FILM
Fatal Frames (1996) with Linnea Quigley and Rossano Brazzi
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) with Paul Rudd, Mitch Ryan, and Kim Darby
Signs and Wonders (1995) with James Earl Jones, Prunella Scales, David Warner, and Colin Farrell
Safe Haven (1995) with Miranda Pleasence
Guinevere (1994) with Noah Wyle
The Big Freeze (1993) with Bob Hoskins
The Advocate (1993) with Colin Firth and Ian Holm
The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) with Vincent Price
Diên Biên Phú (1992)
Shadows and Fog (1991) with Woody Allen, David Ogden Stiers, Mia Farrow, John Malkovich, Madonna, and Lily Tomlin
Millions (1991) with Billy Zane, Lauren Hutton, Carol Alt, Jean Sorel, and Alexandra Paul
L'avvoltoio puo attendere (1991)
Moi, general de Gaulle (1990)
American riscio (1990) with Mitchell Gaylord and Daniel Greene
Buried Alive (1990) with Robert Vaughn, John Carradine, and Ginger Lynn Allen
Women in Arms (1990)
A Caribbean Mystery (1989) with Sophie Ward
Casablanca Express (1989) with Jason Connery, Jean Sorel, and Glenn Ford
Halloween 5 (1989) with Danielle Harris and Ellie Cornell
Paganini Horror (1989)
River of Death (1989) with Michael Dudikoff, Robert Vaughn, Herbert Lom, and L.Q. Jones
Ten Little Indians (1989) with Frank Stallone, Herbert Lom, Brenda Vaccaro, and Warren Berlinger
The House of Usher (1989) with Oliver Reed
The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988) with Christopher Reeve, Judd Hirsch, Michael Nader, and Ian McShane
Hanna's War (1988) with Ellen Burstyn and David Warner
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) with Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris, Michael Pataki, and Kathleen Kinmont
Vampire in Venice (1988) with Klaus Kinski and Christopher Plummer
Last Platoon (1988) with Richard Hatch
Der Commander (1988) with Lee Van Cleef and Brett Halsey
Un delitto poco comune (1988) with Michael York
Prince of Darkness (1987) with Susan Blanchard and Dirk Blocker
Django Strikes Again (1987) with Franco Nero, Christopher Connelly, and William Berger
Ground Zero (1987)
Double Target (1987) with Miles O'Keeffe and Bo Svenson
Basements (1987) with John Travolta, Linda Hunt, Annie Lennox, and Julian Sands
Specters (1987)
Scoop (1987) with Denholm Elliott and Herbert Lom
Warrior Queen (1987) with Sybil Danning
Animali metropolitani (1987)
Hit Man (1986) with Claudia Cardinale
Operation Nam (1986) with Oliver Tobias, Christopher Connelly, Ethan Wayne, and Gordon Mitchell
Into the Darkness (1986) with Polly Jo Pleasence
Honor Thy Father (1986) with Rossano Brazzi, Eddie Constantine, Vincent Gardenia, and Richard Harrison
Sotto il vestito niente (1985)
The Treasure of the Amazon (1985) with Stuart Whitman, Bradford Dillman, and John Ireland
Phenomena (1985) with Jennifer Connelly
Black Arrow (1985) with Oliver Reed and Fernando Rey
To Kill a Stranger (1985) with Dean Stockwell and Aldo Ray
Arch of Triumph (1984) with Anthony Hopkins and Lesley-Anne Down
A Breed Apart (1984) with Rutger Hauer, Powers Boothe, and Kathleen Turner
The Ambassador (1984) with Robert Mitchum, Ellen Burstyn, and Rock Hudson
Frankenstein's Great Aunt Tillie (1984) with Yvonne Furneaux, June Wilkinson, Aldo Ray, and Zsa Zsa Gabor
The Devonsville Terror (1983) with Robert Walker Jr.
Warrior of the Lost World (1983) with Robert Ginty, Persis Khambatta, and Fred Williamson
Where Is Parsifal? (1983) with Tony Curtis, Erik Estrada, Peter Lawford, Ron Moody, and Orson Welles
Alone in the Dark (1982) with Jack Palance and Martin Landau
Computercide (1982) with Susan George and David Huddleston
Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981) with Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, and George Peppard
Halloween II (1981) with Jamie Lee Curtis, Charles Cyphers, Lance Guest, and Pamela Susan Shoop
Escape from New York (1981) with Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Season Hubley, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, and Charles Cyphers
Blade on the Feather (1980) with Tom Conti and Denholm Elliott
The Ghost Sonata (1980)
The Pumaman (1980) with Walter George Alton
The Monster Club (1980) with Vincent Price, John Carradine, Stuart Whitman, Richard Johnson, and Britt Ekland
Better Late Than Never (1979) with Harold Gould, Strother Martin, Tyne Daly, Harry Morgan, Marjorie Bennett, Victor Buono, George Gobel, Jeanette Nolan, Larry Storch, and Joyce Bulifant
Jaguar Lives! (1979) with Christopher Lee, Barbara Bach, Capucine, and Woody Strode
Dracula (1979) with Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, and Kate Nelligan
Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff (1979) with Anne Heywood, Robert Vaughn, Earl Holliman, Carolyn Jones, Ronee Blakley, Dorothy Malone, and Doris Roberts
Jig-Saw (1979) with Angie Dickinson and Hollis McLaren
Gold of the Amazon Women (1979) with Bo Svenson, Anita Ekberg, and Bob Minor
Halloween (1978) with Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Loomis, P.J. Soles, Charles Cyphers, and Kyle Richards
Last In, First Out (1978) with Dennis Hopper and Joseph Cotten
Power Play (1978) with Dick Cavett, David Hemmings, Barry Morse, and Peter O'Toole
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) with Peter Frampton, the Bee Gees, Frankie Howerd, Connie Stevens, and Paul Nicholas
Night Creature (1978) with Nancy Kwan and Ross Hagen
The Bastard (1978) with Andrew Stevens, Tom Bosley, Kim Cattrall, Buddy Ebsen, Lorne Greene, Olivia Hussey, Cameron Mitchell, Harry Morgan, Patricia Neal, Eleanor Parker, and William Shatner
Tomorrow Never Comes (1978) with Oliver Reed, Susan George, Raymond Burr, and John Ireland
Blood Relatives (1978) with Donald Sutherland and David Hemmings
The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978) with Alan Arkin, Shirley Knight, and Ted Shackelford
Telefon (1977) with Charles Bronson, Lee Remick, Tyne Daly, and Sheree North
Oh, God! (1977) with John Denver, George Burns, Teri Garr, Ralph Bellamy, William Daniels, Paul Sorvino, Barry Sullivan, David Ogden Stiers, and Moosie Drier
The Uncanny (1977) with Peter Cushing, Samantha Eggar, Ray Milland, John Vernon, and Jean LeClerc
The Eagle Has Landed (1976) with Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Jenny Agutter, Anthony Quayle, Judy Geeson, Treat Williams, and Larry Hagman
Hindle Wakes (1976) with Rosalind Ayres
The Last Tycoon (1976) with Robert De Niro, Tony Curtis, Robert Mitchum, Jeanne Moreau, Jack Nicholson, Ray Milland, and Dana Andrews
The Passover Plot (1976) with Dan Hedaya and Robert Walker Jr.
Goldenrod (1976) with Tony Lo Bianco
Land of the Minotaur (1976) with Peter Cushing
A Dirty Knight's Work (1976) with John Mills, Barbara Hershey, David Birney, Margaret Leighton, and Peter Cushing
Death of an Informer (1976)
Ubu roi (1976)
Hearts of the West (1975) with Jeff Bridges, Andy Griffith, Blythe Danner, Alan Arkin, Herb Edelman, Alex Rocco, and Frank Cady
Journey Into Fear (1975) with Sam Waterston, Zero Mostel, Yvette Mimieux, Ian McShane, Shelley Winters, Vincent Price, and Jackie Cooper
Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) with Eddie Albert, Ray Milland, Kim Richards, Reta Shaw, and Denver Pyle
The Count of Monte Cristo (1975) with Richard Chamberlain, Trevor Howard, Louis Jourdan, Tony Curtis, and Kate Nelligan
I Don't Want to be Born (1975) with Joan Collins, Ralph Bates, and Caroline Munro
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974) with Barry Crocker and Barry Humphries
Malachi's Cove (1974)
The Freakmaker (1974) with Brad Harris and Julie Ege
The Wolf and the Dove (1974) with Michael Dunn
Occupations (1974)
The Black Windmill (1974) with Michael Caine and John Vernon
Watch Out, We're Mad (1974) with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer
Tales That Witness Madness (1973) with Kim Novak, Georgia Brown, Joan Collins, and Suzy Kendall
The Rainbow Boys (1973)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1973) with Kirk Douglas, Susan George, and Michael Redgrave
From Beyond the Grave (1973) with Peter Cushing, Diana Dors, Margaret Leighton, David Warner, Angela Pleasence, and Lesley-Anne Down
Wedding in White (1972) with Carol Kane
Innocent Bystanders (1972) with Geraldine Chaplin, Dana Andrews, and Sue Lloyd
The Pied Piper (1972) with Donovan, Diana Dors, John Hurt, and Jack Wild
The Jerusalem File (1972) with Bruce Davison, Daria Halprin, and Ian Hendry
Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972) with Charlotte Rampling, Jane Asher, Lynne Frederick, and Brian Blessed
Raw Meat (1972) with David Ladd
Kidnapped (1971) with Michael Caine
Wake in Fright (1971)
THX 1138 (1971) with Robert Duvall and Sid Haig
Soldier Blue (1970) with Candice Bergen, Peter Strauss, Jorge Rivero, and Dana Elcar
Arthur! Arthur! (1969) with Shelley Winters, Terry-Thomas, and Tammy Grimes
The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969) with Katharine Hepburn, Paul Henreid, Yul Brynner, Richard Chamberlain, and John Gavin
Mr. Freedom (1969)
I Love You, I Hate You (1968)
Will Penny (1968) with Charlton Heston, Joan Hackett, Lee Majors, Bruce Dern, Ben Johnson, and Slim Pickens
Creature of Comfort (1968) with Marjorie Bennett
The Diary of Anne Frank (1967) with Theodore Bikel, Viveca Lindfors, Lilli Palmer, Marisa Pavan, and Max von Sydow
Mission Top Secret (1967) with Patrick O'Neal, Henry Silva, and Sorrell Booke
You Only Live Twice (1967) with Sean Connery, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Karin Dor, Desmond Llewelyn, and Charles Gray
The Night of the Generals (1967) with Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Joanna Pettet, Charles Gray, Coral Browne, Christopher Plummer, and Juliette Greco
Fantastic Voyage (1966) with Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O'Brien, Arthur O'Connell, Arthur Kennedy, Barry Coe, and James Brolin
Eye of the Devil (1966) with Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Edward Mulhare, Flora Robson, Sharon Tate, and David Hemmings
Cul-de-sac (1966) with Lionel Stander and Jacqueline Bisset
The Hallelujah Trail (1965) with Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton, Pamela Tiffin, Brian Keith, and Martin Landau
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
The Guest (1963) with Alan Bates and Robert Shaw
The Great Escape (1963) with Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and David McCallum
The Hatchet Man (1962)
Lisa (1962) with Stephen Boyd, Dolores Hart, and Hugh Griffith
Dr. Crippen (1962) with Coral Browne and Samantha Eggar
What a Carve Up! (1961) with Shirley Eaton
Spare the Rod (1961) with Geoffrey Keen
The Wind of Change (1961) with Johnny Briggs and David Hemmings
No Love for Johnnie (1961) with Peter Finch, Stanley Holloway, and Mary Peach
The Horsemasters: Tally Ho (1961) with Annette Funicello, Tommy Kirk, and Janet Munro
The Horsemasters: Follow Your Heart (1961) with Annette Funicello, Tommy Kirk, and Janet Munro
The Hands of Orlac (1960) with Mel Ferrer and Christopher Lee
The Risk (1960) with Peter Cushing and Spike Milligan
The Big Day (1960) with Susan Shaw
Sons and Lovers (1960) with Trevor Howard, Dean Stockwell, Wendy Hiller, Mary Ure, and Heather Sears
Circus of Horrors (1960) with Anton Diffring, Yvonne Romain, and John Merivale
Hell Is a City (1960) with Stanley Baker and John Crawford
The Flesh and the Fiends (1960) with Peter Cushing
The Shakedown (1960) with Terence Morgan and Hazel Court
A Story of David (1960) with Jeff Chandler, Peter Arne, and Barbara Shelley
The Battle of the Sexes (1959) with Peter Sellers and Robert Morley
Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959) with Robert Taylor and Anthony Newley
The Traitor (1959) with Mai Zetterling
Look Back in Anger (1959) with Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, and Mary Ure
The Two-Headed Spy (1958) with Gia Scala and Michael Caine
The Man Inside (1958) with Jack Palance, Anita Ekberg, Nigel Patrick, and Anthony Newley
The Wind Cannot Read (1958) with Dirk Bogarde and Yoko Tani
Heart of a Child (1958) with Charles Gray
A Tale of Two Cities (1958) with Dirk Bogarde and Christopher Lee
I Spy (1958)
All at Sea (1957) with Alec Guinness and Lionel Jeffries
Stowaway Girl (1957) with Trevor Howard, Elsa Martinelli, and Pedro Armendáriz
Decision Against Time (1957) with Lionel Jeffries
The Black Tent (1956) with Anthony Steel
1984 (1956) with Edmond O'Brien, Michael Redgrave, and Jan Sterling
Value for Money (1955) with John Gregson and Diana Dors
Orders Are Orders (1954) with Peter Sellers
The Face of Love (1954) with Peter Cushing
Montserrat (1954) with Denholm Elliott
The Beachcomber (1954) with Glynis Johns
The Dybbuk (1952)
TELEVISION SERIES
Centennial, 1978-1979 NBC mini-series. Pleasence portrayed Sam Purchas
The Scarf, 1959 BBC TV series. Pleasence portrayed Detective Inspector Harry Yates
TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Screen Two, episode Femme Fatale, originally aired February 7, 1993
Lovejoy, episode The Prague Sun, originally aired December 27, 1992
The Ray Bradbury Theater, episode Punishment Without Crime, originally aired April 16, 1988
Hallmark Hall of Fame, episode The Corsican Brothers, originally aired February 2, 1985
Play for Today, episode The Falklands Factor, originally aired April 26, 1983
Hallmark Hall of Fame, episode Witness for the Prosecution, originally aired December 4, 1982
Dick Turpin, episode Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure: Part 4, originally aired June 6, 1981
Hallmark Hall of Fame, episode All Quiet on the Western Front, originally aired November 14, 1979
Mrs. Columbo, episode Murder Is a Parlor Game, originally aired March 1, 1979
BBC2 Playhouse, episode The Mind Beyond: Meriel, the Ghost Girl, originally aired September 29, 1976
Shades of Greene, episode The Root of All Evil, originally aired October 7, 1975
Performance, episode The Captain of Kopenick, originally aired January 1, 1975
BBC2 Playhouse, episode The Cafeteria, originally aired August 13, 1974
BBC2 Playhouse, episode The Joke, originally aired August 6, 1974
Columbo, episode Any Old Port in a Storm, originally aired October 17, 1973
Great Mysteries, episode Captain Rogers, originally aired September 1, 1973
Thirty-Minute Theatre, episode The Joke, originally aired August 9, 1973
The Man Outside, episode A Glass of Snake Wine, originally aired July 7, 1972
Hawaii Five-O, episode The Ninety-Second War: Part II, originally aired January 18, 1972
Play for Today, episode Skin Deep, originally aired November 25, 1971
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, episode The Horse of the Invisible, originally aired October 18 ,1971
Play for Today, episode The Foxtrot, originally aired April 29, 1971
Confession, episode The Fell Sergeant, originally aired August 21, 1970
Thirty-Minute Theatre, episode The News Benders, originally aired January 10, 1968
Armchair Theatre, episode Call Me Daddy, originally aired April 8, 1967
Seven Deadly Sins, episode The Good & Faithful Servant, originally aired April 6, 1967
Thirty-Minute Theatre, episode Taste, originally aired January 4, 1967
The Wednesday Play, episode The Head Waiter, originally aired November 9, 1966
ITV Play of the Week, episode The Move After Checkmate, originally aired May 2, 1966
The Fugitive, episode With Strings Attached, originally aired March 15, 1966
Armchair Mystery Theatre, episode Ambrose, originally aired September 26, 1965
The Defenders, episode Fires of the Mind, originally aired February 18, 1965
Espionage, episode The Liberators, originally aired March 11, 1964
Armchair Theatre, episode The Bandstand, originally aired January 1, 1964
The Outer Limits, episode The Man with the Power, originally aired October 7, 1963
Twilight Zone, episode The Changing of the Guard, originally aired June 1, 1962
Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond, episode The Confession, originally aired April 11, 1961
Danger Man, episode Find and Return, originally aired January 8, 1961
Armchair Theatre, episode The Cupboard, originally aired December 11, 1960
Danger Man, episode Position of Trust, originally aired October 23, 1960
Interpol Calling, episode The Absent Assassin, originally aired June 5, 1960
BBC Sunday-Night Play, episode Twentieth Century Theatre: The Assassin, originally aired May 29, 1960
Rendezvous, episode The Dodo, originally aired May 18, 1960
ITV Play of the Week, episode Double Indemnity, originally aired March 29, 1960
The Four Just Men, episode The Survivor, originally aired January 21, 1960
Armchair Theatre, episode Small Fish Are Sweet, originally aired November 8, 1959
ITV Television Playhouse, episode The Silk Purse, originally aired September 11, 1959
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre, episode The Millionairess, originally aired September 6, 1959
Armchair Theatre, episode A House of His Own, originally aired July 26, 1959
ITV Television Playhouse, episode Mr. Browne Comes Home, originally aired July 10, 1959
William Tell, episode The Spider, originally aired June 1, 1959
Armchair Theatre, episode The Greatest Man in the World, originally aired November 9, 1958
ITV Television Playhouse, episode Fate and Mister Browne, originally aired August 8, 1958
The Adventures of Robin Hood, episode Marian's Prize, originally aired June 16, 1958
Armchair Theatre, episode No Flags for Geebang, originally aired June 8, 1958
Armchair Theatre, episode Man in a Moon, originally aired November 17, 1957
Assignment Foreign Legion, episode The Coward, originally aired February 22, 1957
The Adventures of Robin Hood, episode Ambush, originally aired February 11, 1957
The Adventures of Robin Hood, episode Isabella, originally aired November 19, 1956
The Adventures of Robin Hood, episode A Village Wooing, originally aired October 1, 1956
ITV Television Playhouse, episode Chance Meeting, originally aired September 27, 1956
ITV Television Playhouse, episode Ever Since Paradise, originally aired August 9, 1956
The Adventures of Robin Hood, episode The Prisoner, originally aired July 9, 1956
ITV Play of the Week, episode One, originally aired April 16, 1956
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre, episode The Moment of Truth, originally aired March 6, 1955
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre, episode Nineteen Eighty-Four, originally aired December 12, 1954
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre, episode Such Men Are Dangerous, originally aired February 28, 1954
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre, episode Arrow to the Heart, originally aired July 20, 1952
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Born on October 5, 1919 in a Dickensian industrial town in England, actor Donald Pleasence longed to escape a dreary existence. In his youth, he worked as a
railway station clerk but left that job to pursue a career as an actor. He joined a repertory company at the Playhouse on the Channel Island of Jersey, landing
his first stage role at the age of 20. When World War II broke out, Pleasence joined the Royal Air Force and was shot down in 1944, at which time he was put in
a German POW camp where he staged plays for his fellow prisoners. Following the war, he returned to the stage in London and, later, Broadway. His film career
didn't start until he was about 35 years old, in the drama The Beachcomber (1954; with Glynis Johns). He also did quite a bit of television work in the
1950s and 1960s, acting in such TV programs as Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and The Fugitive.
While horror fans remember Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis in the Halloween series of films, during his 40-year career in films he made dozens of low-budget
horror films, including Circus of Horrors (1960; with Anton Diffring and Yvonne Romain), The Freakmaker (1974; with
Brad Harris and Julie Ege), and I Don't Want to Be Born (1975; with Joan Collins and
Caroline Munro). Interestingly, he didn't appear in a horror film until 1960. In the 1950s, he acted primarily in British dramas
and comedies. His career in films didn't really get off the ground until the late 1950s, and as his career progressed Pleasence became well known for his portrayals
of villains. After starring in the horror films Halloween (1978; with Jamie Lee Curtis and P.J. Soles) and Dracula (1979; with Frank Langella),
Pleasence immediately went from antagonist to protagonist for the remainder of his career.
