Ringside Report Looks Back at Legendary Actor Gregory Peck (1916-2003)

[AdSense-A]

By James “Giacomo” Gatto

I was around seventeen when I first watched To Kill A Mockingbird. That story had a great impact on me, for at the time I was just beginning to understand what the world was all about—the important things. Not “who won the game today.” The story itself really hit home. But it was many years later when I realized that the story wouldn’t have had nearly the same impact had it not been for Gregory Peck. I have always been a huge fan of films, and in the proceeding years I had begun to notice Gregory Peck in other great films. I began to realize that most of those films wouldn’t have had quite the impact they did had it not been for this great actor’s presence.

As a drama student in the eighties, I had been encouraged to watch everything I could get my hands on. In those days VHS tapes were a fairly new medium, and only the contemporary films were readily available. It took a while for the older films to have been remastered and put on tape. As those old films were made available, I happily plucked them from the crowded racks at my local video rental shop. During that time, I spent many hours watching old films and learning about some of the great actors that I had only heard about or had the opportunity, once in a great while, to watch on late night TV. I found myself most often seeking any new arrival on which I spotted Gregory Peck’s name. In a short time, I had watched most of his films. He (along with a few others) had found a special place in my heart. It seemed to me that Atticus Finch and Gregory Peck were the very much the same people.

This was just my intuition. Atticus Finch is as close to the perfect man as one could hope to be. And the more I learned about Mr. Peck’s life the more my suspicions were confirmed. For example, a little-known fact is Gregory’s insistence on giving Audrey Hepburn top billing in one of her first films, Roman Holiday, in which Gregory Peck was her costar. Already a huge star himself, he felt her dazzling performance was worthy of a bump. A gesture rarely seen in today’s world, where egos are one bigger than the other, and cash is king. I remember watching an interview with Gregory Peck shortly after he had played Joseph Mengele in The Boys From Brazil. I’m paraphrasing here, but he commented that he found it very difficult to play such a man–one that he so despised. Yet, the consummate professional, he transformed himself into this horrible human being in his chilling portrayal of the Nazi doctor known as the “Angel of Death”. Always the good guy, this was a huge departure from his comfort zone, and, in my opinion, a commendable feat for an actor who has difficulties identifying with his character. He was also a lifelong liberal and staunch defender of civil liberties and was even encouraged to run for the governorship of California against fellow Hollywood star and future President Ronald Reagan. What a different world we would be living in today!

I found myself drawn to this man’s work—at first, not for his humanitarianism, but for his acting skills. The majestic voice, the ease with which he moved, as if so comfortable with his character, his surroundings, the camera. He owned it. The unassuming lady’s man. Always the gentleman—it’s in the eyes, folks. His performance in Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound was, well…spellbinding. His portrayal of lawyer Sam Bowden, whose unflinching courage while protecting his family from the relentless terrorism of a madman in the original Cape Fear, was a stunning portrayal of a balance of fear and composure. Again, the eyes. I believed he was General MacArthur, in the biopic MacArthur, where he addressed the West Point graduates for the final time: “Today marks my final roll call with you. I want you to know that when I cross the river my last conscious thoughts will be of The Corps, and The Corps, and The Corps. I bid you farewell”. That final scene never gets old. I’ve watched it countless times.

And finally, back to To Kill A Mockingbird. For so many reasons this is one of my favorite films of all time. For one, it introduced me to one of my favorite actors. And, Atticus Finch is perhaps the greatest movie character of all time. But if not for the great Gregory Peck, I’m not so sure this would be true. In my opinion this was a perfect performance. Not one movement, not one word out of place, but Harper Lee’s gentleman lawyer can only have been delivered to us so convincingly by the great Gregory Peck. He was born to play Atticus Finch, and we are, with great fortune, gifted with the convergence of those two icons captured on film.

Eldred Gregory Peck passed away on June 12, 2003, at the age of 87. On that day we lost great a humanitarian and one of the greatest actors of all time.

[si-contact-form form=’2′]