Donald Henry Pleasence OBE (5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor of stage and screen.
Biography[]
Service in World War II[]
Pleasence served as an aircraft wireless-operator with No. 166 Squadron, and was serving on Lancaster NE112 on August 31st, 1944[1] when he was shot down[1][2] and bailed out, not expecting to survive.[2]
After unbuckling himself from his parachute, he saw "about fifty Germans" advancing on him, armed with "everything from machine guns to axes", led by a young blond officer. The officer ordered him to pick up his parachute, and Pleasence told him to pick it up himself.[2]
An interaction between the officer and his sergeant in which the sergeant performed a fervent Nazi salute made Pleasence laugh, as he'd only seen such performances in film and hadn't thought they actually acted as such.[2]
Subsequently, he was brought to a hut for a search and inspection, which caused him to remember a collection of condoms he had in his breast pockets, which were used on the plane to protect the delicate microphones. When his searcher reached his pockets, and removed the comments, he stated to Pleasence, "You will not be needing these."[2]
Career[]
Television[]
Pleasence was expected to star as Dr. Watson in an ultimately cancelled program,[3] opposite Robert Shaw as Sherlock Holmes.[4]
Partial Filmography[]
Pleasence wasn't aware of the number of films he'd made; when asked by Michael Aspel about whether his supposed two-hundred-plus film career was a "British record", he replied, "No, I'm not sure of the number, and I don't- I never kept count, you know, when they got past one hundred," referencing another interview he'd done years before with Eamonn Andrews, in which he was asked the same question, and hadn't known then either. He then added, "... which was a silly question, because I got a letter, a fan letter, the next day, or two days later, with a whole list of every film that I'd ever done..."[2]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1963 | The Great Escape | Colin Blythe | |
1966 | Fantastic Voyage | Dr. Michaels | |
1968 | Mr. Freedom | Dr. Freedom | |
1971 | Wake in Fright | Doc Tydon | |
1972 | The Jerusalem File | Major Samuels | |
1972 | Wedding in White | Jim Dougall | |
1972 | Death Line | Inspector Calhoun |
|
1973 | The Rainbow Boys | Ralph Logan | |
1974 | From Beyond the Grave | Jim Underwood | |
1974 | The Mutations | Professor Nolter |
|
1975 | Escape to Witch Mountain | Lucas Deranian | |
1976 | The Eagle Has Landed | Heinrich Himmler | |
1976 | Trial by Combat | Sir Giles Marley |
|
1978 | Blood Relatives | James Doniac | |
1978 | Halloween | Dr. Sam Loomis |
|
1978 | Power Play | Blair |
|
1978 | Blood Relatives | James Doniac | |
1980 | The Puma Man | Kobras | |
1981 | Escape from New York | President of the United States |
|
1981 | Halloween II | Dr. Sam Loomis |
|
1983 | Warrior of the Lost World | Prossor | |
1987 | Spectres | Professor Lasky | |
1987 | Double Target | Senator Blaster | |
1987 | Ground Zero | Prosper Gaffney |
|
1987 | Prince of Darkness | Priest |
|
1988 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers | Dr. Sam Loomis | |
1989 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers | Dr. Sam Loomis | |
1990 | American Tiger | Reverend Mortom |
|
1991 | Shadows and Fog | Doctor | |
1995 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers | Dr. Sam Loomis | |
1996 | Fatal Frames | Professor Robertson | |
2014 | Halloween 6: The Producer's Cut | Dr. Sam Loomis |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1959 | The Scarf | Inspector Harry Yates |
|
1973 | Lonely Water | The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water |
|
1982 | The Barchester Chronicles | Reverend Septimus Harding |
Links[]
- Donald Pleasence on Wikipedia
- Donald Pleasence on IMDB
- Donald Pleasence on TV Tropes
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Flying Officer Donald Pleasence from 166 Squadron.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Aspel & Company - February 8th, 1992
- ↑ USH Volume 3, Section X -- Actors, Performances, and Recordings (continued) - University of Minnesota Libraries - Retrieved 31 May 2025 - Archived 16 April 2016
- ↑ Robert Shaw will play in one hour mystery drama - 11 July 1975 - The Dispatch Lexington, N. C. Volume 94 Number 56 - Retrieved 31 May 2025