Peter Cushing always wanted to be an actor as a kid, but he didn’t find success until middle age and mostly with the Hammer horror films. But these became his bread-and-butter, where he portrayed Baron Frankenstein six times and Doctor Van Helsing five times. He also played Sherlock Holmes in both film and TV, though audiences today might know him best as Grand Moff Tarkin from Star Wars. Cushing’s association with Hammer was not only profitable, it created a life-long friendship with Christopher Lee (who played Dracula). I grew up with their movies, along with Cushing as a “bonus” Doctor Who, so it’s about time to give this fine gentleman an MCM feature!
Leslie Stephens in The Howards of Virginia (1940)
Osric in Hamlet (1948)
Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (1952)
Marcel de la Voisier in Moulin Rouge (1952)
Sir Palamides in The Black Knight (1954)
Beau Brummell in “Beau Brummell,” BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1954)
Otto Wesendonk in Magic Fire (1955)
Gen. Memnon in Alexander the Great (1956)
Victor Frankenstein in The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
Doctor Van Helsing in The Horror of Dracula (1958)
Doctor Victor Stein in The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)
Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
Capt. Richard Pearson in John Paul Jones (1959)
John Banning in The Mummy (1959)
Dr. Robert Knox in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
Doctor Van Helsing in The Brides of Dracula (1960)
Sheriff of Nottingham in Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960)
Squire Trevenyan in Fury at Smugglers’ Bay (1961)
Rev. Dr. Blyss in Night Creatures aka Captain Clegg (1962)
Baron Frankenstein in The Evil of Frankenstein (1964)
Baron Frankenstein in Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)
Inspector Quennell in The Blood Beast Terror (1968)
Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes (1968)
Baron Frankenstein in Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)
General von Spielsdorf in The Vampire Lovers (1970)
Gustav Weil in Twins of Evil (1971)
Frederick Utterson in I, Monster (1971)
Baron Frankenstein in Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)
Professor Paul Cataflanque in Legend of the Werewolf (1975)
Dr. Alexander Manette in A Tale of Two Cities (1980)
William T. Kolderup in Mystery on Monster Island (1981)
Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death (1984)
What historical costume movie & TV roles of Peter Cushing’s do you remember best?
Loved him in all those Hammer films. We called him ‘Peter Pillow’ in my family…what can I say? We’re odd.
What a beautiful profile that man had. And with Halloween thankfully close, I can’t wait to see his Hammer movies with or without his best friend Christopher Lee. [Have you done Sir Christopher yet?]
Yep, we have a Christopher Lee retrospective linked above (click his name).
ADORE Peter Cushing, especially as Van Helsing. To me, the character exemplifies the perfect hero: He kicks vampire ass, but he’s also a truly good and kind person. Swoon. :)
He was so striking. Also, he seems to be one of those actors who intrinsically has a “period look.” Is it just me, or does something about him evoke Vincent Price (sigh)? Great MCM choice!
One of my favourite bits of Horror movie trivia is that Mr Cushing and Mr Price had consecutive birthdays (Albeit separated by a few years) and that Mr Proce actually shared his birthday with Sir Christopher Lee.
I remain deeply, deeply sorry these three seem to have collaborated only once or twice: I’d have loved to see them as the Three Musketeers of Horror!
That would be a dream team ‘Three Musketeers of Horror’!
@TrystanLBass: I absolutely agree with you about CARMILLA – I suspect that a key part of the problem is that too many adaptations fixate on the Vampire Romance/Lesbian Vampires angle and hypersexualise just about everything to a quite disagreeable degree.
For my money an adaptation that wanted to get at the real Horror of Mr Le Dani’s novella would be wise to focus on the theme of innocence betrayed – Miss Laura effectively suffers the Gothic Horror version of ‘catfishing’ and I’m not sure any CARMILLA adaption has ever given that serious thought.
It also bears considering that CARMILLA herself is something of an innocent twisted beyond all recognition by a curse that she does not seem to relish: while manipulative, she seems to lack Count Dracula’s sadistic tendencies and genuinely feel something for her victims (Even if these feelings must remain ambivalent – to what extent does she feel drawn to them as persons, as opposed to mirror images of her mortal self?).
Anyway, I have IDEAS about an adaptation and should probably quit now before I fill your screen with them!
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Also, Mr Peter Cushing was and remains a treasure, bless his memory: I remain deeply impressed by his ability to go from Mr Darcy to Victor Frankenstein to Sherlock Holmes (Amongst others) without losing his quintessential Cushing-ness.
I’m also very fond of his Van Helsing, even if I feel that take on the character bears a stronger resemblance to the literary Jack Seward (One word: DICTOPHONE).
I wouldn’t even mind the lesbian interpretation of Carmilla (it’s a legit theme) if films weren’t so salacious to the point of ridiculous about it. The 2019 film (I gave it a one-line review here https://frockflicks.com/oh-the-bad-movies-tv-youll-watch-14/ ) toned that down but missed so much else.
Agree about the ‘catfishing’ idea — & it’s funny bec. that theme shows up in other horror films, but somehow doesn’t make it into Carmilla adaptions.
Holy crap! I love Peter Cushing and just the other day was thinking I should comment a plea for him to be featured on MCM! Fun fact: David Prouse played the Frankenstein monster opposite Cushing in “Frankenstein and the monster from hell.” Prouse of course went on to play Darth Vader in Star Wars.