Gregory Peck

Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor who was born in La Jolla, California. 

One of 20th Century Fox's most popular movie stars from the 1940s to the 1950s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His most famous role was that of Atticus Finch in the film To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) for which he won his Academy Award. He also won five Golden Globe Awards during his career.

Peck's other best known roles include Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951), David and Bathsheba (1951), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952), Roman Holiday (1953), Moby Dick (1956), The Guns of Navarone (1961), Cape Fear (1962), The Omen (1976), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). 

President Lyndon Johnson awarded Peck the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 for his lifetime humanitarian efforts. A Democrat, Peck said that President Johnson told him had he decided to run for re-election in 1968, he would have nominated Peck to be the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland.Haggerty, Bridget. "Gregory Peck's Irish Connections". IrishCultureAndCustoms.com

In 1991, the American Film Institute named Peck among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time, ranking at number 12.

Peck retired from acting in 2000, however he was offered the role of Grandpa Joe in the 2005 movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but died before he could accept it. The Irish actor David Kelly was then given the part.

On June 12, 2003, Peck died in his sleep from bronchopneumonia at the age of 87 at his home in Los Angeles.

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Category:Actors from San Diego
Category:American movie actors
Category:American movie producers
Category:Deaths from bronchopneumonia
Category:Infectious disease deaths in Los Angeles
Category:1916 births
Category:2003 deaths
Category:Golden Globe Award winning actors
Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners