Horror Icon of the Month: Peter Cushing
The definition of an icon is someone regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration. This month’s horror icon deserves all the accolades he gets. With a career spanning six decades, stand aside for legendary Peter Cushing.
Born in Kenley, Surrey, on May 26th, 1913, Peter Wilton Cushing was the youngest of two sons. It was said that his mother had longed for a girl and would dress Peter in girl’s clothing, letting his hair grow long, tying it in bows with pink ribbons. He was often mistaken for a girl.
His father was a reserved man whom Peter said he never got to know very well.
His family consisted of several stage actors, including his paternal grandfather Henry William Cushing, his paternal aunt Maude Ashton, and his step-uncle Wilton Herriot, after whom Peter received his middle name.
His family lived in Dulwich during the first world war though Cushing was too young to understand, or become affected by, the horrors of war. His mother shielded him from it, encouraging him to play beneath the kitchen table whenever the threat of bombings arose.
During one Christmas in his youth, Cushing saw a stage production of Peter Pan, which served as an early source of inspiration, leading to him developing an interest in acting. Cushing love dressing up and playing make believe from an early age, later claiming he always wanted to be an actor, “perhaps without knowing at first.”
A fan of comics and toy collectables, Cushing earned money early on by staging puppet shows for family members with his glove-puppet toys.
After his schooling, Cushing wanted to enter the acting profession. His father opposed the idea, despite several family members with theatrical backgrounds. Instead, seizing upon Cushing’s interest in art and drawing, he got his son a job as a surveyor’s assistant in the drawing department of the Coulsdon and Purely Urban District Council during the summer of 1933.
Cushing eventually applied for a scholarship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. His first audition was before the actor Allan Aynesworth, who was so unimpressed with Cushing's manner of speech that he rejected him outright and insisted he not return until he improved his diction. Cushing continued to persistently pursue a scholarship, writing exactly twenty-one letters to the school, until actor and theatre manager Bill Fraser finally agreed to meet Cushing in 1935 simply so he could ask him in person to stop writing. During that meeting, Cushing was given a walk-on part as a courier in that night's production of J.B. Priestley's Cornelius. This marked his professional stage debut, although he had no lines and did little more than stand on stage behind other actors. Afterward, he was granted the scholarship and given odd jobs around the theatre, such as selling refreshments and working as an assistant stage manager.
It was only a matter of time before he felt the urge to pursue a film career in the United States. In 1939, his father bought him a one-way ticket to Hollywood, where he moved with only £50 to his name. It was then that Cushing met Columbia Pictures employee named Larry Goodkind, who wrote him a letter of recommendation. It would be that same year that Cushing made his film debut.
He was hired as a stand-in for the feature, Man In The Iron Mask, for scenes that featured both characters played by Louis Haywood, who had the duel role of King Louis XIV and Philippe of Gascony. Cushing would play one part opposite Haywood in one scene, then the opposite part in another, and ultimately the scenes were spliced together in a split screen process that featured Haywood in both parts. Unfortunately, this meant that Cushing’s work would be on the cutting room floor.
Although the job meant Cushing received no actual screen time, he was eventually cast in a bit part himself as the king’s messenger, which made The Man In The Iron Mask his official film debut.
Cushing career would steadily take off, with bit roles here and there. It wasn’t until 1957 when he would land his first leading role in a feature film. The Curse of Frankenstein would be a film of firsts; Cushing’s lead, his first horror movie, and his first time acting in scenes along side fellow icon, Christopher Lee. (Fun Fact: Although they had appeared in previous films like Hamlet (1948), Moulin Rogue (1952), and Alexander the Great (1956), Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing met on set for the first time during The Curse of Frankenstein. They would pass the time between shots by exchanging Looney Tunes phrases and quickly developed a fast friendship)
It was his role as Victor Frankenstein that opened Cushing up to other horror movies, quickly cementing himself in the genre with works such as The Abominable Snowman (1957), Horror of Dracula (1958) – which saw him portray Doctor Van Helsing alongside Lee’s Dracula, The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), The Mummy (1959), and The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) – which saw him in the titular role of Sherlock Holmes.
The shocks continued in 1960 with The Flesh and the Fiends which saw Cushing as Edinburgh surgeon Dr. Robert Knox. Knox would do medical research on cadavers he buys from murderers Burke and Hare, without questioning the unethical procurement methods. This film is an adaptation of the story of real-life killers, William Burke and William Hare. Around 1827 in Edinburgh, Scotland, they provided more than a dozen ‘fresh’ corpses to the anatomist Dr. Knox. (Fun Fact: Burke was hanged, his corpse was dissected, and his skeleton displayed at the Anatomical Museum of Edinburgh Medical School where, as of 2020, it remains)
That same year Cushing returned to the role of Doctor Van Helsing for The Brides of Dracula. There was a lot of headbutting between director, Terence Fisher, and Cushing due to rewrites and Van Helsing’s use of dark magic to overcome Baron Meinster. Even with the shonky effects and dramas of behind the scenes, the movie remains a classic to be enjoyed in a full Dracula marathon.
Moving ahead to 1965 and one of my personal favorite films; Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors. The storyline sees a mysterious fortune teller (Cushing) using tarot cards to read the futures of five fellow passengers. The passengers include Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland. The anthology style of storytelling allows multiple segments to be told. Keep an eye open for Michael Gough in Christopher Lee’s storyline. He steals the show. If you enjoy anthology movies, you’ll enjoy Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors.
Fans of Dr. Who can rejoice because in 1965, Cushing took on the role of the titular doctor in Dr. Who and the Daleks. He would reprise his role in Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. in 1966.
The remainder of the 1960s proved to be lucrative for Cushing and the horror genre. With titles like The Skull (1965), Island of Terror (1966), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), Night of the Big Heat (1967), The Blood Beast Terror (1968), and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) rounding out the decade. Somehow Cushing even managed to do a 16-episode series of Sherlock Holmes, where he once again played the great detective.
Cushing had found himself a niche in horror, capitalizing on it in the 1970s with movies like Scream and Scream Again (1970), The Vampire Lovers (1970), Twins of Evil (1971), Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972), Horror Express (1972), The Creeping Flesh (1973), And Now The Screaming Starts (1973), and Legend of the Werewolf (1975).
In 1977, Cushing found himself in another popular franchise; Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. During filming Cushing found the boots to his costume to be wildly uncomfortable due to being too small for his feet. During the scenes when his feet weren’t in frame, he wore a pair of fuzzy slippers. (Fun Fact: Although their respective characters hated each other, Carrie Fisher found Peter Cushing to be charming, polite, and humorous on set, which consequently made it difficult for her to act like she hate him.)
That same year, Cushing found himself creating an army of zombie soldiers in Shock Waves. Not a masterpiece by any means, but good silly fun with stereotypical horror tropes and victims. Think Dead Snow, just an older story. It has some fantastic sequences, including the zombies underwater, almost as though it was anticipating Lucio Fulci’s Zombie.
The Uncanny (1977) see Wilbur Gray, a horror writer, stumbling upon a terrible secret. Cats are supernatural creatures who really call the shots. In a desperate attempt to get others to believe him, Wilbur spews forth three tales of feline terror. A quirky film to say the least, but highly entertaining.
As the 80’s rolled around, Cushing found himself staring Mystery on Monster Island (1981), House of the Long Shadows (1983), and Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death (1984), the latter being a TV movie with Cushing reprising his previous role of Sherlock Holmes.
Cushing’s final role came in 1986. Biggles: Adventure in Time. While released in 1986, the film was actually made the previous year.
Cushing wrote two autobiographies, Peter Cushing: An Autobiography (1986) and Past Forgetting: Memoirs of the Hammer Years (1988). Cushing wrote the books as what he called “a form of therapy to stop me going stark, raving mad” following the loss of his wife. He also wrote a children’s book called The Bois Saga, a story based on the history of England. Published in 1994, it was originally written specifically for the daughter of Cushing’s long-time secretary and friend, Joyce Broughton, to help her overcome reading problems resulting from her dyslexia.
His final acting job was narrating the Hammer Films documentary Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror, alongside long-time friend Christopher Lee. Sadly, this recording happened weeks before Cushing’s passing. Christopher Lee recognized Cushing’s failing health and did his best to lift his spirits. He later claimed that he had a premonition that it would be the last time he would see Cushing alive, which proved to be true.
In May of 1982, Cushing was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was rushed to the Kent and Canterbury Hospital when his left eye had swollen to nearly three times its normal size. This was a side effect of the cancer. Doctor’s weren’t optimistic, stating he would have between twelve to eighteen months left to live, and that his left eye might be lost.
Much to their surprise, Cushing recovered enough to be released and although his health continued to gradually decline, he lived another 12 years without any operative treatment or chemotherapy.
Peter Cushing passed away on August 11th, 1994, aged 81.
In January 1995, a memorial service was held in The Actor’s Church in Covent Garden, with addresses given by Christopher Lee, Kevin Francis, Ron Moody, and James Bree.
In his career, Peter Cushing appeared in more than 100 movies. It’s hard to sum up such an influential career in a short article, but his dedication to the craft, overcoming the obstacles that he did, ensured his legacy will live on.
Hammer films were his bread and butter, most becoming cult classics by today’s standards. And while I could have delved into many more films of the 1950’s-1980’s, it’s best if you explore the legend of Peter Cushing on your own. His charismatic and often dramatic performances will stand the test of time.
Whether he’s Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Who, Van Helsing, Victor Frankenstein, or Grand Moff Tarkin, one thing is for certain; Peter Cushing is a true horror icon.
Rhiannon’s Top 5 Peter Cushing Performances
1: Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965) – I’m a big fan of anthology films, and this is no exception. Cushing’s dark demeanour makes for an interesting play against Christopher Lee’s strait-laced sceptic.
2: The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) – My favorite Sherlock Holmes story see Cushing in the titular role of the world’s greatest detective.
3: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) – Strange experiments with the dead has never been so much fun. A classic film with superb performances.
4: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) – Was there any doubt this would make the top 5? A legend in a legendary series. Enough said.
5: Horror of Dracula (1958) – Cushing vs Lee. Two fine gentlemen telling a tale as old as time. A must see
