Generations of fans have grown up with the immortal image of Peter Cushing’s Dr Frankenstein on the silver screen.
Peter was one of cinema’s legendary actors who appeared in many scary films, including those created by the iconic Hammer House.
Born May 26, 1913 in Surrey, acting also ran in the genes, with several famous actors in the Cushing family including Henry William Cushing, who had toured with the famous playwright Henry Irving, so it always seemed destined that Peter would follow in his family’s footsteps.
It wasn’t long until he made his theatre debut in 1935, before moving to Hollywood to pursue a career as an actor, starring in productions such as Hamlet, which also starred his soon to be co-star and close friend Christopher Lee, although the two never shared any scenes in their films prior to their work on the Hammer House films.
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In 1957, they starred together as Dr Victor Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s creature, with Cushing taking on the role of the doctor in a further six Frankenstein films until 1974.
Together with Christopher Lee, they became two of cinema’s iconic horror actors, appearing in over 21 productions together including Dracula, The Mummy, The Curse of Frankenstein, The Skull and The Hound of the Baskervilles, developing a close bond both on screen and off.
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In 1965 and 1966, Peter even took on the role of a different type of Doctor – this time Doctor Who in films including Doctor Who and the Daleks, but never appeared on the tv series as the character.
Outside of the acting world, it is reported that Peter had a love for miniature games and model soldiers, along with painting watercolours – a far cry from the ruthless Dr Frankenstein character he portrayed on screen.
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In 1943, he had also married the love of his life, Helen, who sadly died in 1971.
Peter described her death as having a part of himself taken away from him in a 1990 interview with The Human Factor.
Helen’s death affected him deeply, with the actor saying “you can’t have the experience and the love of a person such as Helen and then suddenly it’s not there anymore.
“It’s more than three quarters of your own self taken from you.”
Peter could also recite from memory a letter that Helen had written to him before she died, something he said kept him going in the twenty years after her death, with the last line reading “remember, we will meet again when the time is right. That is my promise.”
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To cope with the loss of his wife, Peter committed himself even more so to his work as an actor, taking on roles in further Hammer House films including Frankenstein and the Monster, alongside the late actor Shane Bryant and former Bond Girl Madeline Smith.
He also took on the role of Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977, with his character being digitally recreated for the 2016 prequel film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, more than 20 years after Peter Cushing’s death.
He also reportedly earned more for his stint in the film series than lead actors Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, or Carrie Fisher as he was said to have been paid £2,000 a day.
Hamill, Ford and Fisher were paid weekly salaries of $1000, $750, and $850 respectively.
Peter also starred in films including Top Secret! opposite Val Kilmer in 1984, before appearing in his last big screen role was in the film Biggles: Adventures in Time in 1986.
During the early eighties, Peter Cushing was diagnosed with prostate Cancer, and a decade later, he died aged 81 on August 11 1994 at his home in Canterbury, with his close friend Christopher Lee one of the first people to be called following his death.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
