They say the bad guys are more interesting to play but there is more to it than that - playing the good guys is more challenging because it's harder to make them interesting.~Gregory
In my opinion, the greatest actor ever to appear on screen. I first saw him in the movie Roman Holiday and while it was a cute movie I didn't become a full fledged Gregory Peck fan until I saw his performance as Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird. Both the movie and his performance just blew me away. He deserved that Oscar a million times over.
Born Eldred Gregory Peck on April 5th 1916. Gregory Peck was one of the screen's finest leading men.
Gregory first got the acting bug when he was at Berkeley. He was studying pre-med, but changed his focus. He was in his first play in 1942, then his first movie, Days Of Glory in 1943. In the 1950s he decided to only do films that interested him such as Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. and Moby Dick and the film he is most known for, To Kill A Mockingbird. After four nominations, he finally won an Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch. He appeared in films all the way until 1998 in which his last movie was another version of Moby Dick.
Gregory passed away on June 12th 2003 from natural causes.
What amazes me the most about him, and probably why I have so much respect for him is because of the roles he took. Any man with his looks would always play a womanizing playboy, always after the ladies. The fact that he always took roles that required actual skill is why I consider him to be the greatest actor ever. His movies actually had meat to them, actual stories that can still be watched today with the same enthusiasm as when they first came out.
Well, I have to say this, all seriousness aside...he was damn good looking. Makes me wonder why they don't make men like him anymore!
1945 (18th) ACTOR -- The Keys of the Kingdom {"Father Francis Chisholm"}
1946 (19th) ACTOR -- The Yearling {"Pa Baxter"}
1947 (20th) ACTOR -- Gentleman's Agreement {"Phil Green"}
1949 (22nd) ACTOR -- Twelve O'Clock High {"General Savage"}
1962 (35th) * ACTOR -- To Kill a Mockingbird {"Atticus Finch"}
1967 (40th) * JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARD
