Overview (4)

Mini Bio (1)

Spouse (4)

Trade Mark (3)

Bald head and piercing blue eyes



Dr. Sam Loomis from the Halloween films



Intense performances



Trivia (38)

He had elocution lessons as a child.





Was originally chosen to play Blair in The Thing (1982), but a scheduling conflict prevented him from doing so. Therefore, the role went to Wilford Brimley



When Moustapha Akkad asked Donald Pleasence how many more Halloween (1978) films he was planning to make, Donald replied "I stop at twenty-two!"

His father was a stationmaster.



He was initially a conscientous objector during World War II, but later changed his mind and joined the British Royal Air Force. His plane was shot down and was taken prisoner of war by the Nazis until his release in 1945.





Was held at Stalag Luft I, near the Baltic Sea. While a POW during World War II, he organized a theatre company in order to pass the time. His productions included "The Petrified Forest", in which he played the Leslie Howard role opposite a 6' 1" Canadian who played the Bette Davis part.



One of the stars of The Great Escape (1963) to have actually been a World War II prisoner of war ( Hannes Messemer , who played Colonel Lugo the camp commander, was a German soldier in World War II and was captured by American troops and held in a POW camp until the end of the war). He was also a POW in Russia. When he kindly offered advice to director John Sturges , he was politely asked to keep his "opinions" to himself. Later, when another star from the film informed Sturges that Pleasence had actually been an RAF officer in a World War II German POW camp, Sturges requested Pleasance's technical advice and input on historical accuracy from that point forward.



Was nominated for four Tony Awards as Best Actor (Dramatic): in 1962 for "The Caretaker", a part he recreated in the film version also titled The Caretaker (1963); in 1965 for "Poor Bitos"; in 1969 for "The Man in the Glass Booth" and, in 1972 for "Wise Child" - but he never won.

He was a wireless operator in Lancaster bombers in 166 Squadron, Royal Air Force.





Often joked to friends and family that, before Halloween (1978) came out, he was typecast as villains and psychopaths, never having been given the chance to play a good guy or hero. However, after his portrayal of the heroic, Van Helsing-like Dr. Sam Loomis in Halloween, he had the exact opposite problem in that no one wanted to see him play bad guys anymore, that the only parts offered to him were avengers and heroes.

He was flying in a Lancaster NE112 "AS-M" when it was shot down on September 9, 1944.



Daughter, Jean, is an occupational therapist at a psychiatric hospital.



He was good in school plays and won prizes.





Among the possible actors for the roles of Dr. Hans Fallada and Sir Percy Heseltine in Lifeforce (1985). Frank Finlay and Aubrey Morris won the respective roles.



He was considered for many guest roles in Doctor Who (1963) - General Grugger in "Meglos", Richard Mace in "The Visitation", Griffiths in "Attack of the Cybermen", Shockeye in "The Two Doctors" and De Flores in "Silver Nemesis". He was also considered for Borusa in Doctor Who (1996) before the character was dropped from the script.

He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1994 Queen's New Year Honours List for his services to drama.





Was known for his eye for details and authenticity, including in regards to his costumes. He arrived in Sydney for the filming of Wake in Fright (1971) with a beard suggestive of the kind favored by bushrangers and immediately rejected the costume that was assigned to him, opting to purchase his own clothes from a Vinnies thrift shop.

He served in WWII as an RAF radio operator before being shot down over Germany and becoming a POW.



One of his biggest triumphs on stage was in Harold Pinter's play 'The Caretaker'in the West End then on Broadway, where he was nominated for a New York Critics Award, followed by the film version.



He wanted to be an actor from an early age but was turned down by nearly 40 repertory companies before being accepted by a company in Jersey.A long slow climb with other companies followed before being accepted by Bristol Old Vic.



Interview footage of the actor is almost non-existent, except for a brief excerpt of one given whilst filming "Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers.".



When once asked why he kept making horror movies, the actor replied: "Because I have six daughters to support.".



In 1991, Donald Pleasence appeared in another production of Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker.".



One of his closest friends in the acting industry was Peter Vaughan.



Apart from America and Britain, Donald Pleasence made films in various other countries. These included Italy, the Middle East, France, Australia etc.



According to one of his daughters, the actor had a battle with alcohol for many years. Then from the early 1980s on-wards, he gave it up for good.



Felt he was becoming typecast in horror films but preferred to remain a working actor.



Was cast in the lead in the original theatre production of Robert Shaw's play, "The Man in the Glass Booth" in 1967.





He has appeared in one film that has been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Halloween (1978).

Won London Critics Award for The Caretaker' and the British Variety Award for Best Stage Actor for his performance in 'The Man in the Glass Booth.



Personal Quotes (15)

I'm a professional actor. I get the part. I read the script. If I decide to do it, I learn the lines. I have no theory about acting. For me, there is no Method. I just do it.



I treat all film roles one way - very seriously.





There was a sort of horror picture that I did called The Mutations (1974). I think I did that solely for the money. I have six daughters, and they can be quite expensive, so one has to keep working and be able to pay the bills. I did get to work with Tom Baker . He's a very charming, bright man and I liked him very much. I remember that movie as a very happy time; the whole gang of us were very friendly, and that means so much when you're working together. But I surely wouldn't list that film among my proudest moments.



[on Halloween (1978)] There are parts of the script which I couldn't accept. I believe people are behaving in a way in which they couldn't possibly in real life behave. And that's always difficult because if you're one of the people, then you are the one who's going to look like an idiot.



[on THX 1138 (1971)] It was an enjoyable film to make. Even at that point, I had a feeling George Lucas would go on to do some wonderful things. Technically he knew everything about the business at a very young age.

[from an interview done in 1989] It's gotten to the point where it's big news when I don't do a horror film. At this point in my career, it doesn't bother me much that I'm probably hopelessly typecast. I like to work, and horror films definitely keep me working.





[on The Great Escape (1963)] That was my first big Hollywood picture, and it struck particularly close to home for me because I had been in the RAF and spent some time in a POW camp in Germany. I had a wonderful part and was delighted. Steve McQueen was a bit difficult during the filming, flying in three separate screenwriters to make sure his character was to his liking. Coming from a theater background, I had a lot of qualms with the way this big budget movie was being made, but I kept my mouth shut and was ultimately very happy with the experience.



John Carpenter is the best director I ever worked with. One of the main reasons is his bravery in the way he's cast me in his films. By casting me as the president in Escape from New York (1981) and as the essentially good Dr. Loomis in the original Halloween (1978), he gave me the opportunities that might have been missed had I stayed a stereotypical madman. That casting against type is what made Prince of Darkness (1987) such a lovely bit of business for me. People were walking into the theaters expecting me to be bad, and I ended up representing all the good in the universe.

I don't like horror films. I'm interested in them, but if there were three kinds of film playing across the road at my local cinema, the horror film would not be the one I would go to see. I do a lot of horror films because I'm asked to do them, and I need to make money all the time, so ...



For a while, I wore a toupee because I thought it would help me get work. But it didn't, so eventually I threw it away and said, "They'll have to take me the way I am."





[from an interview in 1988] Being typed as the one who constantly plays the crazy, mixed-up person is something I vehemently deny. I love playing the heavies, like Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (1967); they're usually larger than life and are the characters that most people remember. But as my career has progressed, more and more I'm the good guy chasing after the crazy, mixed-up people. I'm rarely the crazed monster anymore. If the truth be known, I prefer being the pursuer. If the crazed killer was the only role I was being offered, I don't know what I might do to myself.

All kids love horror films. Films of that nature are especially attractive to teenagers for the simple reason that they don't want to sit home with Mom and Dad and watch game shows. Give them a film that's scary, violent, and a little bit funny and they'll be out of the house and into the theaters like a shot.



I don't know if I'm the first actor people think of when it comes to horror films, but I do seem to get these calls pretty regularly. I work all the time, and it's by choice. I've got homes in Spain and France, and I do tend to have, shall we say, extravagant ways. It's nice to know that, at some point, I'll have a month off to work in my garden or be with my grandchildren. But it's equally good to know that a call might come that would take me halfway around the world to make a film.





[on Fantastic Voyage (1966)] I remember being amazed the first day I walked onto the shoot and saw these outsize sets that simulated the human body. I enjoyed that film because, even though my character was the villain, I got to play him as a much gentler person. Of course, he richly deserved to be swallowed by the antibodies at the end.



[om The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)] George Rose and myself were perfectly horrible grave robbers. As I recall, that film had some rather bloody scenes in it which, in 1960, was a rare occurrence in horror films. That was a really atmospheric film, and it portrayed the poverty of 19th century Europe realistically.

Salary (1)