Peter Cushing facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Cushing OBE
Cushing as Victor Frankenstein in The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)
Born	Peter Wilton Cushing (1913-05-26)26 May 1913 Kenley, Surrey, England
Died	11 August 1994(1994-08-11) (aged 81) Canterbury, Kent, England
Resting place	Seasalter Old Church, Seasalter, Kent, England
Education	Shoreham College
Alma mater	Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1935–1991
Spouse(s)	Violet Helene Beck ​ ​ (m. 1943; died 1971)​
Awards	British Academy Television Award for Best Actor (1956)

Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was a famous English actor. He acted for over 60 years in more than 100 films. He also appeared in many TV shows, plays, and radio programs.

Peter Cushing became well-known in England for his main roles in the Hammer Productions horror movies from the 1950s to the 1970s. He gained international fame as Grand Moff Tarkin in the original Star Wars movie (1977).

Born in Kenley, England, Cushing started acting on stage in 1935. He spent three years in a theater group before moving to Hollywood to act in films. His first movie was The Man in the Iron Mask (1939). He found some success in American films before returning to England when World War II began.

Even after playing Osric in Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (1948), Cushing found it hard to get acting jobs. His career got a boost when he started acting in live television plays. He quickly became a familiar face on British television. He was especially praised for playing Winston Smith in a BBC show based on George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954).

Cushing became famous worldwide for his roles in 22 horror films from Hammer Studios. He often played Baron Frankenstein in six Frankenstein movies. He also played Doctor Van Helsing in five Dracula films. Cushing frequently acted alongside his close friend, Christopher Lee. He also sometimes worked with American horror star Vincent Price.

Peter Cushing appeared in other Hammer films like The Abominable Snowman (1957), The Mummy, and The Hound of the Baskervilles (both 1959). In The Hound of the Baskervilles, he first played the detective Sherlock Holmes. Cushing continued to act in many different roles, even though he was often seen as a horror actor. He played Dr. Who in Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966). His role in the first Star Wars film made him more visible than ever before. Cushing kept acting until the early 1990s and wrote two books about his life.

Biography

Early Life and Education

Peter Wilton Cushing was born in Kenley, England, on May 26, 1913. His parents were George Edward Cushing and Nellie Marie Cushing. Peter's father was a quantity surveyor, which is someone who manages building costs. His mother was the daughter of a carpet seller. Peter's family had several stage actors, including his grandfather and aunt.

The Cushing family lived in Dulwich during World War I. After the war in 1918, they moved to Purley. Peter was too young to understand the war, and his mother protected him from its horrors. She encouraged him to play games under the kitchen table during air raid warnings. As a baby, Peter had pneumonia twice, which was very serious back then, but he survived.

When he was young, Peter saw a play called Peter Pan. This sparked his interest in acting. He loved dressing up and playing make-believe from a young age. He later said he always wanted to be an actor. As a child, he earned money by putting on puppet shows for his family.

He started school in Dulwich. Later, he went to Shoreham Grammar School in Shoreham-by-Sea. He was homesick there and only stayed for one term. He then attended Purley County Grammar School. There, he enjoyed swimming, cricket, and rugby. Peter said he was not a good student in most subjects except art. He only got good grades with help from his brother.

Peter always dreamed of a career in the arts, especially acting. His childhood hero was Tom Mix, a famous American Western film actor. His physics teacher, D.J. Davies, saw his acting talent. He encouraged Peter to join school plays, even letting him skip class to paint sets. Peter played the main role in almost every school play during his teenage years.

After school, Peter wanted to become an actor. However, his father disagreed. Instead, his father helped him get a job as a surveyor's assistant in 1933. Peter hated this job and stayed there for three years without getting promoted. He only enjoyed drawing proposed buildings, but his designs were often rejected for being too imaginative.

Thanks to his old teacher, Peter kept acting in school plays and amateur shows. He often practiced his lines at work, pretending to organize maps. He applied for many acting jobs but was always turned down because he lacked professional experience.

Starting His Acting Career

Peter Cushing eventually applied for a scholarship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. His first audition did not go well. The actor Allan Aynesworth told him to improve his speaking skills. But Peter kept trying, writing 21 letters to the school. Finally, actor Bill Fraser agreed to meet him in 1935. Peter was given a small, non-speaking part in a play called Cornelius. This was his first professional stage appearance. After this, he received the scholarship and worked odd jobs at the theater.

One of his first professional stage roles was in 1935 in a play called The Middle Watch. By 1936, Cushing joined the repertory theatre company Southampton Rep. He worked as an assistant stage manager and played small roles. He spent three years there, acting in almost 100 different parts.

Soon, he wanted to act in films in the United States. In 1939, his father bought him a one-way ticket to Hollywood. Peter arrived with only £50. He met a Columbia Pictures employee who gave him a recommendation letter. This led him to Edward Small Productions. A few days later, they were filming The Man in the Iron Mask (1939).

Cushing was hired as a stand-in for scenes where Louis Hayward played two characters. Cushing acted opposite Hayward in rehearsals. His work was later cut from the final film, which used a split screen process. However, Cushing was cast in a small part as the king's messenger. This made The Man in the Iron Mask his first official film. He had to sword-fight in this role. Even though he had no fencing experience, he told the director he was excellent to get the part.

A few days after that film, Cushing heard that producer Hal Roach needed an English actor for a comedy film with Laurel and Hardy. Cushing got the part in A Chump at Oxford (1940). His scenes took only one week to film. He was proud to work with "two of the greatest comedians." Around this time, actor Robert Coote suggested Cushing for a role in director George Stevens' film Vigil in the Night (1940). This drama film was about a nurse in a poorly-equipped hospital. Cushing played Joe Shand, the second male lead. The film brought him his first attention and good reviews.

Cushing continued to work in Hollywood. He had uncredited roles in They Dare Not Love (1941) and a short film called The Hidden Master (1940). Studio executives liked his performances. There was talk of him becoming a star. However, Cushing missed England and decided to return home. He moved to New York City and did some radio commercials. He also joined a summer theater company to earn money for his trip back to England. He performed in plays like The Petrified Forest and Macbeth. In 1941, he made his Broadway debut in The Seventh Trumpet, but it closed quickly.

Returning to England

Cushing returned to England during World War II. He could not serve in the military due to old injuries. A friend suggested he entertain the troops. In 1942, he joined a tour of the play Private Lives for military hospitals. He took over the lead role of Elyot Chase with little time to prepare. He earned ten pounds a week. During this tour, he met Violet Hélène "Helen" Beck, a former dancer. They fell in love and married on April 10, 1943.

Cushing had to leave the tour due to lung problems. His wife helped him recover. They had little money, and Cushing had to get help from charities. He struggled to find work. Some plays he was cast in never even made it to the stage. Others closed after only a few performances.

He did some radio work and appeared in plays at London's Q Theatre. In 1945, he had some success in a play called The Rivals. This earned him enough money to pay off some debts. The war years remained difficult for him. At one point, he had to design head-scarves for a silk company to earn money.

In 1946, after the war, Cushing tried out for a play called Born Yesterday. The famous actor and director Laurence Olivier was directing it. Cushing was not cast because he said he could not do an American accent. Olivier remembered him, though. Cushing was nearing middle age and felt like a failure.

In 1947, Laurence Olivier asked Cushing to be in his film of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Cushing's wife, Helen, encouraged him to take the role. Olivier remembered Cushing and was happy to cast him. The only part left was the small role of Osric, a courtier. Cushing accepted, and Hamlet (1948) was his first British film.

Hamlet won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Cushing received praise for his performance. Christopher Lee also appeared in the film. He later became a close friend and frequent co-star of Cushing. After Hamlet, Peter and Helen Cushing joined Olivier's theater company, The Old Vic. They went on a year-long tour of Australasia, performing in many cities.

Success on Television

Cushing found it very hard to get work for the next few years. He felt so stressed that he thought he was having a nervous breakdown. Still, he kept taking small roles in radio, theater, and film. One of these was the John Huston film Moulin Rouge (1952).

During this tough time, his wife encouraged him to try television. TV was just starting to become popular in England. She told him to write to all the producers listed in the Radio Times magazine. This was a smart move. Cushing was hired for many successful plays that were being shown live on television. The first was Eden End in December 1951. Over the next three years, he became one of the busiest and most liked actors in British television. He was seen as a pioneer in British TV drama.

He was praised for playing Mr. Darcy in an early BBC Television series of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1952). Other successful TV shows included Epitaph for a Spy and Anastasia. For Anastasia, Cushing won the Daily Mail National Television Award for Best Actor in 1953–54. His biggest TV success from this time was playing Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954). This was a TV show based on George Orwell's novel about a totalitarian government.

In the two years after Nineteen Eighty-Four, Cushing appeared in 31 TV plays and two series. He won Best Television Actor of the Year from the Evening Chronicle. He also won best actor awards from the Guild of Television Producers in 1955 and from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1956. Despite this success, Cushing found live television too stressful. He wanted to return to films. However, film producers were often hesitant to hire TV stars.

Still, he continued to act in some films. These included the adventure film The Black Knight (1954) with Alan Ladd. For this film, he traveled to Spain and filmed scenes in castles. He also starred in The End of the Affair (1955) and Magic Fire (1955), a film about the composer Richard Wagner.

Hammer Frankenstein Films

Cushing as Victor Frankenstein in The Curse of Frankenstein

After a quiet period, Cushing read that Hammer, a film company, wanted to make a movie based on Mary Shelley's horror novel Frankenstein. Cushing loved the story as a child. He told his agent to let Hammer know he was interested in playing the main character, Baron Victor Frankenstein. Hammer was eager to have Cushing. In fact, Hammer co-founder James Carreras had tried to get Cushing for other films before his success with Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Cushing was about 20 years older than Baron Frankenstein was in the original book, but this did not stop the filmmakers. Cushing was cast as the lead in The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). This was the first of 22 films he made for Hammer. He later said he chose roles where he knew the audience would accept him. He felt more people wanted to see him as Frankenstein than as Hamlet. Film critic Roger Ebert described Cushing's work in Hammer films: "He's the one in all those British horror films, standing between Vincent Price and Christopher Lee."

Unlike the 1931 Frankenstein film, Hammer's movies focused more on Victor Frankenstein than on his monster. The writer, Jimmy Sangster, made Frankenstein an ambitious, selfish, and cold scientist. The Curse of Frankenstein also starred Christopher Lee as Frankenstein's monster. Cushing and Lee became very close friends and remained so for life. They first met on the set, where Lee was in his monster make-up.

Cushing took his role very seriously. He insisted on being trained by a surgeon to learn how to use a scalpel realistically. The film did well at the box office. The Curse of Frankenstein was a huge success, making both Cushing and Lee famous worldwide. They continued to work together in many Hammer films, and their names became linked with the company.

Cushing played Baron Victor Frankenstein in five more films. In The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), his character escapes death and uses a new name, Doctor Victor Stein. He returned for The Evil of Frankenstein (1963) and Frankenstein Created Woman (1967). Cushing played the lead role two more times in Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974). In the last film, Cushing showed Frankenstein as completely mad, which was a fitting end to the series.

Hammer Dracula Films

Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing in The Brides of Dracula

When Hammer decided to make a film based on Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel Dracula, they cast Cushing as the vampire's enemy, Doctor Van Helsing. Cushing saw Van Helsing as a hero fighting for good. He studied the original book carefully and used many of Van Helsing's traits in his acting. Dracula was released in 1958. Cushing again starred opposite Lee, who played the title character. Cushing was given top billing, meaning his name appeared first in the credits.

In 1959, Cushing agreed to play Van Helsing again in the sequel, The Brides of Dracula (1960). For the next sequel, Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), Cushing allowed old footage of him to be used in the opening scene. This scene showed the end of the first Dracula film. In return, Hammer paid for repairs to Cushing's home.

Cushing appeared in Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), a modern Hammer film set in the 1970s. Lee again played Dracula. In the opening, Cushing plays the 19th-century Van Helsing, who dies fighting Dracula. Then the story jumps to 1972, and Cushing plays the original character's grandson. Cushing did many of his own stunts in this film, including falling off a haywagon. Christopher Neame, who also starred in the film, was impressed by Cushing's agility for his age.

Cushing and Lee both returned for The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1974). Around the same time, Cushing played the original 19th-century Van Helsing in The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974). This was a Hammer and Shaw Brothers Studio co-production that added Chinese martial arts to the Dracula story. In that film, Cushing's Van Helsing travels to China.

Other Hammer Roles

While most famous for his Frankenstein and Dracula roles, Cushing also appeared in many other Hammer films. Both he and his wife worried he would only be offered horror roles. However, he kept taking them because they provided steady work.

He appeared in the horror film The Abominable Snowman (1957). He played an English botanist searching the Himalayas for the legendary Yeti. Director Val Guest was impressed by Cushing's preparation. Cushing became known as "Props Peter" because he was so good at planning how to use props.

Cushing and Lee also appeared together in the Hammer horror film The Mummy (1959). Cushing played archaeologist John Banning, and Lee played the villain Kharis. Cushing saw a poster for The Mummy showing Lee's character with a hole in his chest. This was not in the script. During filming, he asked the director to add a scene where he drives a harpoon through the mummy to explain the poster. The director agreed.

Around the same time, he played the detective Sherlock Holmes in Hammer's The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959). This was based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel. He again co-starred with Lee, who played Sir Henry Baskerville. Cushing was a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and was very excited to play the character. He reread the novels to prepare. Hammer added more horror elements to the story, which upset Conan Doyle's family. But Cushing felt Holmes's character remained true to the books. He insisted that Holmes keep his famous deerstalker hat because audiences expected it. Cushing prepared a lot for the role, studying the novel and making notes. He even changed some words in the script. He later said his Holmes performance was one of his best achievements.

After The Hound of the Baskervilles, Cushing was offered the lead in The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959), but he turned it down. Cushing next appeared for Hammer as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), which starred Richard Greene as Robin Hood. The next year, Cushing starred as a bank manager in the Hammer thriller film Cash on Demand (1961). Cushing considered this one of his favorite films. He also appeared in Captain Clegg (1962).

Cushing and Lee appeared together in the horror film The Gorgon (1964), about the snake-haired Gorgon from Greek mythology. They also starred in She (1965). One of his last Hammer roles was Fear in the Night (1972).

Non-Hammer Film Work

Even though he was best known for his Hammer films, Cushing worked in many other roles. He actively looked for roles outside horror to try different things. He continued to act in plays, like The Silver Whistle in 1956. Around the same time, he appeared in the film Alexander the Great (1956).

In 1965, Cushing played the lead role in two science fiction films based on the British TV series Doctor Who. Cushing's character, Dr. Who, was a human being, unlike the alien Doctor from the TV show. Cushing played the role in Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966).

Cushing later starred in the 15-episode BBC television series Sherlock Holmes (1968). He played the title character again, with Nigel Stock as Watson. Only six episodes of this series still exist. The filming schedule was very demanding, but Cushing accepted the role. He tried to make his performance similar to his Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles. Although the series was popular, Cushing felt he could not do his best work with such a busy schedule.

Cushing appeared in several horror films by Amicus Productions, including Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965), The Skull (1965), and Torture Garden (1967). He also appeared in other horror films like Island of Terror (1966) and The Blood Beast Terror (1968). In these, he investigated mysterious deaths. He was in Corruption (1968), where he played a surgeon trying to fix his wife's scarred face.

In July 1969, Cushing appeared in The Morecambe & Wise Show, a British comedy series. In a skit, Cushing played King Arthur, while the other two played funny versions of Merlin and the knights. Cushing made occasional guest appearances on the show for the next ten years.

Cushing and Lee made guest appearances as Frankenstein and Dracula in the comedy One More Time (1970). The next year, Cushing appeared in I, Monster (1971), based on Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Later that year, he had to leave the film Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971) to care for his wife.

In 1971, Cushing offered to record audiobooks for the Royal National Institute for the Blind. He recorded The Return of Sherlock Holmes. He appeared with Vincent Price in Dr. Phibes Rises Again! (1972) and Madhouse (1974). Cushing also continued to appear in several Amicus Productions films, including Tales from the Crypt (1972) and From Beyond the Grave (1973). His performance in Tales from the Crypt won him an award in France.

In 1975, Cushing wanted to return to the stage. He had not performed there in ten years. He learned that Helen Ryan was opening a theater in Basingstoke. Cushing suggested they stage the play The Heiress with him in the lead role. Ryan agreed, and Cushing said it was his most enjoyable experience since his wife died. Cushing also starred in several horror films released in 1975, including Land of the Minotaur and The Ghoul. He worked with producer Kevin Francis on The Ghoul and two other films: Legend of the Werewolf (1975) and The Masks of Death (1984), where he played Sherlock Holmes again. Cushing appeared in the TV film The Great Houdini (1976) as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Star Wars Role

Film director George Lucas wanted to cast Cushing in his upcoming space fantasy film, Star Wars. The main villain, Darth Vader, wore a mask and his face was never seen. So, Lucas felt he needed a strong human villain. This led Lucas to create the character of Grand Moff Tarkin. Tarkin was a high-ranking Imperial governor and commander of the Death Star. Lucas believed a talented actor was needed and said Cushing was his first choice.

However, Cushing claimed that Lucas first asked him to play the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Only after they met did Lucas decide to cast him as Tarkin. Cushing said he would have preferred to play Kenobi. But he was filming other movies when Star Wars was shooting. Tarkin's scenes took less time than Kenobi's larger role. Cushing was not a big fan of science fiction. But he took the part because he thought his audience would love Star Wars and enjoy seeing him in it.

Cushing joined the cast in May 1976. His scenes were filmed at Elstree Studios. Along with Alec Guinness, who played Kenobi, Cushing was one of the most famous actors in Star Wars. Most of the other actors were not well-known yet. Because of this, Cushing was paid more than most of his co-stars. He earned £2,000 per day.

Cushing got along well with the whole cast. He especially liked his old co-star David Prowse, who played Darth Vader. He also liked Carrie Fisher, who was in her first major role as Princess Leia Organa. The scene where Tarkin and Organa are together on the Death Star was Fisher's first major dialogue scene. Cushing tried to make their characters look like opposites of good and evil. He purposely stood in the shadows so the light shone on Fisher's face. Fisher said she liked Cushing so much that it was hard to act like she hated Tarkin. She had to imagine someone else to get the right feelings. Although one of her lines said Tarkin had a "foul stench," she said the real actor smelled like "linen and lavender." Cushing said this was because he always washed and brushed his teeth thoroughly before filming.

During filming, Cushing was given boots that were too small for his size twelve feet. This caused him a lot of pain. The costume designers did not have time to get him another pair. So, he asked Lucas to film more close-up shots of him from the waist up. After Lucas agreed, Cushing wore slippers during scenes where his feet were not visible.

When Star Wars was released in 1977, most early ads showed Cushing's Tarkin as the main villain, not Vader. Cushing was very happy with the final film. He said his only disappointment was that Tarkin died and could not appear in the sequels. The film gave Cushing the most visibility of his entire career. It also encouraged younger audiences to watch his older films.

For the film Rogue One (2016), CGI (computer-generated imagery) was used to put Cushing's face from the original movie onto another actor, Guy Henry. Henry provided the acting and voice. This use of CGI to "bring back" a deceased actor caused some debate about the ethics. Joyce Broughton, Cushing's former secretary, approved the recreation. After seeing the film, she was "taken aback" and "dazzled" by the effect.

Later Career and Legacy

Towards the end of his career, Cushing acted in films that critics felt were below his talent. Director John Carpenter asked him to be in the horror film Halloween (1978). Cushing turned down the role, as did Christopher Lee. The part eventually went to Donald Pleasence. Cushing appeared with his old co-stars Christopher Lee and Vincent Price in House of the Long Shadows (1983). This was a horror-parody film.

Cushing appeared in the TV film The Masks of Death (1984). This was the last time he played Sherlock Holmes. He acted alongside John Mills as Watson. Critics noted their strong chemistry. Cushing's biographer, Tony Earnshaw, called Cushing's performance in The Masks of Death perhaps his best as Holmes. Cushing's final notable roles were in the comedy Top Secret! (1984), the fantasy film Sword of the Valiant (1984), and the adventure film Biggles: Adventures in Time (1986).

In 1986, Cushing was honored by the British Film Institute. He gave a lecture at the National Film Theatre. He also held an event called An Evening with Peter Cushing to raise money for a Cancer Care Unit. In 1987, a watercolor painting by Cushing was auctioned for charity. Also that year, a sketch he drew of Sherlock Holmes became the official logo for a Sherlock Holmes society.

Cushing wrote two books about his life: Peter Cushing: An Autobiography (1986) and Past Forgetting: Memoirs of the Hammer Years (1988). He wrote these books as a way to cope after his wife's death. His friend John Mills encouraged him to publish them. In 1989, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to British film. Cushing also wrote a children's book called The Bois Saga, published in 1994. His final acting job was narrating the Hammer Films documentary Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror (1994), recorded just weeks before he died.

Personal Life

Cushing had many interests outside of acting. He collected and battled model soldiers, owning over 5,000. He hand-painted many of them. He also loved games and practical jokes. He enjoyed drawing and painting watercolours, especially in his later years.

After his wife died, Cushing visited several churches. He spoke to religious ministers but was not satisfied by their reluctance to discuss death. He never joined an organized religion. However, he still believed in God and an afterlife. He was a strong vegetarian for most of his life. He was also very interested in ornithology (the study of birds) and wildlife. He suffered from nyctophobia (fear of darkness) early in his life. But in his later years, he overcame this by forcing himself to walk outside after midnight.

Cushing was known among his colleagues for being gentle and polite. He was also very professional and prepared as an actor. He once said he learned his parts "from cover to cover" before filming. His co-stars often spoke of his politeness, charm, old-fashioned manners, and sense of humor. When working, he actively gave feedback on dialogue and costumes. Sometimes, this led to disagreements with writers and producers.

Although he acted in both television and stage plays, Cushing preferred films. Films allowed him to perfect his performance. He did not enjoy the repetitive nature of stage performances. Cushing himself was not a big fan of horror or science fiction films. But he chose roles based on whether he thought his audience would enjoy him in them. He was very proud of his experiences with the Hammer films. He never regretted being known as a horror actor. He always took his roles seriously and never acted in a campy way. He felt it would be disrespectful to his audience.

On April 10, 1943, Cushing married Violet Hélène Beck. In 1971, Cushing's wife died of emphysema. Cushing often said he felt his life ended when hers did. He was so heartbroken that his first autobiography, published in 1986, did not mention his life after her death.

His wife's death affected him physically too. For his role in Dracula A.D. 1972, Cushing (who was 58) was originally cast as the father of another character. But he had aged so much and lost so much weight that the script was quickly rewritten to make him her grandfather. This happened again in the last Hammer Dracula film, The Satanic Rites of Dracula. In a quiet tribute to Helen, a photo of her was placed on Van Helsing's desk in one scene. He played characters who had lost family in other horror films, including Asylum (1972) and The Ghoul (1975).

Death and Legacy

In May 1982, Cushing was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was rushed to the hospital when his left eye swelled to almost three times its normal size, a side effect of the cancer. Doctors thought he had only 12 to 18 months to live. They also thought he might lose his left eye. But to their surprise, Cushing recovered well enough to leave the hospital. Although his health slowly declined, he lived another 12 years without surgery or chemotherapy. During this time, he lived with his long-time secretary and friend, Joyce Broughton, and her family.

In August 1994, Cushing went into Pilgrims Hospice in Canterbury. He died on August 11, at 81 years old. As he wished, Cushing had a quiet funeral with family and friends. However, hundreds of fans came to Canterbury to pay their respects. In January 1995, a memorial service was held in London. Christopher Lee gave a speech there. In total, Cushing appeared in more than 100 films.

Several filmmakers and actors have said Peter Cushing influenced them. These include actor Doug Bradley, who played Pinhead in the Hellraiser horror films. Director John Carpenter was also influenced by him. Director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp said their portrayal of Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow was meant to look like Cushing's old horror film performances.

In 2008, 14 years after his death, Cushing's image was used on a set of stamps in the United Kingdom. These stamps honored Hammer Studios films on the 50th anniversary of Dracula. In 2013, Cushing was honored again by the Royal Mail as one of ten people chosen for their "Great Britons" commemorative postage stamp issue.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Television Films

Other Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Peter Cushing para niños