Peter Cushing on Wogan, Part 1

[Ogma01]

What an absolutely delightful man. Lovely interview. Thank you for sharing.

[surfingbananas]

He is so sweet and well spoken. You could listen to his every word. It's the same with Christopher Lee and Vincent Price.

[alicetaylor1984]

The most wonderful man that ever lived!

[SternMann93]

He is Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin! Salute!

[heidijeandramaqueen]

I'm in love with a 90 year old dead man. Sigh. He had an excellent career! He was fantastic in all those "B rated horror films" and he was thrilled he did them.

[ShaolinViolin]

@heidijeandramaqueen can you suggest a military target? THEN NAME THE SYSTEM

[CLIVEMCK]

Peter Cushin Classic Actor, As im a Martial Arts Fan I love and grew up watching 'Legends Of The 7 Golden Vampires' A mix of Kung Fu/Horror Altho i love his and Christopher Lee's old Hammer Horror Classics

[singularku]

what are you doing,mr van helsing?

[tausti]

Now this is and these were the days when we had REAL celebrities with TALENT. All we have these days is the likes of Jordan and the non entities from the only way is Essex. Peter Cushing.....class and a gentleman.

[indiscipline]

no matter how silly a movie is - if it has cushing in it, ti's worth watching! i've never seen an actor bringing even pathetic characters to life in this utterly unpathetic way like he does. he would even make a crappy part like the zookeeper lead character serious business

[Veggieman87]

"Oh, I've gone all Irish!" Lovely sense of humor!

[pufferfishish]

If Whoopi Goldberg had married him she'd be called...

[IMPERIALSTORMTROOPER]

Master craftsman and a true gent

thanks peter for a million memories

RIP

[JoanCollins2009]

love him he was the master of uk horror

[jackchubb]

I was sent here from hotdogcinema wordpress - Great interview, great man.

[simonsteam]

Awsome man and a true gentleman,Wonderful sense of humour too.

[TheGm66]

one of my all time heroes

[onethirdlbofbeef]

0:52?! Is darth vader going to have to choke a bitch?

[Randyr3]

I was always such a fan of Peter

[pierstheoneandonly]

Wow, he was 95 and sharp as a pin.

[MickeyLove01]

@pierstheoneandonly that's weird because he died when he was 81, they really must have dug him up!!

[ghughesarch]

@pierstheoneandonly He was born in May 1913, so only 72 when this was filmed.

[zachthezombie]

did his mother really dress him as a girl or was that a joke

[balrog13571]

It's a pity people can't always be like Peter Cushing. He was a kind and smart man, didn't complain about the work he got, and looked, dressed, and acted like a true gentleman. We could all learn something from men like him.

[olliereedsglass]

Legend

[GardnerGoldsmith]

Peter Cushing. Amazing man. Wry without being crass. Funny and smart. Quick and yet gentlemanly. A formidable man. I recently began to appreciate his amazing acting, and one can see the precision in his roles as well. He strikes me as one of the rarest of great performers, and a true gentleman.

[jegspillerpiano]

@GardnerGoldsmith Preciesly man. That struck me when i was just wtaching an old rerun of the Ghoul,, incredible subtlty, nuance, and menace in his erformace. Every facial expresison and word he says showed the horrific secret he s hiding in that movie!

[rilabila666]

It's really wonderful that both he and Christopher Lee worked together in so many of Hammer Horror films, and then they both get to be awesome Star Wars characters!!! Moff Tarkin and Count Dooku, how cool is that!

[angrydead]

modern actors vs Peter.

Opionated bore's vs a charming polite old man.

[EmpireLS56KW]

You may fire when ready.

He’s better this way at least he isn’t blow up planets or driving the stake though vampires.

Doctor Who

[303rafcio]

Its Moff Tarkin from star wars didn't he?

[Thespilian]

Yep, he was. =)

[KeladryL]

Oh, he's delightful! What a charming man, and what a lovely sense of humor.

[TiniNormi]

Woah, Terry's Chris Lee impression is spot-on, and he wasn't even trying.

[Aaronthegreatest]

I think it's regrettable that an actor of his ability should be best remembered as the lead in a bunch of B rate horror films =/ He was so great as Holmes and in his cameos in Star Wars, but nobody was willing to make better use of him.

[Thespilian]

@Aaronthegreatest: Well, I never saw his genre movies as B rate ... There are some, but every actor has mummies like that in the cellars. =)

[FATGAINER100]

@Thespilian aaaand, he also played Doctor who in "the dalek invasion of earth"

[megaman10ish]

@Aaronthegreatest i would'nt call 'horror of dracula' and 'curse of frankenstein' b movies,did you know they're regarded as classics?

[Aaronthegreatest]

@megaman10ish all I know is that they haven't aged well =/ they just seem corny now, not scary.

[inflames2121]

@Aaronthegreatest His best Hammer Frankenstein and Dracula films are far from typical B-movie fluff. Granted they put out some substandard material into the '70s, but the gems of the series like Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed and Brides Of Dracula are stone-cold classic films. Not to mention superb thrillers like Cash On Demand.

[ludocrat]

@Aaronthegreatest

True, but he probably wouldn't have agreed with you.

[VinnyMonster1]

@Aaronthegreatest He was great at whatever he did. And he loved those B rate horror movies.

[Kaleid7]

A true English gentleman.

[hackett152332]

Peter Cushing is a legend! Love him.

[Nergaladdictchic]

I was so stunned when I found out that Mr. Cushing died a month before I was born in 1994. I really wish I could have known him.

[liam421]

Thanks for this post love this mans work. Great to see this interview thanks so much.

[SnorkyO]

Should have got a knighthood.

[JoanCollins2009]

Love the man what a superb actor

[ilikepetercushin]

Loved him in his horror films. He didnt like them too much but did it for the fans.

[MJSweetChildofGod]

Truly wonderful man, I wish they showed more images from his childhood and teen years.

[deepenhancer]

He was such a very good man.

[deepenhancer]

Peter Cushing was one of the greatest british acrtors of all times. No one will replace him. An humble and sensibile person, a true gentleman with a deep sense of humour and, obviously, an amazing actor. Such a great loss.

[JoanCollins2009]

@deepenhancer

you said that right i am in my early 30s and i love him and all the films he did was amazing x

[deepenhancer]

@JoanCollins2009 He was absolutely brilliant. He played evil masterminds with great class, without any sign of spoofs or caricature. He also portrayed good and brilliant characters against evil forces. He was a true gentleman and a great man. His acting was very keen, very moderated, very down-on-earth. There was a great sense of humanity in his acting. It was a pleasure to see him. He was a man of good old times. He played clear-headed man of Enlightment. He was a man of reason.

[adjusttint]

reminds me of tim roth

[richwicz]

I love Peter Cushing, he's exactly right about his horror movies they do still entertain to this day. I just wish I could have met him and told him how much I enjoyed his films.

[spinout3]

such a great actor.

[willmolinar]

What a legend.  One of the best Holmes ever and Hammer Horror rocks!

[TheKiki1953]

how great 

[Giradius]

Peter Cushing lives in Whitstable...I have seen him buying vegetables :D

Carrie Fisher described him as being like a victorian gentleman.

The definitive Van Hesling and Victor Frankenstein.

His best role in my view was as the anthropologist Emmanuel Hildern in "The creeping flesh", a brilliant movie that was ahead of its time.

[Amorphustruth]

@Giradius sorry to send this 2 months after your comment but...seriously does he still live there, i would love to see him buying veggies...:)

[Giradius]

@Amorphustruth

Sorry to say this to you man, but Peter Cushing died years ago.

The Peter Cushing vegetable thing comes from a song by the Jelly botties (you can search for it here) which was popularised by Alan Davies on QI.

[pitchwhiteawi]

actors nowadays are absolute shit.

[60sThru80s]

@pitchwhiteawi

ABSOLUTELY agree. Not only are they shit, but demographics and marketing "experts" insist that they are YOUNG shit. There is this idiotic idea that young people only want to see other young people on the screen. Which means most actors and actresses today look like they've come out of the same cookie-cutter. When I was a teenager, people like Cushing, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, et al. were the actors that made me pay the money. Not the "pseudo-teenager" actors of today.

[phREaker419]

@60sThru80s Sir, your all true comment gets a thumbs up from me.

[PapSnatchBrim]

@pitchwhiteawi u know

[chestnutsev7]

a great actor and seemingly a lovely man.

[shellyseager]

I have always loved Peter Cushing. God Bless xxx

[1960martyn]

THE BEST 100%

[rockmorhenno1]

I Met Him Fantastcik Gent.

RIP Peter.

[buzzuser5950]

best actor EVER ... why cant they live forever lol

[manzanoben]

I wish I have his brightness and sense of humour when I reach that age. Lovely guy.

[MelancholyMusician]

Bless Peter Cushing. He always had time for his fans and was a true gentleman. I have fond memories of watching as many of his films as I could as a child.

[TheAlienFan]

The first time I watched Tales from the Crypt and saw Peters performance as Arthur Grimsdyke I cried.I thought it was so sad. Watching him in Star Wars he was so evil,total opposite to Grimsdyke and I hated him for that : )  Brilliant actor

R.I.P Peter

[hausgraus]

Charming, touching a gentleman of old school!

And an icon, sadly missed.

[damo007revenge]

What a lovely man! A true fantastic actor and a pleasure to listen to! I could listen to this charming warm man allday!

[ASkywalker1]

this man was an absolute delight, a true gentlemen and very entertaining. Remember him best as Governor Tarkin in Star Wars.

[kenfig]

A true gentleman ; completely engaging and charming

[MrWaynejohn]

old english actors like cushing and pleasance have no time for romancing acting...they just do it ...

[jph3660]

"atmosphere of elegant horror...." Very well put. And a first-rate sort , tooThank you for posting.

[TheCarydal]

Seriously shouldn't peter have been traumatized by the whole drag thing? O_o

[themadhatter34]

no sound???

[Thespilian]

Well ... I can hear it?!

[OttselSpy24]

@Thespilian me too...

[bleuscorpio]

@themadhatter34 Always check the Wave balance

[experimentfive]

A true gent and a fine actor. We'll never see the likes of him again, lovely bloke.

[cuttock]

I love Peter Cushing. Every time I see him, I feel the atmosphere of elegant horror. Great fellow!

[perth45]

What a nice guy...and an icon.....

[ShawDAMAN]

Thanks for posting this interview. He seems like a very kind and charming man. Very sad about his wife. :'(

[HELLO2YOU3]

Dont know how true this is.But i'am sure he once said that all he was doin was weighting to joine his wife who had died some years a go Just go's to show how much one man can love his wife.

[Thespilian]

It's abdolutely true. From 1971 on, when Helen died, he counted the days when he'd be rejoined with her.

[bladrunner6]

its true, he actually said "Since Helen passed on I can't find anything; the heart, quite simply, has gone out of everything. Time is interminable, the loneliness is almost unbearable and the only thing that keeps me going is the knowledge that my dear Helen and I will be united again some day. To join Helen is my only ambition." its all on wikpedia

[Thespilian]

No, he was just making fun. He was (almost) 73.

[CallumJStewart]

2:04 - he LOVES that Christopher Lee impression.

[sbk1983]

En af de bedste skuespiller der har levet!

Hvil i fred Peter Cushing.

En hilsen fra en dansk Sherlockianer

[TitusIsaacMaximus]

2:38-2:46

LOL!

Peter Cushing was a genius. Such an entertaining man to listen to

[thwaites1972]

Peter Cushing was a ture gentleman. As a child I always wanted to meet him and Christopher Lee. I got to meet and shake hands with Christopher Lee but I'm sad to say not Peter. They are still my favorite horror duo. Long live Hammer!!

[Factnotfictionpeople]

What is the difference between The Great Sir Terry Wogan and Jonathan Ross? EVERYTHING! If Ross practiced from now until his ..se healed up, he'd NEVER be good enough to take over from this great man...................

[djs1952]

Such a wonderful man and actor. Nice to see him getting a chance to show his sense of humor. Thanks for posting this.

[GriefTourist]

LEGEND

[splicer45]

One of my heroes.A legend.

[Awezumi]

Awesome as Grand Moff Tarkin

[gfrkiss]

When i think of "The Perfect English Gentleman" only one name comes to mind... This most humble and genial of people , i think the world would be a happier place if we could all just have a small part of Peter in our constitution.. God Bless a True English 'Gentle' man...

[cruiser277777]

legend, RIP

[GhostWatching]

What a wonderful Gentleman, Thankyou so much for this little gem.

[anvilofcrom]

They don't make men like Peter Cushing anymore, a true gentleman.

[Sheza58]

I think he was 73 at the time of this interview. Good old Wikipedia.

[Thespilian]

He was, indeed. =)

[DanielBowden1975]

A true legend and a true gentleman, i think i own more films with him in than anyone else.

I remember when he died, a very sad day for planet earth.

God bless

[DrWhoFigureEpisodes]

He was brill.

In the Dr Who movies

[kirkwanglers32]

RIP A true Gent

[ammorreztristar]

Legend.

[horselaverda]

the late great mr cushing. still watching and enjoying his work. thanks for this

[StayUgly]

*Sigh*... one of my favorite actors...

They alllllways die to soon, don't they?!

[Thespilian]

But then, he was the one who wanted to die ro be with his late wife Helen, wasn't he? =/

[iluvcheezitsheyhey]

Hahaha Peter Cushing was so wonderful. Thank you very, very much for posting this.

[Thespilian]

My pleasure. =)

Funnily, while obviously Disney's Frollo (whom you seem to have a waekness for) was vocally based on Christopher Lee, for me he looked a lot more like Cushing. ;)

[iluvcheezitsheyhey]

Hahaha - I have a major weakness for Frollo. Peter Cushing is practically his human twin. Christopher Lee's got a wonderful voice, though the timbre is a little low for Tony Jay, who voiced Frollo. All of them were/are such great actors.

[dahmersbeeatch1979]

Thank you for posting this. A charming, tender, funny video. V enjoyable.

[annodomin]

It's interesting to hear Peter break into a cockney accent...according to director Val Guest, Peter's natural accent was cockney & he recalls that between takes on "The Abominable Snowman", Peter would adopt a cockney accent & start singing "Knees Up Mother Brown".

Apparently, the well spoken persona we know so well was, like Kenneth Williams, something he cultivated.

[Thespilian]

If I remember correctly, in his autobiography he described how he tried to get into acting and was sent away because of his accent. He had to learn to speak both clearly and without accent, for in the good ol' times you couldn't make a stage career mumbling your lines. ;)

[Tabish29]

Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee made my childhood growing up in London all the more frightening. God bless them both.

[Thespilian]

Lucky childhood then. ;)

[goodkat2]

One of my all time favourite actors , and he seemed a really decent guy

R.I.P Peter

[themachman1969]

thanks for posting.really enjoyed this.r.i.p peter.

[penguinsloveDW]

I know he's old obviously, but am I the only one who thinks he looks ridiculously good for 95? A hundred blessings on him.

[Thespilian]

He was only joking. He was 72 at the time of the show.

[StayUgly]

Um....He was born 1913, I think.... So I'm guessing it was a joke.

[Thespilian]

Indeed. ;)

[tommietucker]

peter cushing , my hero.

[Ricksontube]

Folks, this man was a fine axample of a true gentleman, pure class.........

[SAHBfan]

Many people on this thread have said, quite rightly, what a charming and wonderful man Peter Cushing was, but let us not forget he was a very fine actor. Best remembered for playing Van Helsing in horror films, his versetility went way beyond that. He was equally at home playing Shakespere alongside John Geilgud, was an excellent Sherlock Holmes, did a stunning Winston Smith in 1984 and IMHO was the best Dr. Who of them all.

[Thespilian]

Well, I think he's probably best remembered as Sherlock Holmes, whom he played for Hammer, the BBC, and Tyburn. I don't remember any stage work with Gielgud, but of course he toured with Olivier and Leigh (and played Osric in Olivier's screen Hamlet). In fact, in one of his books Lord Laurence called him "one of the best screen actors".

[SAHBfan]

I was thinking of the 1948 film version of Hamlet, directed by Lawrence Olivier. According to Amazon this stared both Sir John Gielgud and Peter Cushing. Having double checked this on other sites, I now think the Amazon cast list may be wrong, most other sites do not mention Gielgud - so maybe they are confusing versions. Peter Cushing certainly played alongside Olivier, of course :-) As for exactly who he appeared with on the theatre stage, well, that was all a bit before my time!

[susan462]

Thanks for posting, watching this interview made me smile, Peter Cushing was an amazing man..

[NukeFascistAmerica]

My favourite actor.

[AyeOkNowFuckOff]

OH AND G.R.E.A.T. POST!

[AyeOkNowFuckOff]

RIP... there used to be him and CHRIS LEE on most weekends years ago in horror films and my mother used to keep me up to watch them.....MAY GOD BLESS HIS SOUL, he was a gentelman and never caused a problem for anyone!

[psychonaut3]

I'm currently playing Dracula on stage, and I'd love to have Mr Cushing there as Van Helsing. A fantastically fine actor, and a wonderful gentleman to boot. The ideal dinner guest! Gone, but never forgotten!

[kidcharlemagne76]

I don't think people would mind aging so much if they could do so with the grace and elegance of Peter Cushing.

[DarthBelch0]

Well said!

[hamtrak]

Mr. Cushing signed a photo for me in 1977,he was a true gentleman. We all miss him.

[deuce2469]

"govener tarkin.. i smelled your fowl stench amile away!"

[Thespilian]

"Charming ... to the last." ;)

[policemanandrew]

I can only concur what others have said. What a true gentleman. The modern actor with their sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle could learn a lot from the beautiful man.

[tokaicarl]

GOD i miss peter cushing so much- what a nice bloke , funny, no swearing, no pig headed-ness, so kind-- hope your happy with helene where-ever you may be

[borgnine1966]

It was really a great pleasure to see Mr. Cushing like that, thank you very much!

[garytaylor1]

His Acting facial expessions were so believable even when the roles were unbelievable, he made them so true, his movies are among my favourites, I feel lucky to have a personaly signed photo of him, I would never part with it, a Legend and a Gent.

[Dalek1230]

he wasnt 95 at the time!

[Parvati78100]

No, he was born in 1911 and died in 1994.

[Thespilian]

He was born in 1913, in fact. He was 81 when he passed away.

[burnsybaby1987]

What a lovely man!!!, He even pulls himself up for talking too much!

[boneym22]

omg i love him i loved him as grand moff tarkin

[Thespilian]

"Charming ... to the last." ;)

[wyb80]

What a Fantastic man Peter Cushing was, such a Gentleman......Excellent as Dr Who as well!

[ATVmidlands5581]

a fine English gentleman. total integrity and his like are sadly missed.

atvmidlands uk

[kinotonman]

Terry Wogan, your totally out of your depth mate. Peter Cushing is an absolute legend.

[stillceaser]

Peter was possibly the most gracious man I've ever seen. His love for his wife so great, he never got over her death. I so wish there were still men of his calibre and charm today. My hero. Beyond a legend.

[kamelion7]

Thank you so much for this!!! What a true great and a charming man, and as for Terry 'Irish prick' Wogans crack about we dug you up, well at least Peter got to 95 without balancing a ludicrous rug round on his nut thinking no one knew. Thick cunt,

Peter was a legend R.I.P

[Thespilian]

Yeah, well, Peter was just 73 when he appeared here (he was 81 when he died), and for some reasons he must have enjoyed the experience with Wogan - for he returned three times. Do have only three of his appearances, though, and only one of Lee. The third I have to copy on DVD before I can post it.

[ScarlettPluto]

Fucking true. Wogan needs blasting away. I hate the man. He never seems to have any integrity or true compassion/sincerity to anything positive he says. He's always looking for those easy piss-take pokes.

[nokiaduck]

To be fair, Wogan's chat show was (I think) on at about 7pm on a weekday, and he was probably told to keep things very light (ie brainless) to attract casual viewers.

Incidentally, Cushing is a lot more cheerful and flamboyant than you'd expect. Maybe he should have done more comedies?

[Elric33239]

I read in a magazine that Peter and Chris did impersonations of Hollywood character actors like Cagney over the phone to each other! Classy and charming by all accounts and it pisses me off big time that I've never had the honor of seeing him in person and/or meeting him at an American con! Another hero the Grim Reaper got to first! Wogan was OK (Frost is much smarmier!) and it was nice seeing Peter "letting his hair down" with style! Thanks for posting this!

[Azreal93]

Absolutely delightful! Thank you!

[doctorbubble]

What a gentleman and legend he is - along with Vincent price, Boris karloff, Christopher lee and Bela lugosi