Donald Pleasence (October 5, 1919 - February 2, 1995) was a British actor. He was born in Worksop, England, the son of a stationmaster.

Pleasence's acting career began in a 1939 production of Wuthering Heights, but was soon interrupted by his service in the Royal Air Force and a year in a German prisoner-of-war camp. He had been a conscientious objector at first, but later joined the Royal Air Force. He was shot down and taken prisoner.

He returned to acting after the war, and critics began to call him the "Man with the Hypnotic Eye". Perhaps because of this, and his bald head and quiet-but-intense voice, he specialised in insane and evil characters. His trademark voice may be credited to elocution lessons he had as a child.

Pleasence was married four times and is father to five daughters. Miriam Raymond and Pleasance produced two daughters, Anglea and Jean in their 1941 to 1958 marriage. His 1959 to 1970 marriage to actress and singer Josephine Martin Crombie produced two daughters, Lucy and Polly. He was married to Meira Shore from 1970 to 1988 and they had one daughter, Miranda. His last marriage to Linda (maiden surname unknown) lasted until his death in 1995.

He died in St. Paul de Vence, France from complications from heart valve replacement surgery.

Filmography

• Fatal Frames (1996)......Professor Robinson

• Safe Haven (1995)......The Sailor

• Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)......Dr. Samuel J. 'Sam' Loomis

• Arabian Knight (1995) (voice)

• Signs and Wonders (1995) (TV)......Cornelius Van Damm

• Guinevere (1994) (TV)......Merlin

• The Big Freeze (1993)......Soup slurper

• Femme Fatale (1993/I) (TV)......Victor Harty

• The Hour of the Pig (1993)......Pincheon

• Diên Biên Phu (1992)......Howard Simpson

• Shadows and Fog (1992)......Doctor

• Avvoltoio può attendere, L' (1991)......The Art Collector

• Miliardi (1991)......Ripa

• American risciò (1990)......Reverend Mortom

• Edgar Allan Poe's Buried Alive (1990/I)......Doctor Schaeffer

• Donne armate (1990)......Dreyfuss

• Moi, général de Gaulle (1990) (TV)......Winston Chruchill

• A Caribbean Mystery (1989) (TV)......Jason Rafiel

• Halloween 5 (1989)......Dr. Sam Loomis

• River of Death (1989)......Heinrich Spaatz

• Paganini Horror (1989)......Mr. Pickett

• Ten Little Indians (1989)......Mr. Justice Lawrence Wargrave

• Angel Hill: l'ultima missione (1988)......Colonel B. Abrams

• Casablanca Express (1988)......Col. Bats

• The House of Usher (1988)......Walter Usher

• Hanna's War (1988)......Captain Thomas Rosza

• The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988) (TV)......Dr, Absalon

• Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)......Dr. Sam Loomis

• Nosferatu a Venezia (1988)......Don Alvise

• Commander, Der (1988)......Henry Carlson

• Delitto poco comune, Un (1988)......Inspector Datti

• Animali metropolitani (1987)......Prof. Livingstone

• Django 2: il grande ritorno (1987)......Gunn

• Naso di cane (1987) (TV)

• Scoop (1987) (TV)......Lord Copper

• Spettri (1987)......Professor Lasky

• Warrior Queen (1987)......Clodius Flaucus, ruler of Pompeii

• Prince of Darkness (1987)......Father Loomis

• Ground Zero (1987)......Prosper Gaffney

• Double Target (1987)......Senator Blaster

• Basements (1987) (TV)......Mr. Kidd (segment "The Room")

• Into the Darkness (1986)......David Beckett

• Onora il padre (1986) (TV)......Aldo Rossi

• Cobra Mission (1985)......Father Lenoir

• To Kill a Stranger (1985)......Col. Kostik

• Sotto il vestito niente (1985)......Commissioner Danesi

• The Treasure of the Amazon (1985)......Klaus von Blantz

• Arch of Triumph (1985) (TV)......Haake

• The Corsican Brothers (1985) (TV)......The Chancellor

• Phenomena (1985)......Prof. John McGregor

• Black Arrow (1985/I) (TV)......Sir Oliver Oates

• A Breed Apart (1984)......J.P. Whittier

• Frankenstein's Great Aunt Tillie (1984)......Victor Frankenstein/Old Baron Frankenstein

• The Ambassador (1984)......Minister Eretz

• "Master of the Game" (1984) (mini) TV Series Salomon Van der Merwe

• Warrior of the Lost World (1983)......Prossor

• Where Is Parsifal? (1983)......Mackintosh

• The Devonsville Terror (1983)......Dr. Warley

• Witness for the Prosecution (1982) (TV)......Mr. Myers

• Alone in the Dark (1982)......Dr. Leo Bain

• "The Barchester Chronicles" (1982) (mini) TV Series Rev. Septimus Harding

• Computercide (1982) (TV)......George Dettler

• Race for the Yankee Zephyr (1981)......Gilbert Carson

• Halloween II: The Nightmare Isn't Over! (1981)......Dr. Sam Loomis

• John Carpenter's Escape from New York (1981)......U.S. President

• The Monster Club (1980)......Pickering, Chief of the B-Squad

• Blade on the Feather (1980) (TV)......Professor Jason Cavendish

• Uomo puma, L' (1980) (as Donald Pleasance)......Kobras

• Jaguar Lives! (1979)......Gen. Villanova

• "The French Atlantic Affair" (1979) (mini) TV Series Max Dechambre

• All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) (TV)......Kantorek

• Better Late Than Never (1979) (TV)......Colonel Riddle

• Dracula (1979)......Dr. Jack Seward

• Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff (1979)......Dr. Steiner

• Homme en colère, L' (1979)......Albert Pumpelmeyer

• Gold of the Amazon Women (1979) (TV)......Clarence Blasko

• John Carpenter's Halloween (1978)......Dr. Sam Loomis

• "Centennial" (1978) (mini) TV Series Samuel Purchase

• Ordre et la sécurité du monde, L' (1978)......Rothko

• Power Play (1978)......Blair

• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)......B.D. Hoffler

• The Bastard (1978) (TV)......Solomon Sholto

• Tomorrow Never Comes (1978)......Dr. Todd

• Liens du sang, Les (1978)......James Doniac

• "The Dark Secret of Harvest Home" (1978) (mini) TV Series Narrator

• The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978) (TV)......Captain Vladimir Popov

• Night Creature (1977)......Axel MacGregor

• Telefon (1977)......Nicolai Dalchimsky

• Oh, God! (1977)......Doctor Harmon

• The Uncanny (1977)......Valentine De'ath

• Jesus of Nazareth (movie) (1977) (mini) TV Series Melchior

• The Eagle Has Landed (1976)......Heinrich Himmler

• The Last Tycoon (1976)......Boxley

• The Passover Plot (1976)......Pontius Pilate

• Trial by Combat (1976)......Sir Giles Marley

• Meriel, the Ghost Girl (1976) (TV)......George Livingston

• Goldenrod (1976)......John Tyler Jones

• Land of the Minotaur (1976)......Father Roche

• I Don't Want to Be Born (1975)......Dr. Finch

• Hearts of the West (1975)......A.J. Neitz

• Journey Into Fear (1975)......Kuvetli

• Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)......Lucas Deranian

• The Count of Monte Cristo (1975) (TV)......Danglars

• Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974)......Erich Count von Plasma

• Malachi's Cove (1974)......Malachi

• Loba y la Paloma, La (1974)......Martin Zayas

• Altrimenti ci arrabbiamo (1974)......The Doctor

• The Cafeteria (1974) (TV)......Aaron

• The Black Windmill (1974)......Cedric Harper

• From Beyond the Grave (1973)......Jim Underwood (segment "An Act of Kindness")

• Thirty-Minute Theatre: The Joke (1973) (TV)......Bendel

• The Mutations (1973)......Professor Nolter

• Tales That Witness Madness (1973)......Dr. R.C. Tremayne

• Columbo: Any Old Port in a Storm (1973) (TV)......Adrian Carsini

• The Rainbow Boys (1973)......Ralph Logan

• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1973) (TV)......Fred Smudge

• Death Line (1972)......Inspector Calhoun

• Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972)......Thomas Cromwell

• Wedding in White (1972)......Jim Dougall, Sr.

• Innocent Bystanders (1972)......Loomis

• The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1972)......The Baron

• The Jerusalem File (1972)......Major Samuels

• Kidnapped (1971)......Ebenezer Balfour

• Play for Today: Skin Deep (1971) (TV)......Gerry Muddiman

• Wake in Fright (1971)......'Doc' Tydon

• Play for Today: The Foxtrot (1971) (TV)......Tom

• THX 1138 (1971)......SEN 5241

• Soldier Blue (1970)......Isaac Q. Cumber

• Arthur! Arthur! (1969)......Arthur

• The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969)......The Prospector

• Mr. Freedom (1969)......Dr. Freedom

• Creature of Comfort (1968)......James Thorne

• The Other People (1968)......Elsa's father

• Will Penny (1968)......Preacher Quint

• Thirty-Minute Theatre: The News-Benders (1968) (TV)......J.G.

• The Diary of Anne Frank (1967) (TV)......Mr. Dusseli

• Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice (1967)......Ernst Stavro Blofeld

• Eye of the Devil (1967)......Pere Dominic

• The Night of the Generals (1967)......Maj. Gen. Kahlenberg

• Thirty-Minute Theatre: Taste (1967) (TV)

• Matchless (1966)......Gregori Andreanu

• Wednesday Play: The Head Waiter (1966) (TV)......The Head Waiter

• Fantastic Voyage (1966)......Dr. Michaels

• Cul-de-sac (1966)......George

• The Hallelujah Trail (1965)......'Oracle' Jones

• George Stevens Presents The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)......The Dark Hermit - Satan

• The Great Escape (1963)......Flight Lt. Colin 'The Forger' Blythe

• The Caretaker (1963)......Mac Davies/Bernard Jenkins

• Dr. Crippen (1962)......Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen

• What a Carve Up (1962)......Everett Sloane

• Lisa (1962)......Sgt. Wolters

• Spare the Rod (1961)......Mr. Jenkins

• The Wind of Change (1961)......Pop

• The Horsemasters (1961) (TV)......Capt. Pinski

• No Love for Johnnie (1961)......Roger Renfrew

• The Hands of Orlac (1961)......Graham Coates

• The Big Day (1960)......Victor Partridge

• A Story of David (1960)......Nabal

• Suspect (1960)......Parsons, alias Bill Brown

• The Cupboard (1960) (TV)......Fred Watson

• Circus of Horrors (1960)......Vanet

• Sons and Lovers (1960)......Mr. Puppleworth

• Hell Is a City (1960)......Gus Hawkins

• The Battle of the Sexes (1959) (as Donald Pleasance)......Irwin Hoffman

• The Flesh and the Fiends (1959)......William Hare

• The Shakedown (1959)......Jessel Brown

• Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959)......Captain

• "The Scarf" (1959) TV Series Det. Insp. Harry Yates

• Heart of a Child (1958)......Spiel

• Look Back in Anger (1958/I)......Hurst

• The Two-Headed Spy (1958)......General Hardt

• The Man Inside (1958)......Organ-grinder

• The Wind Cannot Read (1958)......Doctor

• A Tale of Two Cities (1958)......John Barsad

• Barnacle Bill (1957)......Bank teller

• Man in a Moon (1957) (TV)

• Manuela (1957)......Evans

• The Man in the Sky (1957)......Crabtree

• 1984 (1956)......R. Parsons

• The Black Tent (1956)......Ali

• One (1956) (TV)......Burden

• "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1955) TV Series Prince John (1955-58)

• The Moment of Truth (1955) (TV)

• Value for Money (1955)......Limpy

• The Beachcomber (1954)......Tromp

• Orders Are Orders (1954)......Cpl. Martin

• His first role was on television, as Syme in the BBC's highly-acclaimed 1954 adaptation of George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, which starred Peter Cushing - another actor who would go on to find fame in many horror film roles.

External links

• Donald Pleasence (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000587/) at the Internet Movie Database