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Donald Pleasence

Donald Pleasence

77 movies on Netflix

Biography

Donald Pleasence was an English actor whose nearly 60-year career took in over 250 stage, film, and television roles. Born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, he began on the West End stage before moving into screen work, including a 1954 BBC version of Nineteen Eighty-Four. He built a reputation for nervy, unstable characters, among them the POW forger Colin Blythe in The Great Escape (1963), the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (1967), SEN 5241 in THX 1138 (1971), and the deranged doctor in Wake in Fright (1971). He starred as Dr. Samuel Loomis in Halloween (1978) plus four sequels, earning a Saturn Award nomination, then played the President in Escape from New York (1981) and a priest in Prince of Darkness (1987). His stage work brought a Drama Desk Award and four Tony nominations, and in 1994 he was appointed to the Order of the British Empire as an Officer.

75years old at death

  • Born Worksop
  • Died Saint-Paul-de-Vence
  • Star sign: LibraThe sign runs September 23 to October 22
  • Donald Henry Pleasence (birth name)

Movie Career

Films
77
Career span
41 years1954 to 1995

Genres

First and latest

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  1. A role that slipped away

    Michael Reeves chose Pleasence for the title role in the folk horror film Witchfinder General, but when American International Pictures joined the production, the studio insisted on its contract star Vincent Price, so Pleasence was dropped.

  2. First role

    Pleasence made his first professional stage appearance in July 1939 with the Kent-Naismith Rep Company in Jersey, where he was assistant stage manager and played Hareton Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights.

Donald Pleasence movies on Netflix

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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  1. Halloween1978 Horror, Thrilleras Loomis

    IMDb rating 7.7343K votes

  2. Halloween II1981 Horror, Thrilleras Sam Loomis

    IMDb rating 6.5113K votes

  3. Escape from New York1981as President

    IMDb rating 7.1175K votes

  4. The Great Escape1963as Blythe 'The Forger'

    IMDb rating 8.2280K votes

  5. Prince of Darkness1987as Priest

    IMDb rating 6.656K votes

  6. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers1988as Dr. Sam Loomis

    IMDb rating 5.865K votes

  7. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers1995as Dr. Loomis

    IMDb rating 4.747K votes

  8. THX 11381971as SEN

    IMDb rating 6.658K votes

Most often with

John Carpenter directed three of these films, John Sturges three and Delbert Mann two. Peter Cushing appears in five of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Peter Cushing, 5 films togetherSee the 5 films with Peter CushingMichael Caine, 3 films togetherSee the 3 films with Michael CaineVincent Price, 3 films togetherSee the 3 films with Vincent PriceTony Curtis, 3 films togetherSee the 3 films with Tony CurtisJamie Lee Curtis, 3 films togetherSee the 3 films with Jamie Lee CurtisMartin Landau, 3 films togetherSee the 3 films with Martin LandauJohn CarpenterDirector, 3 filmsSee the 3 films by John CarpenterJohn SturgesDirector, 3 filmsSee the 3 films by John SturgesDelbert MannDirector, 2 filmsSee the 2 films by Delbert Mann

Films together

Box office

What Donald Pleasence's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$498 million

24 of the 77 films have a worldwide figure.

Of the 77 films: 24 worldwide figure; 4 us gross only; 7 never in cinemas; 42 figure not found.

  • 24Worldwide figure
  • 4US gross only
  • 7Never in cinemas
  • 42Figure not found

Top grosser

You Only Live Twice1967as Blofeld$112 million

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 76% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

  1. 1
    You Only Live Twice1967as Blofeld
    $112M22.4% of the total
  2. 2
    Halloween1978as Loomis
    $70M14.1% of the total
  3. 3
    Escape from New York1981as President
    $50M10.1% of the total
  4. 4
    Oh, God!1977as Doctor Harmon
    $42M8.4% of the total
  5. 5
    Watch Out, We're Mad1974as The Doctor
    $37M7.4% of the total
  6. 6
    Halloween II1981as Sam Loomis
    $26M5.1% of the total
  7. 7
    Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band1978as B.D. Hoffler
    $20M4.1% of the total
  8. 8
    Escape to Witch Mountain1975as Lucas Deranian
    $20M4.0% of the total
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), $17.8 millionThe Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), $15.5 millionHalloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995), $15.1 millionPrince of Darkness (1987), $14.2 millionFantastic Voyage (1966), $12.0 millionThe Great Escape (1963), $11.7 millionHalloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), $11.6 millionTerror in the Aisles (1984), $8.3 millionThe Hallelujah Trail (1965), $4.0 millionShadows and Fog (1991), $2.7 millionTHX 1138 (1971), $2.4 millionThe Night of the Generals (1967), $2.4 millionHearts of the West (1975), $1.6 millionAlone in the Dark (1982), $1.4 millionThe Thief and the Cobbler (1993), $669,276Wake in Fright (1971), $371,717

$122 millionfrom the other 16 films with a worldwide figure, 24% of the total

Awards

One award and honor.

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Donald Pleasence's awards and nominations, grouped by award
YearAwardFilmResult
Other honors
1994Officer of the Order of the British EmpireWon

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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