Donald Pleasence, OBE (October 5, 1919 – February 2, 1995) was an English stage and film actor.

His high work rate in international cinema earned him the distinction of being the most prolific film actor at the time of his death with over 500 screen credits. The son of a stationmaster, he was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, and was later brought up in the industrial town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England, where he attended Ecclesfield Grammar School. Although a great many of his characters were villains and psychos, he is perhaps best known for portraying the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, from the James Bond series, and Dr. Sam Loomis in the Halloween saga (I, II, IV, V, VI).

Career

His acting career began in a 1939 production of Wuthering Heights, but was soon interrupted by his service in World War II and two years in a German prisoner-of-war camp. He was at first a conscientious objector, but later joined the Royal Air Force. He was shot down on a bombing raid, taken prisoner and tortured by his captors. At another stage of his captivity, he produced and acted in plays in a prisoner of war camp. He would later play Flight Lt. Colin Blythe in The Great Escape where much of the story takes place inside a POW camp.

He returned to acting after the war, and critics began to call him the "Man with the Hypnotic Eye". Perhaps because of this, and his bald head and quiet but intense voice, he specialised in insane and evil characters, including Prince John in the ITV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, Heinrich Himmler in The Eagle Has Landed and the Bond villain Blofeld in You Only Live Twice. In his later years, he became known to a younger generation as Dr. Loomis in Halloween. His trademark voice may be credited to elocution lessons he had as a child.

His acting hero was Sir Laurence Olivier whom he worked with many times, including the 1979 version of Dracula.

Personal Life

Pleasence was married four times and had five daughters. He was married to Miriam Raymond 1941 - 1958 and had Angela and Jean. His 1959 - 1970 marriage to actress and singer Josephine Martin Crombie produced Lucy and Polly. He was married to Meira Shore 1970 - 1988 and they had a daughter, Miranda. His last marriage to Linda Kentwood lasted until his death in 1995.

Awards and Death

Donald Pleasence was awarded an OBE in 1994. On February 2, 1995 he died in St.-Paul-de-Vence, France from complications from heart valve replacement surgery at the age of 75.

Filmography

• Arrow to the Heart (1952) (TV) - Corporal

• The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955) TV Series Prince John (1955-58)

• 1984 (1956) - R. Parsons

• A Tale of Two Cities (1958) - John Barsad

• Look Back in Anger (1958) - Hurst

• Hell Is a City (1960) - Gus Hawkins

• Sons and Lovers (1960) - Mr. Puppleworth

• The Changing of the Guard (The Twilight Zone) (1962) - Professor Ellis Fowler

• The Caretaker (1963) - Mac Davies/Bernard Jenkins

• The Great Escape (1963) - Flight Lt. Colin 'The Forger' Blythe

• The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) - The Dark Hermit - Satan

• The Hallelujah Trail (1965) - 'Oracle' Jones

• Cul-de-Sac (1966) - George

• Fantastic Voyage (1966) - Dr. Michaels

• The Night of the Generals (1967) - Maj. Gen. Kahlenberg

• Eye of the Devil (1967) - Pere Dominic

• You Only Live Twice (1967) - Ernst Stavro Blofeld

• Will Penny (1968) - Preacher Quint

• Mr. Freedom (1969) - Dr. Freedom

• Soldier Blue (1970) - Isaac Q. Cumber

• THX 1138 (1971) - SEN 5241

• Wake in Fright (1971) - 'Doc' Tydon

• Kidnapped (1971) - Ebenezer Balfour

• Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972) - Thomas Cromwell

• Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974) - Erich Count von Plasma

• The Count of Monte Cristo (1975) (TV) - Danglars

• Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) - Lucas Deranian

• Journey Into Fear (1975) - Kuvetli

• The Passover Plot (1976) - Pontius Pilate

• The Last Tycoon (1976) - Boxley

• The Eagle Has Landed (1976) - Heinrich Himmler

• Jesus of Nazareth (1977) (TV), Melchior

• Oh, God! (1977) - Doctor Harmon

• Telefon (1977) - Nicolai Dalchimsky

• Halloween (1978) - Dr. Sam Loomis

• All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) (TV) - Kantorek

• Puma Man (1980) - Kobras

• Escape from New York (1981) - .U.S. President

• Halloween II (1981) - Dr. Sam Loomis

• Alone in the Dark (1982) - Dr. Leo Bain

• Witness for the Prosecution (1982) (TV) - Mr. Myers

• Warrior of the Lost World (1983) - Prossor

• Master of the Game (1984) (TV), Salomon Van der Merwe

• Phenomena (1985) - Prof. John McGregor

• Prince of Darkness (1987) - Father Loomis

• Django 2: il grande ritorno (1987) - Gunn

• Nosferatu a Venezia (1988) - Don Alvise

• Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) Dr. Sam Loomis

• The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988) (TV) - Dr. Absalon

• Ten Little Indians (1989) - Mr. Justice Lawrence Wargrave

• Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) - Dr. Sam Loomis

• Shadows and Fog (1992) - Doctor

• Diên Biên Phu (1992) - Howard Simpson

• The Hour of the Pig (1993) - Pincheon

• The Thief and the Cobbler (1995) - Phido the Vulture (voice) (original and Majestic Films versions; additional voices in the Miramax version)

• Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) - Dr. Samuel J. 'Sam' Loomis

Television

• One of his earliest roles on television, as Syme in the BBC's highly-acclaimed 1954 adaptation of George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, also starred Peter Cushing - another actor who would go on to find fame in many horror film roles.

• He hosted the 1981 Halloween episode of Saturday Night Live with music guest Fear.

• He starred as Rev. Septimus Harding in the BBC's 1982 production of The Barchester Chronicles

• He first came to America to star in an episode of The Twilight Zone. He played an aging (and suicidal) teacher at a boys' school in the 1962 episode "The Changing of the Guard."

• He played the murderer on an episode of Columbo entitled "Any Old Port in a Storm".