Donald Pleasence

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Donald Pleasence

Donald Pleasence as he appeared in Halloween II.
Birth name Donald Henry Pleasence
Born October 5, 1919
Flag of England Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, UK
Died February 2, 1995
Flag of France Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Spouse(s) Meira Shore
Josephine Crombie
Miriam Raymond
Linda J. Kentwood
Notable roles Dr. Sam Loomis in Halloween
Flight Lt. Colin Blythe in The Great Escape
Tromp in The Beachcomber

Donald Pleasence, OBE (October 5, 1919 – February 2, 1995) was an English actor.

Contents

[edit] Appearances

His high work rate in international cinema earned him the distinction of being the most prolific film actor at the time of his death with over 500 screen credits. The son of a stationmaster, he was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, and was later brought up in the industrial town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England, where he attended Ecclesfield Grammar School. Although a great many of his characters were villains and psychos, he is perhaps best known for portraying the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, from the James Bond series, and Dr. Sam Loomis in the Halloween saga (I, II, IV, V, VI).

[edit] Career

His acting career began in a 1939 production of Wuthering Heights, but was soon interrupted by his service in World War II and two years in a German prisoner-of-war camp. He was at first a conscientious objector, but later joined the Royal Air Force. He was shot down on a bombing raid, taken prisoner and tortured by his captors. At another stage of his captivity, he produced and acted in plays in a prisoner of war camp. He would later play Flight Lt. Colin Blythe in The Great Escape where much of the story takes place inside a POW camp.

He returned to acting after the war, and critics began to call him the "Man with the Hypnotic Eye". Perhaps because of this, and his bald head and quiet but intense voice, he specialised in insane and evil characters, including Heinrich Himmler in The Eagle Has Landed and the Bond villain Blofeld in You Only Live Twice. In his later years, he became known to a younger generation as Dr. Loomis in Halloween. His trademark voice may be credited to elocution lessons he had as a child.

[edit] Personal Life

Pleasence was married four times and had five daughters. He was married to Miriam Raymond 1941 - 1958 and had Angela and Jean. His 1959 - 1970 marriage to actress and singer Josephine Martin Crombie produced Lucy and Polly. He was married to Meira Shore 1970 - 1988 and they had a daughter, Miranda. His last marriage to Linda Kentwood lasted until his death in 1995.

[edit] Awards and Death

Donald Pleasence was awarded an OBE in 1994. On February 2, 1995 he died in St.-Paul-de-Vence, France from complications from heart valve replacement surgery at the age of 75.

[edit] Filmography

  • Arrow to the Heart (1952) (TV) - Corporal
  • Orders Are Orders (1954) - Cpl. Martin
  • The Beachcomber (1954) - Tromp
  • Value for Money (1955) - Limpy
  • The Moment of Truth (1955) (TV)
  • The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955) TV Series Prince John (1955-58)
  • One (1956) (TV) - Burden
  • The Black Tent (1956) - Ali
  • 1984 (1956) - R. Parsons
  • The Man in the Sky (1957) - Crabtree
  • Manuela (1957) - Evans
  • Man in a Moon (1957) (TV)
  • Barnacle Bill (1957) - Bank teller
  • A Tale of Two Cities (1958) - John Barsad
  • The Wind Cannot Read (1958) - Doctor
  • The Man Inside (1958) - Organ-grinder
  • The Two-Headed Spy (1958) - General Hardt
  • Look Back in Anger (1958) - Hurst
  • Heart of a Child (1958) - Spiel
  • The Scarf (1959) TV Series....Det. Insp. Harry Yates
  • Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959) - Captain
  • The Shakedown (1959) - Jessel Brown
  • The Flesh and the Fiends (1959) - William Hare
  • The Battle of the Sexes (1959) (as Donald Pleasance) - Irwin Hoffman
  • Hell Is a City (1960) - Gus Hawkins
  • Sons and Lovers (1960) - Mr. Puppleworth
  • Circus of Horrors (1960) - Vanet
  • The Cupboard (1960) (TV) - Fred Watson
  • Suspect (1960) - Parsons, alias Bill Brown
  • A Story of David (1960) - Nabal
  • The Big Day (1960) - Victor Partridge
  • The Hands of Orlac (1961) - Graham Coates
  • No Love for Johnnie (1961) - Roger Renfrew
  • The Horsemasters (1961) (TV) - Capt. Pinski
  • The Wind of Change (1961) - Pop
  • Spare the Rod (1961) - Mr. Jenkins
  • Lisa (1962) - Sgt. Wolters
  • The Changing of the Guard (The Twilight Zone) (1962) - Professor Ellis Fowler
  • What a Carve Up (1962) - Everett Sloane
  • Dr. Crippen (1962) - Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen
  • The Caretaker (1963) - Mac Davies/Bernard Jenkins
  • The Great Escape (1963) - Flight Lt. Colin 'The Forger' Blythe
  • The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) - The Dark Hermit - Satan
  • The Hallelujah Trail (1965) - 'Oracle' Jones
  • Cul-de-Sac (1966) - George
  • Fantastic Voyage (1966) - Dr. Michaels
  • Wednesday Play: The Head Waiter (1966) (TV) The Head Waiter
  • Matchless (1966) - Gregori Andreanu
  • Thirty-Minute Theatre: Taste (1967) (TV)
  • The Night of the Generals (1967) - Maj. Gen. Kahlenberg
  • Eye of the Devil (1967) - Pere Dominic
  • You Only Live Twice (1967) - Ernst Stavro Blofeld
  • The Diary of Anne Frank (1967) (TV) - Mr. Dusseli
  • Thirty-Minute Theatre: The News-Benders (1968) (TV) - J.G.
  • Will Penny (1968) - Preacher Quint
  • The Other People (1968) - Elsa's father
  • Creature of Comfort (1968) - James Thorne
  • Mr. Freedom (1969) - Dr. Freedom
  • The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969) - The Prospector
  • Arthur! Arthur! (1969) - Arthur
  • Soldier Blue (1970) - Isaac Q. Cumber
  • THX 1138 (1971) - SEN 5241
  • Play for Today: The Foxtrot (1971) (TV) - Tom
  • Wake in Fright (1971) - 'Doc' Tydon
  • Play for Today: Skin Deep (1971) (TV) - Gerry Muddiman
  • Kidnapped (1971) - Ebenezer Balfour
  • The Jerusalem File (1972) - Major Samuels
  • The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1972) - The Baron
  • Innocent Bystanders (1972) - Loomis
  • Wedding in White (1972) - Jim Dougall, Sr.
  • Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972) - Thomas Cromwell
  • Death Line (1972) - Inspector Calhoun
  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1973) (TV) - Fred Smudge
  • The Rainbow Boys (1973) - Ralph Logan
  • Columbo: Any Old Port in a Storm (1973) (TV) - Adrian Carsini
  • Tales That Witness Madness (1973) - Dr. R.C. Tremayne
  • The Mutations (1973) - Professor Nolter
  • Thirty-Minute Theatre: The Joke (1973) (TV) - Bendel
  • From Beyond the Grave (1973) - Jim Underwood (segment "An Act of Kindness")
  • The Black Windmill (1974) - Cedric Harper
  • The Cafeteria (1974) (TV) - Aaron
  • Altrimenti ci arrabbiamo (1974) - The Doctor
  • Loba y la Paloma, La (1974) - Martin Zayas
  • Malachi's Cove (1974) - Malachi
  • Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974) - Erich Count von Plasma
  • The Count of Monte Cristo (1975) (TV) - Danglars
  • Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) - Lucas Deranian
  • Journey Into Fear (1975) - Kuvetli
  • Hearts of the West (1975) - A.J. Neitz
  • I Don't Want to Be Born (1975) - Dr. Finch
  • Land of the Minotaur (1976) - Father Roche
  • Goldenrod (1976) - John Tyler Jones
  • Meriel, the Ghost Girl (1976) (TV) - George Livingston
  • Trial by Combat (1976) - Sir Giles Marley
  • The Passover Plot (1976) - Pontius Pilate
  • The Last Tycoon (1976) - Boxley
  • The Eagle Has Landed (1976) - Heinrich Himmler
  • Jesus of Nazareth (1977) (TV), Melchior
  • The Uncanny (1977) - Valentine De'ath
  • Oh, God! (1977) - Doctor Harmon
  • Telefon (1977) - Nicolai Dalchimsky
  • Night Creature (1977) - Axel MacGregor
  • The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978) (TV) Captain Vladimir Popov
  • "The Dark Secret of Harvest Home" (1978) (TV), Narrator
  • Liens du sang, Les (1978) - James Doniac
  • Tomorrow Never Comes (1978) - Dr. Todd
  • The Bastard (1978) (TV) - Solomon Sholto
  • Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) - B.D. Hoffler
  • Power Play (1978) - Blair
  • Ordre et la sécurité du monde, L' (1978) - Rothko
  • Centennial (1978) (TV), Samuel Purchase
  • Halloween (1978) - Dr. Sam Loomis
  • Gold of the Amazon Women (1979) (TV) - Clarence Blasko
  • L'Homme en colère (1979) - Albert Pumpelmeyer
  • Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff (1979) - Dr. Steiner
  • Dracula (1979) - Dr. Jack Seward
  • Better Late Than Never (1979) (TV) - Colonel Riddle
  • All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) (TV) - Kantorek
  • The French Atlantic Affair (1979) (TV), Max Dechambre
  • Jaguar Lives! (1979) - Gen. Villanova
  • Puma Man (1980) - Kobras
  • Blade on the Feather (1980) (TV) - Professor Jason Cavendish
  • The Monster Club (1980) - Pickering
  • Escape from New York (1981) - .U.S. President
  • Halloween II (1981) - Dr. Sam Loomis
  • Race for the Yankee Zephyr (1981) - Gilbert Carson
  • Computercide (1982) (TV) - George Dettler
  • The Barchester Chronicles (1982) (TV), Rev. Septimus Harding
  • Alone in the Dark (1982) - Dr. Leo Bain
  • Witness for the Prosecution (1982) (TV) - Mr. Myers
  • The Devonsville Terror (1983) - Dr. Warley
  • Where Is Parsifal? (1983) - Mackintosh
  • Warrior of the Lost World (1983) - Prossor
  • Master of the Game (1984) (TV), Salomon Van der Merwe
  • The Ambassador (1984) - Minister Eretz
  • Frankenstein's Great Aunt Tillie (1984) - Victor Frankenstein/Old Baron Frankenstein
  • A Breed Apart (1984) - J.P. Whittier
  • Black Arrow (1985) (TV) - Sir Oliver Oates
  • Phenomena (1985) - Prof. John McGregor
  • The Corsican Brothers (1985) (TV) - The Chancellor
  • Arch of Triumph (1985) (TV) - Haake
  • The Treasure of the Amazon (1985) - Klaus von Blantz
  • Sotto il vestito niente (1985) - Commissioner Danesi
  • To Kill a Stranger (1985) - Col. Kostik
  • Cobra Mission (1985) - .Father Lenoir
  • Onora il padre (1986) (TV) - Aldo Rossi
  • Into the Darkness (1986) - David Beckett
  • Basements (1987) (TV) - Mr. Kidd (segment "The Room")
  • Double Target (1987) - Senator Blaster
  • Ground Zero (1987) - Prosper Gaffney
  • Prince of Darkness (1987) - Father Loomis
  • Warrior Queen (1987) - Clodius Flaucus, ruler of Pompeii
  • Spettri (1987) - Professor Lasky
  • Scoop (1987) (TV) - Lord Copper
  • Naso di cane (1987) (TV)
  • Django 2: il grande ritorno (1987) - Gunn
  • Animali metropolitani (1987) - Prof. Livingstone
  • Un Delitto poco comune (1988) - Inspector Datti
  • Der Commander (1988) - Henry Carlson
  • Nosferatu a Venezia (1988) - Don Alvise
  • Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) Dr. Sam Loomis
  • The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988) (TV) - Dr. Absalon
  • Hanna's War (1988) - Captain Thomas Rosza
  • The House of Usher (1988) - Walter Usher
  • Casablanca Express (1988) - Col. Bats
  • Angel Hill: l'ultima missione (1988) - Colonel B. Abrams
  • Ten Little Indians (1989) - Mr. Justice Lawrence Wargrave
  • Paganini Horror (1989) - Mr. Pickett
  • River of Death (1989) - Heinrich Spaatz
  • Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) - Dr. Sam Loomis
  • A Caribbean Mystery (1989) (TV) - Jason Rafiel
  • Moi, général de Gaulle (1990) (TV) - Winston Churchill
  • Donne armate (1990) - Dreyfuss
  • Edgar Allan Poe's Buried Alive (1990) - Doctor Schaeffer
  • American risciò (1990) - Reverend Mortom
  • Miliardi (1991) - Ripa
  • L'Avvoltoio può attendere (1991) - The Art Collector
  • Shadows and Fog (1992) - Doctor
  • Diên Biên Phu (1992) - Howard Simpson
  • The Hour of the Pig (1993) - Pincheon
  • Femme Fatale (1993) (TV) - Victor Harty
  • The Big Freeze (1993) - Soup slurper
  • Guinevere (1994) (TV) - Merlin
  • Signs and Wonders (1995) (TV) - Cornelius Van Damm
  • The Thief and the Cobbler (1995) - Phido the Vulture (voice) (original and Majestic Films versions; additional voices in the Miramax version)
  • Safe Haven (1995) - The Sailor
  • Fatal Frames (1996) - Professor Robinson
  • Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) - Dr. Samuel J. 'Sam' Loomis

[edit] Television

  • He first came to America to star in an episode of The Twilight Zone. He played an aging (and suicidal) teacher at a boys' school in the 1962 episode "The Changing of the Guard."
  • He played the murderer on an episode of Columbo entitled "Any Old Port in a Storm".

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Adolfo Celi		 Official James Bond villain actor
1967		 Succeeded by
Telly Savalas
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../d/o/n/Donald_Pleasence_0e6e.html"