Gregory Peck

Born on April 5, 1916 the only child of a druggist in San Diego, California Eldred Gregory Peck was reared by his grandmother. Peck studied pre-med at UC-Berkley and discovered that acting for him. He enrolled in the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and his first stage part was in The Morning Star in 1942. In 1943 he moved back to Hollywood and his first film was Days of Glory in 1944.
The Keys of the Kingdom in 1944 gained Peck an Academy Award nomination and his next film Spellbound garnered him another nomination. Peck was tall ad rugged and extremely handsome and these attributes won him parts in The Yearling in 1946 and another academy award nomination. He appeared in Duel in the Sun in 1946 and Yellow Sky in 1948. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Gentleman's Agreement in 1947 and Twelve O'Clock High 1949. Peck continued to work in films that interested him and he was Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. in 1951 and the star in Moby Dick in 1956. He starred with Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday in 1953. Peck was awarded the Oscar for To Kill a Mockingbird in 1962, for his part as Atticus Finch.
Peck went on to play in the Guns of Navarone in 1961 which was a huge hit. Peck produced two films, The Trail of the Catonsville Nine in 1972 as well as The Dove in 1974. He played Robert Thorn in The Omen 1976 and returned to the screen in The Boys from Brazil in 1978. He continued to make movies through the 1980s and 90s and was cast in Other People's Money in 1991.
Peck was married to Veronique Peck from 1955 until June 2003 (two children). He was also married to Greta Kukkonen from 1942 to 1955. They divorced, but had three children. Peck died on June 12, 2003 in Los Angeles a victim of cardiorespiratory arrest and bronchial pneumonia.