in 1941 he made his Broadway debut in the religious wartime drama " The Seventh Trumpet " . It received poor reviews , however , and ran for only eleven days . Return to England . Cushing returned to England during . Although some childhood injuries prevented him from serving on active duty , a friend suggested he entertain the troops by performing as part of the . In 1942 , the play " " was touring the military stations and hospitals in the , and the actor playing the lead role of Elyot Chase was called to service . 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 . During this tour he met Helen Beck , a former dancer who was starring in the lead female role of Amanda Prynne . They fell in love and were married on April 10 , 1943 . Cushing eventually had to leave the ENSA due to , an ailment his wife helped him recover from . The two had little money around this time , and Cushing had to collect from both National Assistance and the Actors Benevolent Fund . Cushing struggled to find work during this period , with some plays he was cast in failing to even make it past rehearsals into theaters . Others closed after a few showings , like an ambitious five - hour stage adaptation of novel " " that opened and closed in 1943 in London ' s . Cushing recorded occasional radio spots and appeared in week - long stints as a featured player in London ' s , but otherwise work was difficult to come by . Cushing found a modest success in a 1945 production of Sheridan ' s " The Rivals " at , which earned him enough money to pay off some growing debts . The war years continued to prove difficult for him , however , and at one point he was forced to work designing ladies at a - based silk manufacturer to make ends meet . In the autumn of 1946 , after the war ended , Cushing unsuccessfully auditioned for the part of Paul Verrall in a stage production of the play " " that was being staged by famed actor and director . He was not cast because he insisted he could not perform in an . After Cushing attempted the accent and failed , Olivier replied , " Well , I appreciate you not wasting my time . I shall remember you . " Nearing middle age and finding it increasingly harder to make a living in acting , Cushing began to consider himself a failure . In 1947 , when Laurence Olivier sought him out to adapt the play " " into a film , Cushing ' s wife Helen pushed him to pursue a role . Far from being deterred by Cushing ' s unsuccessful audition the year before , Olivier remembered the actor well and was happy to cast him , but the only character left unfilled was the relatively small part of the foppish . Cushing accepted the role , and " " ( 1948 ) marked his British film debut . One of Cushing ' s primary scenes involved Osric talking to and while walking down a wide stone spiral stairway . The set provided technical difficulties , and all of Cushing ' s lines had to be rerecorded later as part of a process . Cushing had recently undergone dental surgery and he was trying not to open his mouth widely for fear of spitting . When this hindered the post - synching process , Olivier leaned in close to Cushing ' s face and said , " Now drown me . It ' ll be a glorious death , so long as I can hear what you ' re saying . " " Hamlet " went on to win the , and earned Cushing praise for his performance . Also appearing in the film was , who would eventually become a close friend and frequent co - star with Cushing . Cushing designed custom hand - scarves in honor of the " Hamlet " film , and as it was being exhibited across England , the scarves were eventually accepted as gifts by and . After " Hamlet " , both Peter and Helen Cushing accepted a personal invitation from Olivier to join , Olivier ' s repertory theater company , which embarked on a year - long tour of . The tour , which lasted until February 1949 , took them to , , , , , , , and , and included performances of Richard Brinsley Sheridan ' s " " , Shakespeare ' s " " , " " , " " and " " . Success in television . Cushing struggled greatly to find work over the next few years , and became so stressed that he felt he was suffering from an extended . Nevertheless , he continued to appear in several small roles in radio , theater and film . Among them was the 1952 film " " , where he played a racing spectator named Marcel de la Voisier appearing opposite star , who played the artist . During this discouraging period for Cushing , his wife encouraged him to seek roles in , which was only just starting to grow in popularity in England . She suggested he write to all the producers listed in the " " magazine seeking work in the medium . The move proved to be a wise one , as Cushing was hired to fill out the cast of a string of major theater successes that were being adapted to . The first was J . B . Priestley ' s " " , which was televised in December 1951 . Over the next three years , he became one of the most active and favored names in British television , and was considered a pioneer in British . He earned praise for playing the lead male role of in the 1952 production of " " . Other successful television ventures during this time included " Epitaph for a Spy " , " The Noble Spaniard " , " Beau Brummell " , " Portrait by Peko " , and " Anastasia " , the latter of which won Cushing the " " National Television Award for Best Actor of 1953 - 54 . His largest television success from this period was the leading role of in " " , 1954 British television adaptation of classic about a regime . The production would prove to be controversial , resulting in death threats for Cartier and causing Cushing to be vilified for appearing in such " filth . " even considered a motion immediately after the first screening to ban the play ' s live repeat . Nevertheless , a second televised production was filmed and aired , and Cushing eventually drew both critical praise and acting awards , further cementing his reputation as one of biggest television stars . Cushing felt his first performance was much stronger than the second , but the second production is the only known surviving version . In the two years following " Nineteen Eighty - Four " , Cushing appeared in thirty - one television plays and two , and won Best Television Actor of the Year from the " " . He also won best actor awards from the , and from the . Among the plays he appeared in during this time were " " , " " , and a 1955 production of " The Creature " , the latter of which Cushing would star in a film adaptation two years later . Despite this continued success in live television , Cushing found the medium too stressful and wished to return to film . Cinematic roles proved somewhat difficult to find , however , as film producers were often resentful of television stars for drawing audiences away from the cinema . Nevertheless , he continued to work in some film roles during this period , including the " " ( 1954 ) opposite . For that film , he traveled to and filmed scenes in the castles of and . He also starred in the 1955 film adaptation of the novel " " as Henry Miles , an important and the husband of Sarah Miles , played by . Also that year he appeared in " " , an film about the composer . Filmed on location in , Cushing played Otto Wesendonck , the husband of poet , who in the film is portrayed as having an affair with Wagner . Hammer Studios ' " Frankenstein " films . During a brief quiet period following Cushing ' s television success , he read in about , a low - budget independent production company seeking to adapt " " into a new film . Cushing , who enjoyed the tale as a child , dispatched his agent John Redway to inform the company of Cushing ' s interest in playing the protagonist , . The studio executives were anxious to have Cushing ; in fact , Hammer co - founder had been unsuccessfully courting Cushing for film roles in other projects even before his major success with " Nineteen Eighty - Four " . Cushing was about twenty years older than Baron Frankenstein as he appeared in the original novel , but that did not deter the filmmakers . Cushing was cast in the lead role of " " ( 1957 ) , marking the first of twenty - two films he made with Hammer Studios . Unlike the well - known by , the Hammer films revolved mainly around Victor Frankenstein , rather than . Screenwriter wrote the protagonist as an ambitious , egotistical and coldly intellectual scientist who despised his contemporaries . Unlike the character from the novel and past film versions , Cushing ' s Frankenstein commits vicious crimes to attain his goals , including the murder of a colleague to obtain a brain for his creature . " The Curse of Frankenstein " also starred Cushing ' s old " Hamlet " co - star Christopher Lee , who played Frankenstein ' s monster . Cushing and Lee became extremely close friends , and would remain so for the rest of Cushing ' s life . They first met on the set of the film , where Lee was still wearing the monster make - up prepared by . Hammer Studios ' publicity department put out a story that when Cushing first encountered Lee without the make - up on , he screamed in terror . Cushing so valued preparation for his role that he insisted on being trained by a to learn how to wield a authentically . Shot in dynamic color with a small £65 , 000 - budget , the film was noted for its heavy usage of gore and sexual content . As a result , while the film did well at the box office with its target audience , it drew mixed to negative reviews from professional critics . Most , however , were complimentary of Cushing ' s performance , claiming it added a layer of distinction and credibility to the film . Many felt Cushing ' s performance helped create the character . " " writer Margaret Hinxman , who was not complimentary of Lee ' s performance , praised Cushing and wrote of the film : " Although this shocker may not have created much of a monster , it may well have created something more lasting : a star ! " Donald F . Glut , a writer and filmmaker who wrote a book about the portrayals of " Frankenstein " , said the inner warmth of Cushing ' s off - screen personality was apparent on - screen even despite the horrific elements of Dr . Frankenstein , which helped add a layer of likability to the character . " The Curse of Frankenstein " was an overnight success , launching both Cushing and Lee into a level of world - wide fame they had never previously known . The two men would continue to work together in many films at Hammer Studios , and their names became synonymous with the company . Cushing reprised the role of Baron Victor Frankenstein in five sequels . In the first , " " ( 1958 ) , his protagonist is sentence to death by , but he flees and hides under the alias Dr . Stein . He returned for " " ( 1963 ) , where the Baron has a carnival resurrect the monster ' s inactive brain ; and " " ( 1967 ) , in which the Frankenstein ' s monster is reincarnated as a woman played by " " magazine . Cushing played the lead role twice more in " " ( 1969 ) and " " ( 1970 ) . The former film originally featured a scene with Cushing ' s Dr . Frankenstein the character played by . Neither Carlson nor Cushing wanted to do the scene , and the filming of it was so awkward that director ended it in mid - session , and the sequence was not used in the final film . In " Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell " , Cushing portrayed the Frankenstein doctor as completely mad , a departure from the previous movies . That film featured David Prowse as the monster ; the actor would later go on to play Darth Vader alongside Cushing in " ( 1977 ) . Hammer Studios ' " Dracula " films . When Hammer Studios sought to adapt classic novel " " to film , they cast Cushing to play the vampire ' s arch - nemesis . Cushing envisioned the character as an idealist warrior for the greater good , and sought to infuse the common decency and good - naturedness he tried to practice in his personal life into the role . Cushing studied the original Stoker novels 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 emphasize an important point . Cushing said one of the biggest challenges during filming was not missing whenever he struck a prop stake with a mallet and drove it into a vampire ' s heart . " " was released in 1958 , with Cushing once again starring opposite Lee , who played the , although Cushing was given top . 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 hold the vampire off until he dies . As with the " Frankenstein " films , critics largely panned " Dracula " for its violence and sexual content , deeming it inferior to the 1931 . Nevertheless , it performed well at the box office , grossing more than that year ' s release of " " , which was directed by the famous and popular . In 1959 , Cushing agreed to reprise the role of Dr . Van Helsing in the sequel , " " ( 1960 ) . Before filming began , however , Cushing said he would not participate because he did not like the script written by Jimmy Sangster and Peter Bryan . As a result , screenwriter Edward Percy was brought in to make modifications to the script . Ultimately Cushing agreed to perform , but the rewrites pushed filming into early 1960 and brought additional costs to the production . Cushing was later approached to star in the 1966 sequel , " " , but he turned it down due to other commitments . However , Cushing granted permission for his image to be used in the opening scene , which included archived footage from the first " Dracula " film . In exchange , Hammer Studios surprised Cushing by paying for extensive roofing repair work that had recently been done on Cushing ' s newly purchased London home . In 1972 , Cushing appeared in " " , a Hammer modernization of the Dracula story set in a then - present day 1970s setting . Lee once again starred as Dracula . In the opening scene , Cushing portrays Dr . Van Helsing as he did in the previous films , and the character is killed after a fight with Dracula . The rest of the film jumps forward in time , where Cushing plays the original character ' s descendant , Lorrimer Van Helsing . Cushing performed many of his own stunts in " Dracula A . D . 1972 " , which included tumbling off a haywagon during a fight with Dracula . Christopher Neame , who also starred in the film , said he was particularly impressed with Cushing ' s agility and fitness , considering his age . Cushing and Lee both reprised their respective Dracula roles in the 1974 sequel " " , which was known in the United States as " Count Dracula and his Vampire Bride " . Also that year Cushing played Lawrence Van Helsing , another descendant of Abraham Van Helsing , in " " , a co - production between Hammer Studios and the , which brought into the Dracula story . In that film , Cushing ' s Van Helsing travels to the city , where Count Dracula is heading a vampire cult . Hammer Studios : Other roles . Although most well - known for his roles in the " Frankenstein " and " Dracula " films , Cushing appeared in a wide variety of other Hammer Studios productions during this time . Both he and his wife feared Cushing would become into horror roles , but he continued to take them because he needed the money for Helen , who was in a constant state of poor health and required much medical attention . He appeared in the 1957 " " , a Hammer Studios adaptation of a BBC television play from 1955 , which Cushing had also starred in . He portrayed an English anthropologist searching the for the legendary . Director 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 " . In 1959 , Cushing and Christopher Lee appeared in the Hammer Studios horror film " " , with Cushing as the archaeologist John Banning and Lee as the antagonist . 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 . There was no reference to such an injury in the film , and when he asked the publicity department why it was on the poster , they said it was simply meant to serve as a shocking image to promote the movie . Cushing found this deplorable because he believed audiences would feel cheated . During filming he asked director Terence Fisher for permission to drive a harpoon through the mummy ' s body during a fight scene , in order to explain the poster image . Fisher agreed , and the scene was used in the film . Also in 1959 , he portrayed the famous detective in the Hammer Studios production of " " , an adaptation of . He once again co - starred opposite Lee , who portrayed the aristocratic Sir Henry Baskerville . An ardent fan of Sherlock Holmes , Cushing was highly anxious to play the character , and reread the novels in anticipation of the role . Hammer Studios 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 license because he felt the character of Holmes himself remained intact . However , when producer proposed removing the character ' s , Cushing insisted they remain because audiences associated Holmes with his headgear and pipes . Cushing prepared extensively for the role , studying the novel and taking notes in his script . He scrutinized the costumes and scoured over screenwriter Peter Bryan ' s script , often altering words or phrases . Lee later claimed to be awestruck by Cushing ' s ability to incorporate many different props and actions into his performance simultaneously , whether reading , smoking a pipe , drinking whiskey , filing through papers or other things while portraying Holmes . In later years , Cushing considered his Holmes performance one of the proudest accomplishments of his career . Cushing drew generally mixed reviews : " " called it a " tantalising performance " and " " David Pirie called it " one of his very best performances " , while the " " called him " tiresomely mannered and too lightweight " and Barry Norman said he " didn ' t quite capture the air of know - all arrogance that was the great detective ' s hallmark " . " The Hound of the Baskervilles " was originally conceived as the first in a series of Sherlock Holmes films , but no sequels were made . Immediately upon completion of " The Hound of the Baskervilles " , Cushing was offered the lead role in the Hammer film " " , originally conceived as a remake of the novel " " . Cushing turned it down , in part because he felt he did not have enough time to prepare for the role , in part because he feared becoming typecast into horror films , and in part because he did not like the script by Jimmy Sangster . James Carreras , who sold the film to in part based on the strength of Cushing ' s anticipated participation , was infuriated with the actor and issued a legal threat to him demanding he behave with more circumspection in the future regarding role offerings . The move created a rift between Cushing and Carreras , and contributed to a slight decline in the frequency of Cushing ' s participation with the studio . In 1960 , Cushing played the in the Hammer Studios adventure film " " , which starred as the legendary outlaw . It was filmed on location in in the . The next year , Cushing starred as an - like manager of a bank being robbed in the Hammer Studios " " ( 1961 ) . Cushing considered this among the favorites of his films , and some critics believed it to be among his best performances , although it was one of the least seen films from his career . In 1962 , he appeared in the Hammer Studios film " " , known in the United States as " Night Creatures " . Cushing starred as Parson Blyss , the local reverend of an 18th century English coastal town believed to be hiding his smuggling activities with reports of ghosts . The film was roughly based on the novels by . Cushing read Thorndike to prepare for the role , and made suggestions to about Blyss ' costume and hairstyle . Cushing and director 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 . We ' ve done enough of these now to know what we ' re doing . " Cushing and Lee appeared together in the studio ' s 1964 horror film " " , about the female snake - haired character from . The next year , Cushing and Lee yet again appeared together in the Hammer film " " , about a lost realm ruled by the immortal queen Ayesha , played by . Cushing later appeared in " " ( 1970 ) , an erotic Hammer Studios horror film about vampires , adapted in part from the novella " " . The next year he was set to star in a sequel , " " , but had to drop out because his wife was ill . His role was filled instead by actor . Later that year , however , Cushing stared in " " , a of sorts to " The Vampire Lovers " , as Gustav Weil , the leader of a group of religious trying to stamp out and . Among his final Hammer roles was " Fear in the Night " ( 1972 ) , where he played a one - armed school headmaster apparently terrorizing the protagonist , played by . Non - Hammer Studios work . Although widely known for his Hammer Studios 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 . He continued to perform in occasional stage productions , such as Robert E . MacEnroe ' s " The Silver Whistle " at Westminster ' s in 1956 . Also that year he appeared in the film " " as the General . The battle scenes , in which Cushing ' s character is slain by , were filmed in the Spanish autonomous community of . 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 . 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 . He appeared in the biographical " " ( 1959 ) , in which played the of the American naval fighter in the . Cushing became very ill with during filming and lost a considerable amount of weight as a result . In 1960 , Cushing played in " " , based on the true story of a doctor who purchased human corpses for research from the duo . Cushing had previously stated Knox was one of his role models in developing his portrayal of Baron Frankenstein . The film was called " Mania " in its American release . Cushing appeared in several films in 1961 , including " " , an adventure film about pirates scavenging ships off the English coastline ; " " , where he played a lawyer helping a young man expose a cult ; and " " , a British - American thriller about a woman who suspects her husband framed another man for murder . The latter film starred Deborah Kerr , Cushing ' s old co - star from " The End of the Affair " , and , one of Cushing ' s favorite actors . " The Hellfire Club " , although not a Hammer Studios film , was written by regular Hammer screenwriter Jimmy Sangster , and featured frequent Hammer star . In 1965 , Cushing appeared in the play " Stark " at the Westminster ' s . It would be his final stage performance for a decade , but he continued to stay active in film and television during this period . In 1965 , he portrayed in two by AARU Productions based on the cult British television series , . Although Cushing ' s protagonist was based on the from that series , his portrayal of the character was fundamentally different , most especially in the fact that Cushing ' s Dr . Who was a human , whereas the original Doctor was extraterrestrial . As the films were oriented more toward children than the series was , Cushing ' s portrayal of the doctor was kinder and more lovable than past incarnations , which was in part an effort on the actor ' s part to move away from his typical horror persona . Cushing played the role in " " ( 1965 ) and " " ( 1966 ) . Starting in 1965 , Cushing starred in the fifteen - episode BBC television series " " , once again reprising his role as the title character . The episodes ran from 1965 to 1968 . had previously played Holmes for the BBC , but he turned down the part in this series due to the extremely demanding filming schedule . Fourteen days of rehearsal was originally scheduled for each episode , but they were cut down to ten days for economic reasons . Many actors turned down the role as a result , but Cushing accepted , and the BBC believed his Hammer Studios persona would bring what they called a sense of " lurking horror and callous savagery " to the series . Production lasted from May to December , and Cushing adopted a strict regimen of training , preparation and exercise . He tried to keep his performance identical to his portrayal of Holmes from " The Hound of the Baskervilles " . Although the series proved popular , Cushing felt he could not give his best performance under the hectic schedule , and he was not pleased with the final result . Cushing appeared in a handful of horror films by the independent , including " " ( 1965 ) , as a man who could see into the future using ; " " ( 1965 ) , as a professor who became possessed by a spiritual force embodied within a skull ; and " " ( 1967 ) , as a collector of relics who is robbed and murdered for an unpublished Poe manuscript . Cushing also appeared in non - Amicus horror films like " " ( 1966 ) and " " ( 1968 ) , in both of which he investigates a series of mysterious murders . Cushing considered " The Blood Beast Terror " the worst film he ever acted in . Also in 1968 , he appeared in " " , a film that was billed as so horrific that " no woman will be admitted alone " into theaters to see it . In " Corruption " , Cushing played a surgeon who attempts to restore the beauty of his fiancee ( played by ) , whose face is horribly scarred in an accident . In July 1969 , Cushing appeared as the in a show hosted by comedians . In the skit , Cushing portrayed , while the other two gave comedic portrayals of characters like and the knights of the . Cushing continued to make occasional cameos on the show over the next decade , portraying himself desperately attempting to collect a payment for his previous acting appearance on the show . Cushing and Lee made cameos as their old roles of Dr . Frankenstein and the monster in the 1970 comedy " " , which starred and The single scene took only one morning of filming , which Cushing agreed to after Davis asked him to do it as a favor . The next year , Cushing appeared in " " ( 1971 ) , which was adapted from " " and featured Christopher Lee in the title dual role . During this time , Cushing ' s wife Helen was in extremely poor health and , to ensure he could spend time with her , Cushing began taking a milk - train home rather than risk getting stuck in traffic by driving the long commute . Later that year he was set to appear in " " ( 1971 ) , an adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel " " . He was forced to withdraw from the film to care for Helen , and was ultimately replaced by . Death of Helen Cushing . After long sporadic periods of poor health , Helen Cushing died of in 1971 . Peter Cushing was devastated by the loss , and avoided social engagements and public events for the next eleven years . Some media reports indicated Cushing harbored thoughts at this time , but his deep religious convictions made such a measure out of the question . He staved off his grief by burying himself in his work , appearing in thirty - two films between 1971 and 1982 , twelve of which were filmed in the first year after her death . In 1971 he contacted the and offered to provide for some of their . They immediately accepted , and among the works Cushing recorded was " " , a collection of thirteen one - hour stories . The readings proved therapeutic for Cushing during this difficult period . In 1972 , Cushing appeared in the horror film " Bloodsuckers " and starred alongside in " " , a sequel to the previous year ' s " " . Cushing continued to appear in several Amicus Productions films during this period , including " " ( 1972 ) , " " ( 1973 ) , " " ( 1973 ) , and " " ( 1974 ) . For " Tales from the Crypt " , an made up of several horror segments , Cushing was offered the part of a ruthless businessman who is killed when his wife discovers a Chinese figurine and wishes for a fortune . Cushing did not like the part and turned down the role , which eventually went to . Instead , Cushing asked to play Arthur Grymsdyke , a kind , working - class widower who gets along well with the local children , but falls subject to a when his snobbish neighbors falsely accuse him of being a . Eventually the character is driven to commit suicide , but returns from the grave to seek revenge against his tormentors . Not only was Cushing cast in the role , but several changes were made to the script at his suggestion . 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 agreed . Cushing used the emotions from the recent loss of his wife to add authenticity to the widower character ' s grieving . Make - up artist designed the costume and make - up Cushing wore when he rose from the dead , but the actor helped Ashton develop the costume , and donned a pair of false teeth that he previously used in a disguise during the " Sherlock Holmes " television series . His performance in " Tales from the Crypt " won him the Best Male Actor award at the 1971 French Convention of Fantasy Cinema in . In 1975 , Cushing was anxious to return to the stage , where he had not performed in ten years . Around this time he learned that Helen Ryan , an actress who impressed him in a televised play about , was planning to run the Horseshoe Theatre in with her husband , Guy Slater . Cushing wrote to the couple and suggested they stage " " , a play by Ruth and Augustus Goetz , with Cushing himself in the lead role . Ryan and Slater agreed , and Cushing later said performing the part was his most pleasant experience since his wife had died four years earlier . Cushing also starred in several horror films in 1975 . Among them were " " , where he played Baron Corofax , the evil leader of a Satanic cult opposed by a priest played by . Another was " " , where he played a former priest hiding his son in an attic . That film marked the first pairing between Cushing and producer , who worked in minor jobs at Hammer Studios and long aspired to work with Cushing , whom he admired deeply . The two went on to make two other films together : " " ( 1975 ) and " " ( 1984 ) . " The Ghoul " also featured Don Henderson , who later played General Cassio Tagge alongside Cushing in " Star Wars " . In 1976 , Cushing appeared in the " The Great Houdini " as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , the creator of the Sherlock Holmes character Cushing had played several times throughout his career . Cushing wrote the forewords to two books about the detective : " Sherlock Holmes Scrapbook " ( 1974 ) and " Holmes of the Movies : The Screen Career of Sherlock Holmes " ( 1976 ) , by . Cushing also appeared in the 1977 horror film " The Uncanny " . " Star Wars " . Film director George Lucas approached Cushing with the hopes of casting the actor in his upcoming space film , " Star Wars " . 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 . This led Lucas to write the character of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , a high - ranking Imperial governor and commander of the planet - destroying battlestation , the Death Star . Lucas felt a talented actor was needed to play the role and said Peter Cushing was his first choice for the part . 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 . Cushing said he would have preferred to play Kenobi rather than Tarkin , but could not have done so because he was to be filming other movie roles when " Star Wars " was shooting , and Tarkin ' s scenes took less time to film than those of the larger Kenobi role . Although not a particular fan of , Cushing accepted the part because he believed his audience would love " Star Wars " and enjoy seeing him in the role . Cushing joined the cast in May 1976 , and his scenes were filmed at Elstree Studios in . Along with Alec Guinness , who was ultimately cast as Kenobi , Cushing was among the most famous actors at the time to appear in " Star Wars " , as the rest of the cast was still relatively unknown . As a result , Cushing was paid a larger daily salary than most of his fellow cast , earning 2 , 000 — the equivalent of $ 3 , 680 in American dollars — 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 , Prince ss Leia Organa and Han Solo , respectively . When Cushing smoked between shots , he wore a white glove so the make - up artists would not have to deal with nicotine stains on his fingers . 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 . Nevertheless , he worked hard to master the lines so they would sound natural and that his character would appear intelligent and confident . Cushing got along well with the entire cast , especially his old Hammer Studios co - star David Prowse ( who played Darth Vader ) and Fisher , who was appearing in her first major role as Princess Leia Organa . The scene in which Tarkin and Organa appear together on the Death Star , just before the destruction of the planet Alderaan , was the first scene with major dialogue that Fisher filmed for " Star Wars " . Cushing consciously attempted to define their characters as opposite representations of good and evil , and the actor purposely stood in the shadows so the light would shine on Fisher ' s face . Fisher said she liked Cushing so much that it was difficult to act as though she hated Tarkin , and she had to substitute somebody else in her mind to muster the feelings . Although one of her lines referred to Tarkin ' s " foul stench , " she said the actual actor smelled like " and , " something Cushing attributed to his tendency to wash and brush his teeth thoroughly before filming because of his self - consciousness about . Upon learning of that line , Cushing asked Lucas , " Do you want me to look as if I have body odor ? " 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 . This caused a great deal of pain for him during shooting sessions , but the costume designers did not have enough time to get him another pair . As a result , he asked Lucas to film more shots of him from the waist up and , after the director agreed , Cushing wore during the scenes where his feet were not visible . Some of the actors who appeared in scenes with Cushing had trouble not laughing because of the shoes . During rehearsals , Lucas originally planned for Tarkin and Vader to use a giant screen filled with computerized architectural representations of hallways to monitor the whereabouts of Skywalker , Solo and Organa . 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 . The close - up shots of Cushing aboard the Death Star , shown right before the battlestation is destroyed , were actually extra footage taken from previously - shot scenes with Cushing that did not make the final film . During production , Lucas decided to add those shots , along with footage of the Death Star gunners preparing to fire , to add more suspense to the film ' s space battle scenes . Mark Hamill did not perform in any scenes with Cushing , but Hamill was a fan of the actor and specifically sought him out to share his admiration and ask for an . Hamill asked questions about Cushing ' s past acting career , and he asked specifically what it was like working with Laurel and Hardy in " A Chump at Oxford " . When " Star Wars " was first released in 1977 , most preliminary advertisements touted Cushing ' s Tarkin as the primary antagonist of the film , not Vader ; in a 1977 " " article , writer Jack Kroll incorrectly stated that Tarkin was the leader of the Empire , and called Vader his " lieutenant . " 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 . The film gave Cushing the highest amount of visibility of his entire career , and helped inspire younger audiences to watch his older films . The Tarkin character was not identified by the first name Wilhuff until the release of the LucasArts and computer media program " Star Wars " Screen Entertainment in 1994 , the year of Cushing ' s death . Years later , Cushing ' s friend and frequent co - star Christopher Lee would also be cast as a " Star Wars " character , portraying Count Dooku in the prequel trilogy films " " ( 2002 ) and " " ( 2005 ) . In an interview with the magazine " Star Wars Insider " , Lee claimed the fact that Cushing had previously appeared in " Star Wars " made the role that much more special to him . Wilhuff Tarkin appeared briefly in " Revenge of the Sith " , during a scene near the end of the film as Darth Vader and the Galactic Emperor Palpatine stare at the still under - construction Death Star . Animation director Rob Coleman said the filmmakers considered creating a digital version of Peter Cushing for the scene , and discussed the idea at length with Lee because the two were such close friends . They also considered using unused footage of Cushing from " Star Wars " and digitally animating Cushing ' s lips to match new dialogue . However , they ultimately decided to cast actor Wayne Pygram , who was fitted with that made him very closely resemble Cushing . Starting in 2011 , the Tarkin character also started appearing in the animated television series " " . The character was designed by sculptor Darren Marshall , who based him on Cushing ' s image . Marshall said he grew up with the Hammer films , and admired the talents and expressive faces of both Cushing and Lee . Stephen Stanton , the voice actor who portrayed Tarkin in the show , said he researched Cushing ' s performances in the Hammer films , then tried to imitate what Cushing might have sounded like in his mid - thirties and softened it to give a level of humanity to Tarkin . Later career and death . Toward the end of his career , after " Star Wars " , Cushing performed in films and roles critics widely considered below his talent . Director approached him to appear in the horror film " " ( 1978 ) as , the psychiatrist of murderer , but Cushing turned down the role . It eventually went to Donald Pleasence , Cushing ' s former co - star from " Nineteen Eighty - Four " and " Land of the Minotaur " . Cushing made a cameo appearance as himself in a 1980 Christmas special hosted by the comedians Morecambe and Wise . In the skit , Cushing complained that he had not been paid for the skit he appeared in during Morecambe and Wise ' s show in 1969 . In 1983 , Cushing appeared alongside his old co - stars Christopher Lee and Vincent Price in " " , a horror - featuring as an author trying to write a " " - like novel in a deserted mansion . In 1984 , Cushing appeared in the television film " The Masks of Death " , marking both the last time he would play detective Sherlock Holmes and the final performance for which he received billing . He appeared alongside actor as Watson , and the two were noted by critics for their strong chemistry and camaraderie . As both actors were in their seventies , screenwriter and executive producer Kevin Francis both in turn sought to portray them as two old - fashioned men in a rapidly changing world . Cushing 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 " . The final notable roles of Cushing ' s career were the 1984 comedy " " , the 1984 fantasy film " " and the 1986 adventure film " " . In 1986 , he appeared on the British television show " " , in which host would arrange for the wishes of guests to be granted . Cushing wished for a strain of rose to be named after his wife , and Savile arranged for the " Helen Cushing Rose " to be grown at the Wheatcroft Rose Garden in , . During this period , Cushing was honored by the , which invited him in 1986 to give a lecture at the . He also staged " An Evening with Peter Cushing " at St . Edmund ' s Public School in to raise money for the local Cancer Care Unit . In 1987 , a Cushing painted was accepted by and auctioned at a charity event he organized to raise funds for . Also that year , a sketch Cushing drew of Sherlock Holmes was accepted as the official logo of the Northern Musgraves Sherlock Holmes Society . Cushing wrote two autobiographies , " Peter Cushing : An Autobiography " ( 1986 ) and " Past Forgetting : Memoirs of the Hammer Years " ( 1988 ) . Cushing wrote the books as what he called " a form of therapy to stop me going stark , raving mad " following the loss of his wife . His old friend and co - star John Mills encouraged him to publish his memoirs as a way of overcoming the reclusive state Cushing had placed himself into following her death . In 1989 , Queen Elizabeth II named him to the for his contributions to the British film industry . Cushing also wrote a called " The Bois Saga " , a story based on the history of England . Published in 1994 , it was originally written specifically for the daughter of Cushing ' s long - time secretary and friend Joyce Broughton , to help her overcome reading problems resulting from her . It was Broughton who encouraged Cushing to have the book published . His final acting job was narrating , along with Christopher Lee , the Hammer Films " Flesh and Blood : The Hammer Heritage of Horror " ( 1994 ) , which was recorded only a few weeks before Cushing ' s death . Lee recognized 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 ever saw Cushing alive , which proved to be true . In May 1982 , Cushing was diagnosed with . He was rushed to the Kent and Canterbury Hospital when his left eye had swollen to nearly three times its normal size , a side effect of the cancer . Doctors determined he had twelve to eighteen months to live , and that his left eye might be lost . To their surprise , however , Cushing recovered well enough to be released from the hospital , and although his health continued to gradually decline , Cushing lived another thirteen years without any operative treatment or . During this period , he lived with Joyce Broughton and her family at their homes in , . In August 1994 , Cushing entered himself into Pilgrims Hospice in Canterbury , where he died on August 11 at eighty - one years old . In accordance with his wishes , Cushing had a low - key funeral with family and friends , although hundreds of fans and well - wishers came to Canterbury to pay their respects . In January 1995 , a memorial service was held in in , with addresses given by Christopher Lee , Kevin Francis , and . In total , Cushing appeared in more than 100 films throughout his career . Personal life and personality . Peter Cushing was fiercely dedicated to his wife Helen , to whom he was married for twenty - eight years until her death in 1971 . Cushing often said he felt his life had ended when hers did , and he was so crushed that when his first autobiography was published in 1986 , it made no mention of his life after her death . Cushing had a variety of interests outside of acting , including collecting and battling with , of which he owned over five thousand . He also loved games and , and enjoyed drawing and painting watercolor , the latter of which he did especially often in his later years . Cushing was a deeply religious man , and an ardent for most of his life who served as a patron with the . He also had a great interest in and wildlife in general . He suffered from from early in his life , but healed himself in his later years by forcing himself to take walks outside after midnight . Peter Cushing was known among his colleagues for his gentle and gentlemanly demeanor , as well as his professionalism and rigorous preparation as an actor . Cushing once said he would learn his parts " from cover to cover " before filming began . His co - stars and colleagues often spoke of his politeness , charm , old - fashioned manners and sense of humor . While working , he actively provided feedback and suggestions on other elements beyond his performance , such as dialogue and wardrobe . At times , this put him at odds with writers and producers ; Hammer Studios producer Anthony Hinds once declared him a " fusspot [ and ] terrible fusser about his wardrobe and everything , but never a difficult man . " Although he appeared in both television and stage productions , Cushing preferred the medium of film , which allowed his perfectionist nature to work out the best performance possible . He did not enjoy the repetitive nature of stage performances , and once compared it to a painter being forced to paint the same picture every day . Cushing himself was not a particular fan of horror or science fiction films , but he tended to chose roles not based on whether he enjoyed them , but whether he felt his audience would enjoy him in them . However , Cushing was very proud of his experiences with the Hammer Studios films , and never resented becoming known as a horror actor . He always took the roles seriously and never portrayed them in a or style because he felt it would be insulting to his audience . Several filmmakers and actors have claimed to be influenced by Peter Cushing , including actor , who played in the , and John Carpenter , who directed such films as " Halloween " ( 1978 ) , " " ( 1981 ) and " " ( 1982 ) . Director and actor both said the portrayal of in " " was intended to resemble that of Cushing ' s old horror film performances . In 2008 , fourteen years after his death , Cushing ' s image was used in a set of stamps issued by the honoring Hammer Studios films on the fiftieth anniversary of the release of " Dracula " .