The Academy Award for Best Actor in 1963 was awarded to Gregory Peck for his portrayal of Atticus Finch in the film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. Born in San Diego in 1916, he became one of the most visible screen actors of his generation, sustaining a career that spanned from the 1940s through the 1970s.
Academic and Formative Years
Peck attended San Diego High School before enrolling at San Diego State University. He later transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in English and participated in the rowing crew. After leaving without a degree, he moved to New York City to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre under Sanford Meisner. During this time, he supported himself through odd jobs, including working as a tour guide at Rockefeller Center and a barker at the 1939 World's Fair.
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His professional acting career began on stage, eventually leading to his Broadway debut in 1942. Exempted from military service during the Second World War due to a back injury, Peck moved into film work. He achieved early critical success with the 1944 film The Keys of the Kingdom, which secured his first Academy Award nomination. Throughout the mid-1940s, he starred in diverse projects, including Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound, The Valley of Decision, and The Yearling.
Professional Recognition and Activism
Peck appeared in a wide range of productions, such as Roman Holiday, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Moby Dick, and The Guns of Navarone. Beyond acting, he engaged in political activities, notably challenging the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947. His humanitarian work earned him the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1968 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969. He remained a consistent presence in the industry, receiving the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1989 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 1991.
Final Years
In his later career, Peck appeared in The Omen and The Boys from Brazil. In 1983, he portrayed Hugh O'Flaherty in The Scarlet and The Black, a narrative regarding the rescue of Allied prisoners and Jewish citizens in Rome. He died in 2003 at the age of 87 in Los Angeles. He is buried at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
Fast facts
- Born: 1916, San Diego
- Died: 2003, Los Angeles
- Education: San Diego State University; University of California, Berkeley
- Academy Award for Best Actor: 1963
- AFI Life Achievement Award: 1989
- Presidential Medal of Freedom: 1969
- Burial place: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
- Religion: Catholicism
Questions readers ask
What was the cause of Gregory Peck's death?
He died in his sleep from bronchopneumonia at the age of 87.
Did Gregory Peck serve in the military during World War II?
No, he was exempted from service due to a back injury sustained during his early acting training.
Achievements
- Academy Award for Best Actor — 1963
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role — 1947
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama — 1963
- Worked as film actor, character actor and film producer
