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| Donald Pleasence | |
| Gender: | Male |
| Medium(s): | Film |
| Roles: | Actor |
| Date of birth: | October 5th, 1919 |
| Place of birth: | Nottinghamshire, England |
| Date of death: | February 2nd, 1995 |
| Notable works: | Halloween film series |
| 1st Horror: | Flesh and the Fiends, The |
Donald Pleasence was an English actor born in Nottinghamshire, England on October 5th, 1919. He first got into acting at a young age while working as a railway clerk and began performing in a 1939 production of Wuthering Heights. During World War II, Pleasence enlisted in the Royal Air Force and served with the 166 squadron. After the war, Pleasence made a career in film, acting in over two-hundred films both in England and the United States. Pleasence has appeared in several horror films such as the 1979 adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula and the 1987 supernatural thriller Prince of Darkness, but he is best known to modern audiences for bringing to life the character of child psychiatrist Doctor Samuel Loomis in the Halloween film franchise. Pleasence reprised the role of Loomis in four of the subsequent sequels, but unfortunately passed away at the age of 75 during production of Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers. Most of Pleasence's scenes had already been shot before he died, but some elements of the film, particularly the climax, had to be restructured to account for his passing.
Body of work[]
| Film | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| The Flesh and the Fiends | 1960 | William Hare |
| Circus of Horrors | 1960 | Vanet |
| The Hands of Orlac | 1960 | Graham Coates |
| Eye of the Devil | 1966 | Pere Dominic |
| You Only Live Twice | 1967 | Ernst Stavro Blofeld |
| From Beyond the Grave | 1973 | Jim Underwood |
| Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | 1973 | Fred Smudge |
| Tales That Witness Madness | 1973 | R.C. Tremayne |
| Raw Meat | 1973 | Inspector Calhoun |
| The Mutations | 1974 | Professor Nolter |
| The Devil's Men | 1976 | Father Roche |
| Night Creature | 1978 | Axel MacGregor |
| Halloween | 1978 | Sam Loomis |
| Dracula | 1979 | Jack Seward |
| The Monster Club | 1980 | Pickering |
| Halloween II | 1981 | Sam Loomis |
| Alone in the Dark | 1982 | Doctor Leo Bain |
| Phenomena | 1985 | Professor John McGregor |
| Prince of Darkness | 1987 | Priest |
| Vampire in Venice | 1988 | Don Alvise |
| Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers | 1988 | Sam Loomis |
| The House of Usher | 1989 | Walter Usher |
| Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers | 1989 | Sam Loomis |
| Buried Alive | 1990 | Doctor Schaeffer |
| Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers | 1995 | Sam Loomis |
Notes & Trivia[]
- His name is sometimes mis-spelled Donald Pleasance.
- In 1944, while serving in the RAF bomber command, Pleasence's Avro Lancaster was shot down over Agenville, and he became a prisoner of war. Ironically, Pleasence would one day play a British POW in the 1963 film The Great Escape.
- Originally, the role of Sam Loomis was offered to Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, both of whom established themselves as iconic horror actors for Hammer Film Productions during the 1950s-70s. Lee later remarked that turning down the part was the "biggest mistake he ever made in his career". [1]
- Played the role of Professor Ellis Fowler on the 1962 episode of The Twilight Zone entitled "The Changing of the Guard".
- Played the role of Harold J. Finley on the 1963 episode of The Outer Limits entitled "The Man With the Power".
External Links[]
- Donald Pleasence at AMG
- Donald Pleasence at TCM
- Donald Pleasence at IMDB
- Donald Pleasence at Wikipedia
References[]
 This article relates to actors, crew members and other behind-the-scenes creators pertaining to the Halloween franchise. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Halloween Crew category. |