In films, he was often cast in sinister roles (in Roman Polanski's "Cul-de-Sac," as the evil Blofeld in "You Only Live Twice" and as Heinrich Himmler in "The Eagle Has Landed," among others) but diversified his performances with such films as "No Love for Johnnie," "The Great Escape" and John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness," in which he played a priest battling the devil). He wan a BAFTA TV Awaird for Best Actor in 1959. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Pleasence provided the voice-over for the British public information film, The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water (1973). When Donald failed to get a scholarship at RADA, he joined the family occupation working as a clerk at his father's station before becoming station master at Swinton, Yorkshire. (Finished 1939), Clerk But where do these kids really call home? You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. The late Donald Pleasence's character, Dr. Loomis, will return to the Halloween franchise via a soundalike, according to director David Gordon Green. Donald Pleasence's net worth Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Frank Finlay and Aubrey Morris won the respective roles. I have no theory about acting. Donald Henry Pleasence OBE (/ p l z n s /; 5 October 1919 - 2 February 1995) was an English actor.He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe in The Great Escape (1963), the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film You Only Live . Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. 5 Oct 1919. 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). Explore how the celebrity world connects. British actor who played Dr. Sam Loomis in the Halloween film franchise. The next year he appeared as an eccentric, tea-obsessed police inspector in the cult horror film Death Line alongside Norman Rossington and Christopher Lee. He died in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Alpes-Maritimes, France following complications from heart valve surgery. Obituary for Pleasence, 'The Independent', 2 February 1995. You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. [36][37], Dr. What Is The Use Of Judging Matters Show? And, of course, he was Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (1967). Pleasence starred as the Reverend Septimus Harding in the BBC's TV series The Barchester Chronicles (1982). Escape to Witch Mountain: Directed by John Hough. Donald Pleasance in MyHeritage family trees (Keay Web Site) Donald Pleasence in U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims, 1. In the 2018 film, Halloween, comedian Colin Mahan voiced Loomis. He was all set to become and end up like his father and grandfather and brother who were railway workers (this is not to look down on anyone or occupation but) this wasnt what Donald wanted. [4] He was brought up as a strict Methodist in the small village of Grimoldby, Lincolnshire. He decided to look elsewhere. 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. )), Actor Will Penny - Wikipedia . Several years later he portrayed a tyrannical lord in Evelyn Waugh's "Scoop." In 1963, he appeared in an episode of The Outer Limits titled "The Man with the Power". Pleasence was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, the son of Alice (ne Armitage) and Thomas Stanley Pleasence, a railway station master. In 1939 he made his professional debut there in an adaptation of "Wuthering Heights," and three years later opened in London as Valentine in "Twelfth Night.". Anyone can read what you share. In his more than 50 years as an actor, Mr. Pleasence played a wide diversity of characters in classics as well as modern works. Try again later. The marriage produced two children including Angela Pleasence who was born in 1941 and went on to become a decent actress at . Published Oct 15, 2022. He had a major part in The Great Escape, and in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. Finally he was hired as an assistant stage manager at the Playhouse on the Channel Island of Jersey. He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1994 Queen's New Year Honours List for his services to drama. His second marriage was to in the following year to Josephine Crombie a Scottish actress. The first Blofeld to appear properly in the James Bond franchise was played by Donald Pleasence in 1967's You Only Live Twice.After years in the shadows, Blofeld's promotion to lead villain marked the end of the first James Bond movie era, as Sean Connery was set to step down after one last jaunt. Reports suggest Prince Charles will live "in a flat above the shop" when he becomes king. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Zodiac Sign Libra. He flew dozens of flights mostly across enemy lines. Thomas Pleasence{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Pleasence", "gender": "Male" }, Alice Pleasence{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Pleasence", "gender": "Female" }, Ralph Pleasence{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Ralph Pleasence", "gender": "Male" }, Angela Pleasence{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Angela Pleasence", "gender": "Female" }, born 1941, age 77 (approx.) Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery, "Donald Pleasence: to Halloween and Back", "Full text of "The Player A Profile Of An Art", Star Pupils Revealed at Scunthorpe Telegraph, "OBITUARIES: Donald Pleasence | The Independent | The Independent", "Review/Television; Derring-Do And Deceit In Wartime", "UNTOLD STORY TOLD: 'THE GREAT ESCAPE II', "Blu-ray Review: Nothing Underneath/Too Beautiful To Die", "Blu Review Nothing Underneath/Too Beautiful To Die (Vinegar Syndrome)", "REVIEW: 'Prince of Darkness' is a masterpiece of horror", "John Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness: 5 Reasons It's Criminally Underrated (& 5 It's Not)", "MOVIE REVIEW: A JUMBLED 'PRINCE OF DARKNESS', "Donald Pleasence, Virtuoso Actor, Dies at 75", "Dr. Loomis Has a Voice Cameo in Halloween 2018", "New 'Halloween' almost had a completely different beginning", "How Halloween Kills Pulled Off That Loomis Cameo Without CGI", "Review | Disappointing slasher sequel 'Halloween Kills' is nothing new, and maybe that's the point", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Donald_Pleasence&oldid=1152701491, Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners, Officers of the Order of the British Empire, People educated at Ecclesfield Grammar School, Royal Air Force personnel of World War II, World War II prisoners of war held by Germany, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, TCMDb name template using non-numeric ID from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 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 1 May 2023, at 19:56.