Gregory Peck

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

137

Gender

Male

Birthday

1916-04-05

Day of death

2003-06-12 (87 years old)

Place of Birth

La Jolla, California, USA

Gregory Peck

Biography

Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood Cinema. After studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse with Sanford Meisner, Peck began appearing in stage productions, acting in over 50 plays and three Broadway productions. He first gained critical success in The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), a John M. Stahl–directed drama which earned him his first Academy Award nomination. He starred in a series of successful films, including romantic-drama The Valley of Decision (1944), Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), and family film The Yearling (1946). He encountered lukewarm commercial reviews at the end of the 1940s, his performances including The Paradine Case (1947) and The Great Sinner (1948). Peck reached global recognition in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing back-to-back in the book-to-film adaptation of Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) and biblical drama David and Bathsheba (1951). He starred alongside Ava Gardner in The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) and Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday (1953), which earned Peck a Golden Globe award. Other notable films in which he appeared include Moby Dick (1956, and its 1998 mini-series), The Guns of Navarone (1961), Cape Fear (1962, and its 1991 remake), The Omen (1976), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). Throughout his career, he often portrayed protagonists with "fiber" within a moral setting. Gentleman's Agreement (1947) centered on topics of antisemitism, while Peck's character in Twelve O'Clock High (1949) dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder during World War II. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), an adaptation of the modern classic of the same name which revolved around racial inequality, for which he received universal acclaim. In 1983, he starred opposite Christopher Plummer in The Scarlet and The Black as Hugh O'Flaherty, a Catholic priest who saved thousands of escaped Allied POWs and Jewish people in Rome during the Second World War. Peck was also active in politics, challenging the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 and was regarded as a political opponent by President Richard Nixon. President Lyndon B. Johnson honored Peck with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 for his lifetime humanitarian efforts. Peck died in his sleep from bronchopneumonia at the age of 87.

Known For

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

  • Bambi

    Bambi

  • Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

  • Champs-Elysées

    Champs-Elysées

  • Dinah!

    Dinah!

  • Spécial cinéma

    Spécial cinéma

  • Les Rendez-vous du dimanche

    Les Rendez-vous du dimanche

  • The Oscars

    The Oscars

  • How the West Was Won

    How the West Was Won

  • The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

  • The Kennedy Center Honors

    The Kennedy Center Honors

  • To Kill a Mockingbird

    To Kill a Mockingbird

  • Mackenna's Gold

    Mackenna's Gold

  • The Million Pound Note

    The Million Pound Note

  • Roman Holiday

    Roman Holiday

  • Reflets de Cannes

    Reflets de Cannes

  • Shoot Out

    Shoot Out

  • Cape Fear

    Cape Fear

  • Cape Fear

    Cape Fear

  • Baseball

    Baseball

  • Gentleman's Agreement

    Gentleman's Agreement

  • The Guns of Navarone

    The Guns of Navarone

  • V.I.P. Schaukel

    V.I.P. Schaukel

  • Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.

    Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.

  • Marooned

    Marooned

  • Moby Dick

    Moby Dick

  • Designing Woman

    Designing Woman

  • The Omen

    The Omen

  • The Chairman

    The Chairman

  • Mirage

    Mirage

  • The Yearling

    The Yearling

  • The Dick Powell Show

    The Dick Powell Show

  • Beloved Infidel

    Beloved Infidel

  • Arabesque

    Arabesque

  • The Big Country

    The Big Country

  • Yellow Sky

    Yellow Sky

  • Pork Chop Hill

    Pork Chop Hill

  • The Gunfighter

    The Gunfighter

  • To Kill a Mockingbird: All Points of View

    To Kill a Mockingbird: All Points of View

  • Old Gringo

    Old Gringo

  • The American Film Institute Salute to ...

    The American Film Institute Salute to ...

  • Night People

    Night People

  • Talking Pictures

    Talking Pictures

  • Mickey's 50

    Mickey's 50

  • The Sea Wolves

    The Sea Wolves

  • The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

    The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

  • The Boys from Brazil

    The Boys from Brazil

  • Duel in the Sun

    Duel in the Sun

  • Billy Two Hats

    Billy Two Hats

  • Spellbound

    Spellbound

  • The Making of 'Cape Fear'

    The Making of 'Cape Fear'

  • The Scarlet and the Black

    The Scarlet and the Black

  • Only the Valiant

    Only the Valiant

  • MacArthur

    MacArthur

  • The Snows of Kilimanjaro

    The Snows of Kilimanjaro

  • The Blue and the Gray

    The Blue and the Gray

  • The Paradine Case

    The Paradine Case

  • Moby Dick

    Moby Dick

  • Twelve O'Clock High

    Twelve O'Clock High

  • The Macomber Affair

    The Macomber Affair

  • Behold a Pale Horse

    Behold a Pale Horse

  • The Keys of the Kingdom

    The Keys of the Kingdom

  • On the Beach

    On the Beach

  • Other People's Money

    Other People's Money

  • James Bond: The First 21 Years

    James Bond: The First 21 Years

  • The Purple Plain

    The Purple Plain

  • Captain Newman, M.D.

    Captain Newman, M.D.

  • I Walk the Line

    I Walk the Line

  • Amazing Grace and Chuck

    Amazing Grace and Chuck

  • The Valley of Decision

    The Valley of Decision

  • Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star

    Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star

  • Night of 100 Stars

    Night of 100 Stars

  • The Stalking Moon

    The Stalking Moon

  • Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman

    Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman

  • Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

    Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

  • American Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith

    American Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith

  • The Great Sinner

    The Great Sinner

  • Roger Moore: A Matter of Class

    Roger Moore: A Matter of Class

  • Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick

    Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick

  • Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret

    Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret

  • Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration

    Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration

  • The Pearl Bailey Show

    The Pearl Bailey Show

  • The Bravados

    The Bravados

  • Salute to Stan Laurel

    Salute to Stan Laurel

  • David and Bathsheba

    David and Bathsheba

  • The Extraordinary Seaman

    The Extraordinary Seaman

  • Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood

    Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood

  • Gregory Peck: His Own Man

    Gregory Peck: His Own Man

  • Hollywood: The Selznick Years

    Hollywood: The Selznick Years

  • Hollywood: The Dream Factory

    Hollywood: The Dream Factory

  • Directed by William Wyler

    Directed by William Wyler

  • The World in His Arms

    The World in His Arms

  • Days of Glory

    Days of Glory

  • John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightning, Day of Drums

    John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightning, Day of Drums

  • Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre

    Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre

  • The Making of Moonwalker

    The Making of Moonwalker

  • The Men Who Made the Movies: King Vidor

    The Men Who Made the Movies: King Vidor

  • The Art Director

    The Art Director

  • The Portrait

    The Portrait

  • Pictura

    Pictura

  • Sinatra: 80 Years My Way

    Sinatra: 80 Years My Way

  • Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood

    Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood

  • Audrey Hepburn: Remembered

    Audrey Hepburn: Remembered

  • The Infinite Journey

    The Infinite Journey

  • The Curse of 'The Omen'

    The Curse of 'The Omen'

  • The Movie Orgy

    The Movie Orgy

  • Anthony Quinn: An Original

    Anthony Quinn: An Original

  • Intimate Portrait: Lauren Bacall

    Intimate Portrait: Lauren Bacall

  • Uncertain Verification

    Uncertain Verification

  • Charlton Heston: For All Seasons

    Charlton Heston: For All Seasons

  • Ingrid Bergman Remembered

    Ingrid Bergman Remembered

  • A Conversation with Gregory Peck

    A Conversation with Gregory Peck

  • The Will Rogers Follies: A Life In Revue

    The Will Rogers Follies: A Life In Revue

  • The Making of 'Cape Fear'

    The Making of 'Cape Fear'

  • Close Up

    Close Up

  • Fallout

    Fallout

  • Barbra Streisand: The Concert - Live at the MGM Grand

    Barbra Streisand: The Concert - Live at the MGM Grand

  • Gregory Peck, le gentleman acteur

    Gregory Peck, le gentleman acteur

  • From Russia to Hollywood: The 100-Year Odyssey of Chekhov and Shdanoff

    From Russia to Hollywood: The 100-Year Odyssey of Chekhov and Shdanoff

  • Edith Head: The Paramount Years

    Edith Head: The Paramount Years

  • Discovering Audrey Hepburn

    Discovering Audrey Hepburn

  • The Hunt for Adolf Eichmann

    The Hunt for Adolf Eichmann

  • Fun in the Big Country

    Fun in the Big Country

  • Africa

    Africa

  • Audrey Hepburn: In Her Own Words

    Audrey Hepburn: In Her Own Words

  • Legenden: Audrey Hepburn

    Legenden: Audrey Hepburn

  • Super Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl Warren

    Super Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl Warren

  • Boom on Paris

    Boom on Paris

  • Backstory: 'Gentleman's Agreement'

    Backstory: 'Gentleman's Agreement'

  • The All-Star Christmas Show

    The All-Star Christmas Show

  • Restoring Roman Holiday

    Restoring Roman Holiday

  • Fearful Symmetry

    Fearful Symmetry

  • Stars of Cabaret

    Stars of Cabaret

  • The Hidden World

    The Hidden World

  • Look at Life: All in a Day's Work

    Look at Life: All in a Day's Work

  • Island of Whales

    Island of Whales