Eldred Gregory Peck April 5, — June 12, was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the s to the s. After studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse with Sanford Meisner , Peck began appearing in stage productions, acting in over 50 plays and three Broadway productions. Stahl —directed drama that earned him his first Academy Award nomination. He starred in a series of successful films, including romantic-drama The Valley of Decision , Alfred Hitchcock 's Spellbound , and family film The Yearling He encountered lukewarm commercial reviews at the end of the s, his performances including The Paradine Case and The Great Sinner Peck reached global recognition in the s and s, appearing back-to-back in the book-to-film adaptation of Captain Horatio Hornblower and biblical drama David and Bathsheba Throughout his career, he often portrayed protagonists with "moral fiber".
He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird , an adaptation of the modern classic of the same name which revolved around racial inequality, for which he received acclaim.
Peck was also active in politics, challenging the House Un-American Activities Committee in and was regarded as a political opponent by President Richard Nixon. President Lyndon B. Johnson honored Peck with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in for his lifetime humanitarian efforts. Peck died in his sleep from bronchopneumonia at the age of His father was of English paternal and Irish maternal heritage, [ 4 ] [ 5 ] and his mother was of English and Scots ancestry.
Through his Irish-born paternal grandmother Catherine Ashe — , Peck was related to Thomas Ashe — , who participated in the Easter Rising less than three weeks after Peck's birth and died while being force-fed during a hunger strike in Peck's parents divorced when he was five, and he was brought up by his maternal grandmother, who took him to the movies every week.
John's Military Academy in Los Angeles. While he was a student there, his grandmother died. At 14, he moved back to San Diego to live with his father. While there, he joined the track team, took his first theatre and public-speaking courses, and pledged the Epsilon Eta fraternity. Standing 6 ft 3 in 1. At Berkeley, Peck's deep, well-modulated voice gained him attention, and after participating in a public speaking course, he decided to try acting.
