Peter Cushing: A Life in Film

by David Miller

Peter Cushing was an unforgettable presence in cult cinema of the fifties, sixties and seventies, and remains one of Britain's best-loved film stars. Cushing made a huge impact in the groundbreaking television adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four, and went on to find international fame as Baron Frankenstein and Doctor Van Helsing in the most acclaimed films from the Hammer studio. During his lengthy career, Cushing also played Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes and Grand Moff Tarkin, the villain of the original Star Wars.

Author David Miller has written a definitive guide to the stage and screen career of a legendary star, drawing upon conversations with Cushing's friends and colleagues, archive material held by the BBC and Hammer Film Productions, and previously unpublished correspondence with Cushing himself. This in-depth research forms the basis for a revealing re-assessment of the career and achievements of this much admired and very private actor.

Genres: Biography

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

David Miller is a British writer and journalist based in Wimbledon, London.

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm normally not one for reading biographies, but when I saw this book at my local library I was compelled to check it out, which is surprising in retrospect. After reading this book I realized that the only movie I had seen Cushing in was Star Wars, and I had heard about his starring in Doctor Who movies, but that was it, yet somehow through that one role, first watched when I was 12, Cushing left an impression on me as a fantastic actor. After reading this book, my appreciation for Cushing as an actor has increased, and more than that I admire him as a person as well as an actor.

[Horror DNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

The release of Peter Cushing: A Life in Film is timed to coincide with the centennial of Cushing’s birth (May 26, 1913) and is a splendid addition to the actor’s legacy. Much has been written on this subject, but here the material comes to life in numerous anecdotes that tell a narrative story of the man from his earliest stage performances and work in television through the seemingly endless wave of film work he rode for three decades. The anecdotes are punctuated with selections from interviews and journal entries from the actor himself. Peter Cushing approached each role with an unparalleled professionalism, frequently contributing to the scripts as well as making extensive notes for each character.

You can read ZigZag's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Robert Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended!

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, let's see -- on the one hand we have here a thorough look at the late, great Peter Cushing's career on stage as well as on screen. On the other hand, there's not much else. On the one hand, it's not a gossipy book and on the other hand the prose tends to get flat and repetitive. For long-time Peter Cushing fans, there's probably nothing new here. For casual fans (like me) I was jolly well overwhelmed by so many dry facts (like when shooting for a film started and ended, how much Peter Cushing was paid, how much money the film made, etc.) and not a whole hell of a lot about the man. On one hand, I do believe celebrities need their areas of privacy. On the other hand, I am now more curious about how this man survived the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that was thrown at him.



Of particular interest to Sherlock Holmes fans is his take on a few Holmes' pastiches such as The Seven Percent Solution and his criticism of Jeremy Brett's Holmes that "you can't stand the man." Cushing portrayed Holmes on the large and small screen. Unfortunately, few of the television series episodes survive due the infamous BBC videotape wipe-out policy. You can see two episodes on YouTube. I highly recommend them.

[Dawn Livingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been kind of fascinated by Peter Cushing for years though I was never into the Hammer films. Maybe it started with his role in Star Wars.

As a book about Peter Cushing in films... this is an incredible book detailing Peter Cushing's career and his personal life. However, this was not really a good book for me as I was more interested in the man than the actor but since I'd heard this was a good book...

This book was so full of detail it was hard to read. Eventually I started skimming then gave up and skipped ahead to a later chapter and started skimming again.

This is a must-have book if you're more than just a casual fan of Peter Cushing the actor or Hammer films.

For me, this book just made me feel that the world might be a lesser place without Peter Cushing in it and made me want to even more read Peter Cushing's own biographies which I hear are very good.

[Barry Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any fan of the Hammer Horror films, or indeed of British acting in general, will enjoy this well-researched biography and study of the life and work of Peter Cushing. Whether playing Baron Frankenstein, Van Helsing, Sherlock Holmes, Shakespearian parts, character studies like Winston Smith in 1984, or turns as cuckholded husbands, doctors, ex-Germans, French swashbucklers, and hundreds of other parts in movies over a 50-year career, Cushing was a consumate actor and talented painter and model-maker. David Miller brings out the full scope of his talents and his gentlemanly personality in this excellent book with its wealth of never-before seen photos. Top marks. - BH.

[Jay Atwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so much a biography as a necessary addendum to Cushing's two autobiographies, detailing his life in film. While this book fills the gaps left by the other two, this piece is equally flawed in it's superficiality.

[Cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book about Cushing's films and what was happening in his personal life at the time.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exhaustively detailed account of Peter Cushing's acting career. Many interesting tidbits of his stage and screen appearances, but mainly for fans of the actor.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Good.