Born in Surrey, England, in 1913, the son of a quantity surveyor, Peter
Cushing's persistent ambition, from his early days at school, was to
be an actor. After a desperate period of writing letters of application
to repertory companies and drama principals, Cushing finally got a job
at fifteen shillings a week with the repertory company at Worthing.
He stayed there until he had saved £50, the one-way fare to Hollywood.
After a varied two years in the United States, which included playing
Louis Hayward's stunt man and double in The Man in the Iron Mask and
a part in Chumps at Oxford with Laurel and Hardy, he returned to England
in 1941. A long-standing ear complaint prevented his admission into
an active branch of the Services, and he began to work with ENSA (Entertainments
National Service Association).
There were also various theatre appearances and an Old Vic tour of
Australia and New Zealand. Then the first screen parts began to come,
including that of Osric in the Olivier Hamlet
of 1948. Other small film roles followed and between 1951 and 1956 Cushing
had parts in no less than twenty-three television plays. In 1956, when
there was a slight lull in his television work, he was offered a role
in the remake of Frankenstein. Since making the first Hammer Frankenstein,
Peter Cushing has starred in over fifty films. Many of those have come
within the horror or fantasy category, like Twins
of Evil and The
Creeping Flesh. His characterisations have assured him of a very
distinguished place in the history of the horror genre.
