Becoming an actor is probably easier if the talent is already in the family. Ethan Peck, Gregory Peck’s grandson, seems to have inherited his grandfather’s talented genes, as well as his dashing looks.
Yes, you read that right: the young actor is the spitting image of his iconic grandfather.
Born in San Diego in 1916, Gregory Peck went on to become one of the greatest actors in the Golden Age of Hollywood – the American Film Institute ranks him as number 12 on the Greatest Male Stars of Classic Hollywood cinema. His acting was excellent, his good looks and deep, resonant voice were beyond reproach, and his choice of films to star in was impeccable.
The iconic actor then worked with the great director Alfred Hitchcock in Spellbound, co-starring with the legendary Ingrid Bergman. Peck and Bergman had instant chemistry, and even though both were married at the time, they engaged in a love affair off-screen. In 1987, the actor indirectly confirmed the rumors while being interviewed by People magazine, though he wouldn’t share any details.
”Now we get into an area where I can’t answer. All I can say is I had a real love for her, and I think that’s where I ought to stop. Except to say she was like a lovely Swedish rose. I was young. She was young. We were involved for weeks in close and intense work,” Peck said at the time, five years after Bergman’s death.
Peck and Hitchcock’s relationship wasn’t the best, but they did another movie together, The Paradine Case. Even if Peck was somewhat inexperienced and needed a lot of direction, Hitchcock didn’t really giving him much advice. Reportedly, the legendary director was prone to saying things like: ”I couldn’t care less what your character is thinking. Just let your face drain of all expression”.
According to Hitchcock, Peck wasn’t the best actor, but the San Diego native received five nominations for Academy Award for Best Actor. His role as Atticus Finch in the drama To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) finally earned him the coveted Oscar.
To Kill a Mockingbird was probably the movie he is best known for, but Peck appeared in several great movies like Moby Dick (1956), The Big Country (158) or How the West Was Won (1962).
Peck did also important humanitarian work. In 1969 he was honored by President Lyndon B. Johnson, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his lifetime humanitarian efforts.
