Donald Pleasence
| Donald Pleasence | |
|---|---|
 Pleasence in London, 1973 |
|
| Born | Donald Henry Pleasence[1] 5 October 1919 Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England[2] |
| Died | 2 February 1995 (aged 75) Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Alpes-Maritimes, France |
| Cause of death | Heart failure caused by surgical complications |
| Resting place | Cremated |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Ecclesfield School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1954–1995 |
| Notable works | Dr. Samuel Loomis in first six Halloween movies, Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice |
| Spouse | Miriam Raymond (1941–58) Josephine Crombie (1959–70) Meira Shore (1970–88) Linda J. Kentwood (1988–95) |
| Children | 5 daughters |
| Awards | See Awards |
Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE (October 5, 1919 – February 2, 1995) was an English actor.
Contents |
Early life[change]
Pleasence was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England on October 5, 1919.[3] He was educated at Ecclesfield School. He was married four times. The first time was to Miriam Raymond from 1941 until they divorced in 1958. Secondly he was married to Josephine Crombie from 1959 until they divorced in 1970. Thirdly he was married to Meira Shore from 1970 until they divorced in 1988. Lastly he was married to Linda J. Kentwood from 1988 until his death in 1995. Pleasence had five daughters.
Career[change]
He appeared in 200 movies during his career, which began in 1954. He is known for his blue eyes and bald head. Pleasence is best known for his roles as James Bond's enemy Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice, and as Dr. Samuel Loomis in the first six Halloween movies. He made his London stage debut as Valentine in Twelfth Night in 1942.[4]
Awards[change]
Pleasence was nominated four times for the Tony Award. Each time was for best performance by a leading actor in a Broadway play: in 1962 for Harold Pinter's The Caretaker, in 1965 for Jean Anouilh's Poor Bitos, in 1969 for Robert Shaw's The Man in the Glass Booth, and in 1972 for Simon Gray's Wise Child.
Death[change]
Pleasence died from heart failure after heart surgery in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France on February 2, 1995, aged 75. His remains were later cremated. His last full movie was Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers was dedicated in his memory.
Selected filmography[change]
| Year | Movie | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | The Dybbuk | Second Batlon | TV movie |
| 1952-1959 | BBC Sunday-Night Theatre | Corporal | TV series, episode Arrow to the Heart (I) (1952) |
| Chamberlain | Episode Such Men are Dangerous (1954) | ||
| Syme | Episode Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954) | ||
| Foreign Minister | Episode The Moment of Truth (1955) | ||
| Doctor | Episode The Millionairess (1959) | ||
| 1954 | The Beachcomber | Tromp | |
| Montserrat | Juan Alvarez | TV movie | |
| The Face of Love | Alex | TV movie | |
| Orders Are Orders | Corporal Martin | credited as Donald Plesance | |
| 1955 | Value for Money | Limpy | |
| 1956 | 1984 | R. Parsons | |
| The Black Tent | Ali | ||
| 1956-1958 | The Adventures of Robin Hood | Prince John (4 episodes) | TV series, episodes The Prisoner (1956), Isabella (1956), Ambush (1957), Marian's Prize (1958) |
| Bailiff Baldwin (1 episode) | Episode A Village Wooing (1956) | ||
| 1956-1959 | ITV Television Playhouse | William | TV series, episode Ever Since Paradise (1956) |
| Albert | Episode Chance Meeting (1956) | ||
| Captain Browne | Episode Fate and Mister Browne (1958) | ||
| Leonard Browne | Episode Mr. Browne Comes Home (1959) | ||
| Robert Robertson | Episode The Silk Purse (1959) | ||
| 1957 | The Man in the Sky | Crabtree | Titled Decision Against Time in the United States |
| Assignment Foreign Legion | Commandant | TV series, episode The Coward | |
| Manuela | Evans | ||
| Barnacle Bill | Cashier | Titled All at Sea in the United States | |
| 1958 | I Spy | Mr. Frute | TV movie |
| A Tale of Two Cities | John Barsad | ||
| Heart of a Child | Spiel | ||
| The Wind Cannot Read' | Doctor | ||
| The Man Inside | Organ-grinder | ||
| The Two-Headed Spy | General Hardt | ||
| 1959 | The Scarf | Detective Inspector Harry Yates | TV series, six episodes |
| Look Back in Anger | Hurst | ||
| William Tell | The Spider | TV series, episode The Spider | |
| The Traitor | Grantley Caypor | TV movie | |
| Killers of Kilimanjaro | Captain | ||
| The Battle of the Sexes | Irwin Hoffman | ||
| 1960 | The Shakedown | Jessel Brown | |
| Hell Is a City | Gus Hawkins | ||
| The Four Just Men | Paul Koster | TV series, episode The Survivor | |
| Interpol Calling | Karl Haussman | TV series, episode The Absent Assassin | |
| 1962 | The Inspector | Sergeant Wolters | |
| 1963 | The Great Escape | Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe RAF, "The Forger" | |
| 1965 | The Hallelujah Trail | Oracle Jones | |
| 1966 | Fantastic Voyage | Dr. Michaels | |
| Cul-de-sac | George | ||
| 1967 | You Only Live Twice | Ernst Stavro Blofeld | |
| 1968 | The Other People | Clive | Film never released |
| 1970 | Soldier Blue | Isaac Q. Cumber | |
| 1971 | THX 1138 | SEN 5241 | |
| Wake in Fright | Doc Tydon | ||
| 1972 | Death Line | Inspector Calhoun | |
| Henry VIII and His Six Wives | Thomas Cromwell | ||
| The Jerusalem File | Major Samuels | ||
| 1973 | Columbo | Adrian Carsini | "Any Old Port in a Storm" |
| 1974 | Watch Out, We're Mad | The Doctor | |
| From Beyond The Grave | Jim Underwood | (segment 2 "An Act of Kindness")- | |
| 1976 | The Eagle Has Landed | Himmler | |
| The Passover Plot | Pontius Pilate | ||
| 1977 | Telefon | Nikolai Dalchimsky | |
| 1978 | Halloween | Dr. Loomis | |
| 1978 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | B.D. Hoffler/B.D. Brockhurst | |
| 1980 | The Pumaman | Dr. Kobras | |
| 1981 | Halloween II | Dr. Loomis | |
| Race for the Yankee Zephyr | Gilbert "Gibbie" Carson | ||
| 1982 | Escape from New York | Mr. President | |
| Alone in the Dark | Dr. Leo Bain | ||
| The Barchester Chronicles | Reverend Septimus Harding | TV series | |
| 1983 | Warrior of the Lost World | Prossor | |
| 1984 | A Breed Apart | J.P. Whittier | |
| 1985 | Phenomena | John McGregor | |
| 1987 | Django 2 | Gunn | |
| 1987 | Prince of Darkness | Priest | |
| 1988 | Hanna's War | Captain Thomas Rosza | |
| Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers | Dr. Loomis | ||
| 1989 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers | ||
| Ten Little Indians | Judge Lawrence Wargrave | ||
| 1993 | The Thief and the Cobbler | Phido the Vulture | (voice) |
| The Hour of the Pig | Pincheon | ||
| 1995 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers | Dr. Loomis | |
| 1996 | Fatal frames: Fotogrammi mortali | Professor Robinson |
References[change]
- ↑ "England and Wales Births 1837–1983". Freebmd.org.uk. 2010-09-10. http://www.freebmd.org.uk. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
- ↑ Ross, Helen; Lillian Ross (1962). The Player: A Profile of an Art. Simon and Schuster. p. 256.
- ↑ "Donald Pleasence's Biography". Pleasence.com. http://www.pleasence.com/BIO-DP.HTML. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
- ↑ "Obituaries: Donald Pleasence". The Independent. 3 February 1995. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries--donald-pleasence-1571295.html. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
Other websites[change]
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