Biografie

Often worked with his off-screen inseparable friend Christopher Lee frequently playing mortal enemies on-screen. After he died, Lee said in an interview that he never felt closer and more open to any of his other friends than he felt to Peter.

He and his best friend Christopher Lee were huge fans of the Looney Tunes cartoons. They would often imitate the voices of characters to one another and they were once asked to leave a theater showing a Sylvester and Tweety cartoon, because they were laughing hysterically.

In 1945 with no money for presents, he found a large piece of silk, cut it into a neat square, painted Dickens characters on it and gave it to his wife as a present. She later loaned it to a friend who wore it to a party where it was seen by a textile manufacturer who gave Peter a contract as a silk scarf designer. Amongst those he designed were those for the Festival of Britain and the Coronation.

The costume boots they gave Cushing for Star Wars: Episode IV - Eine neue Hoffnung (1977) were too small and hurt his feet. Cushing told George Lucas this, and asked if he could wear slippers instead. Lucas agreed, and shot Cushing from the waist up for nearly all his scenes to compensate for Cushing's slippers.

Was nicknamed "Props" because of his skill with using props to make his performances more natural. His characters frequently were fussing with one object or another in ways that made sense in the story or gave depth to the character. When cast in a role, he would often surprise the director with a list of things that the character would be carrying in their pockets, and how they would use them. This skill is often studied by actors today.

Who wants to see me as Hamlet? Very few. But millions want to see me as Frankenstein so that's the one I do.

If I played Hamlet, they'd call it a horror film.

Teeth are a vitally important part of an actor's equipment. I have over 30 toothbrushes at home and always keep a good supply at the studio.

I hate the word 'hate'.

[on the wig he had to wear for Frankensteins Höllenmonster (1974)] It made me look like Helen Hayes.