He studied at Berkeley, where he got the acting bug and changed the focus of his studies. He enrolled in the Neighbourhood Playhouse in New York and debuted on Broadway after graduation in Emlyn Williams' stage play The Morning Star. By 1943, he was in Hollywood where he debuted in the RKO film Days of Glory (a poor Jacques Tourneur directed movie).
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Keys of the Kingdom (1944) and again for The Yearling (1946), for which he won the Golden Globe.
Peck's became well known for his screen presence. He appeared rugged, decent and heroic. He appeared in several Westerns in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. He was nominated again for the Academy Award with his roles in Gentleman's Agreement (1947) and Twelve O’clock High (1949).
With a string of hits behind him, Peck took the decision to only work in films that interested him, appearing in Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) and Moby Dick (1956). He also worked with Audrey Hepburn on Roman Holiday.
After four nominations, Peck won the Oscar for his performance in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
In the 70s, he began producing with The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, and The Dove, but his acting career waned until he made a comeback in the horror film The Omen (1976).
In the 80s, Peck moved into television with the mini series The Blue and the Gray, and the movie The Scarlet and the Black.
Peck has received the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Medal of Freedom. Always politically liberal, he was active in charity and political work. He died peacefully, aged 87, with his second wife Veronica by his side on June 12th 2003.
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Arabesque UK Dvd
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Old Gringo UK Dvd
