
" After we started designing the costumes, and I saw what Darth Vader looked like, I felt I really needed a human villain, too, because you can't see Darth Vader's face. One of Cushing's Frankenstein sequels was the 1974 film Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, in which Frankenstein's monster was portrayed by David Prowse, wearing what Cushing described as a "bald cap and a diaper." Star Wars Casting He would cycle to his wife's grave every day. Cushing's wife, Helen Beck, died in 1971, causing Cushing to work in at least twenty films in the following five years as a way of dealing with his grief. He also portrayed the role of Sherlock Holmes in a 1965 television series.
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Although not a particular fan of science fiction, Cushing starred in several films of that genre throughout his career, including two films in the 1960s based on the popular British television series Doctor Who. Cushing appeared alongside Christopher Lee in almost twenty-five films, and the two became very close friends. His most prominent role was that of the villainous Baron Victor Frankenstein in The Curse of Frankenstein and its sequels. He was widely known for roles in numerous horror films made by the British Hammer Studios, throughout the 1950s to the 1970s. Peter Wilton Cushing was born in Kenley, a district in the English county of Surrey, on May 26, 1913. Peter Cushing achieved notoriety for his performances in Hammer horror films, including The Curse of Frankenstein. " I suppose I couldn't help becoming well known, because my Hammer films are shown on television somewhere in the world nearly every day." ―Peter Cushing His portrayal of Tarkin influenced the performances of several other actors in Star Wars projects, including Stephen Stanton, Richard E. In the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Cushing's likeness was recreated to play Tarkin via motion capture over the performance of Guy Henry, with permission granted by Cushing's estate. Cushing's involvement in Star Wars later influenced Lee's participation in the prequel trilogy films on account of their friendship. Cushing enjoyed the film greatly and was proud of its success, describing his only disappointment as that his character's death meant that he could not reprise the role in the sequels. Given Cushing's well-known status, he was paid a higher salary than the film's lead actors, Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford, and promotional materials presented Tarkin as the main villain. He admitted that he struggled with the level of technical jargon and special effects used in the film, but worked hard to ensure that his character's dialogue sounded confident. Cushing was a courteous but good-humoured figure and became well-liked amongst the film's other cast members, with Carrie Fisher commenting that she found it difficult to act as though she hated his character. The boots created for Cushing's character were ill-suited for the size of his feet, leading the actor to ask Lucas to let him wear slippers and to shoot his scenes from the waist up. His part in the film was recorded over a two week period in May, 1976. Cushing accepted the role on the basis that he felt his fans would enjoy seeing him in a science fiction film. When developing the 1977 film Star Wars, George Lucas cast Cushing in the role of Grand Moff Tarkin to provide a human counterpart for the primary villain Darth Vader, although Cushing claimed he was approached for the role of the noble Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Peter Wilton Cushing ( – August 11, 1994) was an English actor who gained wide recognition for his roles in the Hammer Studios horror films of the 1950s to the 1970s alongside Christopher Lee. I thought kids would adore Star Wars, since they love all things about outer space." ―Peter Cushing I try to consider what the audience would like to see me do. " My criterion for accepting a role isn't based on what I would like to do.
