Born Donald Henry Pleasence on Oct. 5, 1919 in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, he was the younger of two boys born to Alice and Thomas Pleasence. Pleasence starred as the Reverend Septimus Harding in the BBC's TV series The Barchester Chronicles (1982). One of his biggest triumphs on stage was in Harold Pinter's play 'The Caretaker'in the West End then on Broadway, where he was nominated for a New York Critics Award, followed by the film version. For me, there is no Method. He has appeared in one film that has been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Won London Critics Award for The Caretaker' and the British Variety Award for Best Stage Actor for his performance in 'The Man in the Glass Booth. He reprised his Dr. Sam Loomis role in Halloween II (1981), Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995). [citation needed], In 2010, Pleasence was identified as the IMDb member with the second-most impressive closeness centrality.[20]. Roman Polanski directs this tense 1966 thriller about a couple (Donald Pleasence and Françoise Dorléac) who are held hostage by two criminals after a failed raid. There was a sort of horror picture that I did called. Malachi Donald Pleasence. He has become an icon of both extravagant and lower budget movies, totalling something in the region of 135 films and numerous TV appearances. Donald Pleasence was born in England. [10] Other stage work in the 1960s included Anouilh's Poor Bitos (1963–64) and Robert Shaw's The Man in the Glass Booth (1967), for which he won the London Variety Award for Stage Actor of the Year in 1968. These included Italy, the Middle East, France, Australia etc. Managing to avoid maudlin sentimentality, Donald's performance was intuitive and, arguably, one of the most poignant ever accomplished in a thirty-minute television episode. ... Family (1) Mystery (1) Western (1) Feature Film (20) After working as the clerk-in-charge at Swinton railway station in South Yorkshire,[6] he decided that he wanted to be a professional actor, taking up a placement with the Jersey Repertory Company in 1939.[4]. While a POW during World War II, he organized a theatre company in order to pass the time. Apart from America and Britain, Donald Pleasence made films in various other countries. The series' popularity and critical success led to a resurgent career for Pleasence, who appeared in numerous American and European-produced horror and thriller films. Biography. Then from the early 1980s on-wards, he gave it up for good. Once again, against type, he was equally delightful as the mild-mannered Reverend Septimus Harding in Anthony Trollope's The Barchester Chronicles (1982). The descendants of Baron Frankenstein return to the family castle to search for the family fortune that is supposed to be hidden there. 20 Great Donald Pleasence Roles. Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE (October 5, 1919 – Februar 2, 1995) wis an Inglis actor. to guest star in the third season episode "The Changing of the Guard". [4] He received his formal education at Crosby Junior School, Scunthorpe[5] and Ecclesfield Grammar School, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. In the course of his lengthy career, he relished playing the obsessed, the paranoid and the purely evil. Sam Loomis and Tommy Doyle, a boy Laurie babysat during Michael's first rampage, are now out to stop Michael and the cult. [14] The film was a major success and was considered the highest grossing independent film of its time, earning accolades as a classic of the horror genre. Ootthrou his career, Pleasence wis nominatit for fower Tony Awairds. He had Angela and Jean with Miriam Raymond (m. 1941–1958); Lucy and Polly with Josephine Martin Crombie (m. 1959–1970); and Miranda with Meira Shore (m. 1970–1988). Even the Van Helsing-like psychiatrist Sam Loomis in the Halloween (1978) franchise seems only marginally more balanced than his prey. He portrayed SEN 5241 in THX 1138 (1971), opposite Robert Duvall which was the directorial debut of George Lucas. Doc Tydon (Donald Pleasance) muses at one point during an "all night session" of drinking and hunting, that civilisation (so-called) may be defined as a man in smoking jacket with the capacity to press a button that can kill a billion people. Donald Pleasence – family. In The Night of the Generals (1967), he played another uncharacteristically sympathetic role, this time as an old-school German general involved in a plot to kill Adolf Hitler. It's nice to know that, at some point, I'll have a month off to work in my garden or be with my grandchildren. Daughter, Jean, is an occupational therapist at a psychiatric hospital. He was flying in a Lancaster NE112 "AS-M" when it was shot down on September 9, 1944. All kids love horror films. He was an unrelenting prosecutor in Jean Anouilh's "Poor Bitos" and made his theatrical reputation in the title role of the seedy, scheming tramp in Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker" (1960). Pleasence's first appearance in America was in an episode of The Twilight Zone, playing an aging teacher at a boys' school in the episode "The Changing of the Guard" (1962). Remember this when it came out and not sure i fully understood it then as even now, one of the oddest films i have ever seen. It took several more years, until international recognition came his way: first, through the filmed adaptation of The Guest (1963); and, secondly, with his blind forger in The Great Escape (1963), a role imbued with added conviction due to his own wartime experience.Some of his best acting Donald reserved for the small screen. According to one of his daughters, the actor had a battle with alcohol for many years. The stories included Don Quixote and the Brave Little Tailor. I like to work, and horror films definitely keep me working. [10] Pleasence's later stage work included performing in a double bill of Pinter plays, The Basement and Tea Party, at the Duchess Theatre in 1970.[10]. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed ), memorial page for Donald Pleasence (5 Oct 1919–2 Feb 1995), Find a Grave Memorial no. Generation. He was only really noticed once having found his métier as dastardly, sneaky Prince John in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955). In December 1939, Pleasence initially refused conscription into the British Armed Forces, registering as a conscientious objector, but changed his stance in autumn 1940, after the attacks upon London by the Luftwaffe, and volunteered with the Royal Air Force. Some notable early roles include Parsons in 1984 (1956), and minor roles opposite Alec Guinness in Barnacle Bill (1957) and Dirk Bogarde in The Wind Cannot Read (1958). And, of course, he was Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (1967). Height: 5' 6" (1.68 m) Related News. Pleasence admired Sir Laurence Olivier,[15] with whom he worked on-stage in the 1950s, and later on the film version of Dracula (1979). In 1978, he played a scout, Sam Purchas in an adaptation of James A. Michener's Centennial. On the eve of World War II, he made his theatrical debut in "Wuthering Heights". They wedded in 1941 while World War 2 was raging. There, he is confronted by the spirits of deceased students who exhort him to consider that his lessons have had fundamental effects on their lives, even leading to acts of great heroism. Donald Pleasence was a Libra and was born in the G.I. Devastated, and believing himself a failure who has made no mark on the world, he is about to commit suicide when the school's bell summons him to his classroom. [18][19], Dr. |  His plane was shot down and was taken prisoner of war by the Nazis until his release in 1945. During the early 1960s, Pleasence recorded several children's-story records on the Atlas Record label. If I decide to do it, I learn the lines. Donald Pleasence OBE's grandchildren: Donald Pleasence OBE's grandson is Jack O'Hare Donald Pleasence OBE's granddaughter is Lily O'Hare Donald Pleasence OBE's granddaughter is Zoe Wright Donald Pleasence OBE's granddaughter is Tallulah Wright Was held at Stalag Luft I, near the Baltic Sea. Pleasence was nominated four times for the Tony Award 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. Dr. Donald Pleasence (born Donald Henry Samuel McGregor Puppleworth Blofeld Colin Blythe Loomis; October 5, 1843 - February 2, 2904) was a famous child psychiatrist, U.S. President, failed actor, World War II forger and flight lieutenant, priest, and lunatic bent on world domination. In his book British Film Character Actors (1982), Terence Pettigrew describes Pleasence as "a potent combination of eyes and voice. He was shot down over France, incarcerated and tortured in a German POW camp. Movies. The ultimate 'Scream Queen' Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie winds up in the local hospital for treatment and it is this location where most of the action in the film takes place as Myers hunts her down and kills anyone who tries to get in his way. Mally Veronica Quilligan. |  Pleasence married four times and had five daughters from his first three marriages. Pleasence was the author of the children's book Scouse the Mouse (1977) (London: New English Library), which was animated by Canadian animator/film director Gerald Potterton (a friend of the actor, who directed him in the Canadian film The Rainbow Boys (1973), retitled The Rainbow Gang for VHS release in the United States) and also adapted into a children's recording (Polydor Records, 1977) with Ringo Starr voicing the book's title character, Scouse the Mouse. Donald Pleasence Movies by Karl_Childers | created - 08 Apr 2016 | updated - 08 Apr 2016 | Public Refine See titles to watch instantly, titles you haven't rated, etc Pleasence provided the voice-over for the British public information film, The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water (1973). Felt he was becoming typecast in horror films but preferred to remain a working actor. His family worked on the railway; his grandfather had been a signal man and both his brother and father were station masters. I.S.Mowis, Other Works Pleasence made his big-screen debut with The Beachcomber (1954). Also that year, he played a supporting role in David Winters' musical television adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Pleasence made his television debut in I Want to Be a Doctor (1946). On 31 August 1944, his Lancaster NE112, in which he was a crew member, was shot down during an attack upon Agenville,[8][9] and he was captured and imprisoned in the German prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft I. Pleasence produced and acted in many plays for the entertainment of his fellow captives. Cast & Crew. At this point in my career, it doesn't bother me much that I'm probably hopelessly typecast. These were marketed as the Talespinners series in the United Kingdom. In his hale career, Pleasence appearit in ower 200 films. But it's equally good to know that a call might come that would take me halfway around the world to make a film. Was cast in the lead in the original theatre production of Robert Shaw's play, "The Man in the Glass Booth" in 1967. Pleasence played Lucifer in the religious epic The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). Nikola Pleasence lives in a grubby council flat, surviving on her earnings as a hooker and a small allowance from her family. I do a lot of horror films because I'm asked to do them, and I need to make money all the time, so ... For a while, I wore a toupee because I thought it would help me get work. During World War II, he was placed in a German prison camp, where he spent time producing and acting in his own plays. English actor Donald Pleasence pictured with his wife Meira Shore and children at home on 19th October 1977. [7] He served as aircraft wireless-operator with No. By ticking permission to publish you are indicating your agreement for your contribution to be shown on this collection item page. He hosted the 1981 Halloween episode of Saturday Night Live with music guest Fear. On screen, he gave a perfectly plausible interpretation of the head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, in The Eagle Has Landed (1976). Donald Henry Pleasence Wiki Biography Balding, quietly-spoken, of slight build and possessed of piercing blue eyes -- often peering out from behind round, steel-rimmed glasses -- Donald Pleasence had the necessary physical attributes which make a great screen villain. A few years later, he portrayed antagonist Lucas Deranian, in Walt Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) and, in Telefon (1977), Nicolai Dalchimsky, the Russian seeking to start a war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Films of that nature are especially attractive to teenagers for the simple reason that they don't want to sit home with Mom and Dad and watch game shows. 1958) ( divorced) ( 2 children). In the crime drama Hell is a City (1960), shot in Manchester, he starred opposite Stanley Baker, while he was memorably cast in the horror comedy What a Carve Up! Evil, the character played by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers comedy films (1997–2002), and Doctor Claw from Inspector Gadget are parodies of Pleasence's performance as Blofeld in You Only Live Twice. He appeared as the mild-mannered and good-natured POW forger Colin Blythe in the film The Great Escape (1963), who discovers that he is slowly going blind, but nonetheless participates in the mass break-out, only to be shot down by German soldiers because he is unable to see them. Balding, quietly-spoken, of slight build and possessed of piercing blue eyes -- often peering out from behind round, steel-rimmed glasses -- Donald Pleasence had the necessary physical attributes which make a great screen villain. He also portrayed a murderer captured by Mrs. Columbo in "Murder Is a Parlor Game" (1979). Died. [3] He was brought up as a strict Methodist in the small village of Grimoldby, Lincolnshire. I don't know if I'm the first actor people think of when it comes to horror films, but I do seem to get these calls pretty regularly. The inventor of sure-fire failures leads such an abysmal life that he creates a second identity that of a dashing, debonair womaniser. 166 Squadron in Bomber Command, with which he flew almost sixty raids against the Axis over occupied Europe. The eyes are mournful but they can also be sinister or seedy or just plain nutty. Returning to acting after the war, Pleasence resumed working in repertory theatre companies in Birmingham and Bristol. She appeared extensively in London theatre productions throughout the 1970s. Pleasence played Prince John in several episodes of the ITV series The Adventures of Robin Hood (1956–1958). [17] His body was cremated. Donald Pleasence, actor: born Worksop, Nottinghamshire 5 October 1919; OBE 1994; author of Scouse The Mouse 1977, Scouse in New York 1978; … I don't like horror films. ", [from an interview in 1988] Being typed as the one who constantly plays the crazy, mixed-up person is something I vehemently deny. Gold | Stars: Donald Pleasence , Yvonne Furneaux , June Wilkinson , Miguel Ángel Fuentes After the war and his release, he was discharged from the RAF in 1946. He was initially a conscientous objector during World War II, but later changed his mind and joined the British Royal Air Force. Starring: Donald Pleasence, Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Don Shanks) Despite the whole being-shot-down a-mineshaft thing, it turns out that Michael Myers is still alive. An actor of variety, Donald Pleasence excelled at playing both villains and anti heroes. He ventured successfully into American cowboy territory, playing a sadistic self-styled preacher who goes after stoic Charlton Heston in the Western Will Penny (1968). He was a convincingly devious Thomas Cromwell in Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972), disturbing in his portrayal of the crazed, bloodthirsty preacher Quint in Will Penny (1967); and as sexually depraved, alcohol-sodden 'Doc' Tydon in the brilliant Aussie outback drama Wake in Fright (1971). He arrived in Sydney for the filming of. Donald Pleasence OBE's grandchildren: Donald Pleasence OBE's grandson is Jack O'Hare Donald Pleasence OBE's granddaughter is Lily O'Hare Donald Pleasence OBE's granddaughter is Zoe Wright Donald Pleasence OBE's granddaughter is Tallulah Wright In the same year, Pleasence starred in the horror films Circus of Horrors directed by Sidney Hayers, playing the role of Vanet, the owner of a circus, and The Flesh and the Fiends as the real-life murderer William Hare, alongside Peter Cushing, George Rose and Billie Whitelaw.[13]. He wan a BAFTA TV Awaird for Best Actor in 1959. Hyde.[11][12]. Obituary for D. Pleasence, 'The Independent', 3 February 1995. The widow of actor Donald Pleasence, Linda Pleasence , is comforted by her family and friends at Putney Vale Crematorium in South West London where the funeral service for the acting legend was held. Publicity Listings In 1963, he appeared in an episode of The Outer Limits titled "The Man With the Power". - IMDb Mini Biography By: He wis raisit in Lincolnshire, Ingland. Give them a film that's scary, violent, and a little bit funny and they'll be out of the house and into the theaters like a shot. Whether eccentric, sinister or given to pathos, Donald Pleasence was always great value-for-money and his performances have rarely failed to engage. One of his closest friends in the acting industry was Peter Vaughan. Menu. IMDB 5.6. His productions included "The Petrified Forest", in which he played the, Was nominated for four Tony Awards as Best Actor (Dramatic): in 1962 for "The Caretaker", a part he recreated in the film version also titled. Donald Henry Pleasence OBE (/ ˈ p l ɛ z ə n s /; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He served in WWII as an RAF radio operator before being shot down over Germany and becoming a POW. February 2, 1995 (age 75) Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Alpes-Maritimes, France. [10] In the 1950s, Pleasence's stage work included performing as Willie Mossop in a 1952 production of Hobson's Choice at the Arts Theatre, London and as Dauphin in Jean Anouilh's The Lark (1956). The Grove Family Monsieur Paul (1955) ... Donald Henry Pleasence October 5, 1919 Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, UK. Shortly before his death in 1995, he was scheduled to star in a production of "King Lear" that would have featured daughters. Donald Pleasence was married four times. He collaborated with Halloween director John Carpenter twice more, as the President of the United States in Escape from New York (1981), and as the Priest in Prince of Darkness (1987). In 1952, Donald began his screen career, rather unobtrusively, in small parts. Children Angela Pleasence, Miranda Pleasence, Polly Jo Pleasence, Lucy Pleasance, Jean Pleasence Parents Alice Armitage, Thomas Stanley Pleasence IMDB http://imdb.com/name/nm0000587 Upon hearing this, Fowler is now content to graciously accept his retirement. The 1995 film Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers was dedicated to Donald Pleasence. Ernst Stavro Blofeld is a fictional character and villain from the James Bond series of novels and films, created by Ian Fleming.A criminal mastermind with aspirations of world domination, he is the archenemy of the British Secret Service agent James Bond. Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Alpes-Maritimes, France, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, (1959 - In 1991, Donald Pleasence appeared in another production of Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker.". His family worked on the railway; his grandfather had been a signal man and both his brother and father were station masters. Pleasence starred as psychiatrist Dr Samuel Loomis in Halloween (1978) and four of its sequels, a role for which he was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actor. The National Portrait Gallery will NOT use your information to contact you or store for any other purpose than to investigate or display your contribution. I'm interested in them, but if there were three kinds of film playing across the road at my local cinema, the horror film would not be the one I would go to see. In 1971, he returned to the realm of the deranged, delivering a tour de force performance in the role of an alcoholic Australian doctor in Ted Kotcheff's nightmarish outback drama Wake in Fright. Blofeld is head of the global criminal organisation SPECTRE and is commonly referred to by the codename Number 1 within this organisation. 10908, ; Maintained by Find A Grave Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend. Endowed with a bald head, a penetrating stare, and an intense voice, usually quiet but capable of a piercing scream, he specialised in portraying insane, fanatical, or evil characters, including the title role in Dr Crippen (1962), the frontier prophet Oracle Jones in Hallelujah Trail, the double agent Dr Michaels in the science-fiction film Fantastic Voyage (1966), the white trader who sells guns to the Cheyenne Indians in the revisionist western Soldier Blue (1970), the mad Doctor in the Bud Spencer–Terence Hill film Watch Out, We're Mad! In Tony Richardson's film of Look Back in Anger (1959), he plays a vindictive market inspector opposite Richard Burton. Pleasence appeared as Dr. Samuel Loomis in John Carpenter's horror film Halloween (1978). Married four times and had five daughters. ... Today David, who has eight grandchildren, has every reason to be happy. Director: Myron J. I have no theory about acting. I'm a professional actor. Martin (as Donald Plesance) The rather sinister accent which Pleasence employed in this and other films may be credited to the elocution lessons he had as a child. His character taking on many dark, shadowy human disguises throughout the film was unprecedented in breathing life into the Luke 4:13 phrase "... he left Him until an opportune time ..." He was one of many stars who were given cameos throughout the film. I read the script. (1974), Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler in The Eagle Has Landed (1976), and the Bond arch-villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (1967), the first film in which Blofeld's face is clearly seen. [10] He received positive critical attention for his role as Syme in the BBC version of Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954) from the novel by George Orwell. Evil in the successful Austin Powers film series, which primarily parodies it. I love playing the heavies, like Blofeld in. While there he wrote letters to theatre companies eventually being accepted by one on the island of Jersey in Spring 1939 as an assistant stage manager. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' Stars Kirk Douglas", "Donald Pleasence, Virtuoso Actor, Dies at 75", "Dr. Loomis Has a Voice Cameo in Halloween 2018", "New 'Halloween' almost had a completely different beginning", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Donald_Pleasence&oldid=1003428320, Officers of the Order of the British Empire, Royal Air Force personnel of World War II, World War II prisoners of war held by Germany, People educated at Ecclesfield Grammar School, Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox military person with embed, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe, "The Forger", Appeared in additional footage (filmed during the production of, 1992 workprint and Fred Calvert version only, The film was dedicated to his memory (posthumous release), Episode: "The Ninety-Second War: Part II", This page was last edited on 28 January 2021, at 23:11.
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