Gregory Peck | |
---|---|
Born | Eldred Gregory Peck April 5, 1916 |
Died | June 12, 2003 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 87)
Cause of death | Bronchopneumonia |
Resting place | Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, California |
Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1933–2000 |
Spouse(s) | Greta Kukkonen (m. 1934–1947, divorced) Veronique Passani (m. 1947–1996, his death) |
Children | 5, including Cecilia |
Relatives | Ethan Peck (grandson) |
Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor who was born in La Jolla, California.[1]
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 1954 movie To Kill a Mockingbird, 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).[2]
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.[3]
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.[4]
On June 12, 2003, Peck died in his sleep from bronchopneumonia at the age of 87 at his home in Los Angeles.[5]