Donald Pleasence

Donald Henry Pleasence OBE was a distinguished English actor who made his mark in both stage and screen. Born on October 5, 1919, he kickstarted his career in the West End theatre before transitioning to the screen. Pleasence is particularly acclaimed for his work in the 1954 BBC adaptation of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and his notable performances in several films including The Great Escape (1963), the James Bond film You Only Live Twice (1967), and THX 1138 (1971). His portrayal of the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice is often considered his most iconic role. In 1978, Pleasence starred in the Halloween franchise as psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis, earning him a nomination for a Saturn Award for Best Actor and enhancing his reputation in the horror film genre. He teamed up with Halloween director John Carpenter for two more films: Escape from New York (1981) and Prince of Darkness (1987).

Born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, Pleasence was the son of a railway station master and developed an interest in acting from an early age. He worked as an aircraft wireless-operator in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War before being captured and held as a prisoner-of-war in a German camp, where he wrote and performed plays for his fellow prisoners. Following his release and discharge from the RAF in 1946, he resumed his acting career with repertory theatre companies in Birmingham and Bristol. Despite his initial reluctance to join the Armed Forces, his experiences during the war significantly influenced his subsequent acting career, often portraying characters with a sinister or evil edge. Pleasence passed away on February 2, 1995, in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, leaving behind an enduring legacy in the realm of stage and screen.