Gregory Peck is credited as one of the greatest actors and leading men of Hollywood's Golden Age, who starred in an array of notable classic films, including To Kill a Mockingbird, Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound, The Paradine Case, and Gentlemen's Agreement. Born in San Diego, California, Peck originally aspired to be a physician and attended San Diego State University for three years before transferring to the University of California, Berkley, where he took his first theater classes and was eventually recruited by the director of the university's student theater. Peck appeared in several shows during his senior year, and after graduation, he decided he wanted to pursue a professional career in acting and moved to New York City, where he made a name for himself in various stage productions.
Peck made his feature film debut in the 1944 war romance, Glory Days, which was a moderate success, but his second film, The Keys to the Kingdom, earned him immense praise as well as his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. By the 1950s, Peck was one of Hollywood's most popular leading men who had taken on a variety of roles that ultimately established him as an exceptional and versatile talent. Throughout his career, Peck starred in some of the best classic movies of all time, but there are a few titles, such as Roman Holiday and Cape Fear, that are considered to be his definitive masterpieces.
6 5 'Spellbound' (1945)
Peck stars alongside Ingrid Bergman in Alfred Hitchcock's psychological thriller, Spellbound, which was a monumental success that significantly elevated both Peck and Bergman's careers. Bergman stars as a strong-willed psychologist, Dr. Constance Petersen, who works at a mental hospital in Vermont where she falls in love with the new head of the facility, Dr. Anthony Edwardes (Peck). As Constance grows closer to Anthony, she begins to notice a series of odd behaviors that force her to look further into the young doctor's history and professional background, and eventually discovers that he's not only who he claims to be, but also could be a potential murderer.
The massive critical and commercial success of Spellbound solidified Peck as a major box office draw and skyrocketed him to become a worldwide sensation as well as one of the most popular leading men of the 1940s and 1950s. Peck gives a sharp and sophisticated performance as the mysterious Edwardes and conveys his character with an alluring complexity and unpredictability that aligns perfectly with Hitchcock's style of suspense and nerves. Critics raved over both Peck and Bergman's performances and commended them for their electric and spellbinding chemistry. Peck and Bergman are incredibly at ease with each other in every scene and have an undeniable connection that lures audiences in, which essentially heightens the overall intensity of this Hitchcock classic.
4 'The Gunfighter' (1950)
Early on in his career, Peck appeared in a few notable Westerns, including Duel in the Sun and Yellow Sky, but his harrowing performance in Henry King's 1950 Western classic, The Gunfighter, is without a doubt his finest and most memorable contribution to the film genre. Peck stars as a former gunslinger, Jimmy Ringo, whose reputation as the fastest gun in the West has plagued his life with inevitable trouble and being challenged by dozens of men who think they can best him. As Jimmy swears off gunfighting for good and tries to make amends with his estranged wife (Helen Westcott) and child, he soon realizes that he can't run from his violent past.
The Gunfighter was the second of six collaborations between Peck and King and is loosely based on the life of the infamous gunfighter, Johnny Ringo, who is known for his notorious rivalry with the Earp Brothers and Doc Holliday. Peck gives a profound performance, effectively portraying an empathetic anti-hero who is haunted by his past and notoriety that has sealed his fate of having to kill or be killed for the rest of his life. Unlike other films that pull from Ringo's life, Peck's performance is one of the few that focuses on more than just his lawless tendencies and violent reputation. His performance has a rare emotional depth that essentially humanizes the Western legend, which is what ultimately makes The Gunfighter one of Peck's greatest masterpieces.
3 'Roman Holiday' (1953)
Peck stars in the classic romantic comedy film Roman Holiday as an American reporter, Joe Bradley, who is in Rome to report on the crowned princess, Ann (Audrey Hepburn), during her lengthy tour around Europe. When Joe lets a young woman who he believes is intoxicated stay at his place to sleep it off, he soon realizes that the woman is Princess Ann, who he learns had run off in an attempt to escape her suffocating royal duties, and tries to plan a way to get an exclusive interview with her. Without revealing that he's a reporter, Joe and Ann explore the city together, and as sparks fly between them, Joe starts to reconsider his original plan.
William Wyler's Roman Holiday is a modern tale of star-crossed lovers, full of lighthearted humor and genuine sentiment that makes it a timeless classic as well as an essential Peck masterpiece. Peck and Hepburn are a charming on-screen couple whose natural chemistry presents their characters with a realistic sense of warmth and endearment that resonates with the hearts of the audience. Roman Holiday was one of the year's most popular films and received ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography, and went on to win for Best Story, Best Actress for Hepburn, and Best Costume Design for the legendary Edith Head.
2 'Cape Fear' (1962)
Cape Fear is a gripping classic starring Peck as an honorable attorney and loving family man, Sam Bowden, who is unexpectedly backed into a dangerous corner by a recently paroled criminal, Max Cady (Robert Mitchum), who blames Bowden for sending him to prison for several years and now has a personal vendetta against him. As Cady relentlessly terrorizes Bowden and his family, and tactfully refrains from breaking any laws, Bowden is soon faced with the difficult challenge of choosing between protecting his family and remaining true to his professional code and obligations as a man of the law.
Peck and Mitchum are the epitome of good versus evil in this unsettling thriller, pitting two of Hollywood's greatest stars in a tedious battle of psychological warfare and legal loopholes. While Mitchum's performance as one of the best neo-noir movie villains is undeniably chilling, Peck delivers a thought-provoking performance as an everyday man who is forced to choose between his professional oath and the safety of his family, providing the film with an unwavering sense of uncertainty and moral fascination. In 1991, Mitchum and Peck made minor appearances in Martin Scorsese's remake of the film starring Robert De Niro and Nick Nolte. Even though Scorsese's modernized makeover of Cape Fear fared well with audiences, it fails to surpass the ingenuity of the original classic as well as the brilliance of Peck and Mitchum's masterful performances.
1 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (1962)
Peck stars in the classic legal drama, To Kill a Mockingbird, as an Alabama defense lawyer and a middle-aged single father, Atticus Finch, who defies racism and discrimination with the hope of inciting social change by defending an African-American man, Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), who has been wrongfully accused of sexually assaulting a white woman. As Atticus stands his moral ground and faces backlash from others, he's determined to set an example for his children, Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Phillip Alford), who learn that there is far more to someone than what meets the eye.
Based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird is recognized as one of the greatest movies of all time and features a performance by Peck that is simply one for the ages. Peck's performance is beyond captivating and embodies genuine morality and basic human decency that only a talent of Peck's caliber could convey with such power and tenacity. To Kill a Mockingbird was a major success and earned eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. It ended up winning three of its nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, and Best Actor for Peck, marking the actor's one and only Oscar win. According to Peck, Atticus Finch was the one role that most people would remember him for out of all of his films, which not only makes it his most famous but also solidifies To Kill a Mockingbird as Peck's quintessential masterpiece.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Like To Kill A Mockingbird Approved Crime Drama 9.5/10 Release Date December 25, 1962 Runtime 129 minutes Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming
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