With the number of movies Donald Pleasence boasts on his portfolio, one would think that he never turned down a role throughout his career. The actor’s performances speak for themselves, and he’s played quite a few iconic characters, but more on that later. Pleasence has been nominated for the Tony Award for best performance four times. To celebrate his reign of acting, here are some of his best performances, ranked.
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6 The Great Escape (1963)
United Artists
Based on a non-fiction book of the same name by Paul Brickhill, The Great Escape is a war film that incorporates elements of adventure and suspense. The movie retells how a group of British Commonwealth prisoners of war escaped from German POW camp Stalag Luft III in Sagan in Nazi Germany. Over the years, the film has gained quite the reputation of being a dad movie, but it’s a thrilling watch, regardless. Donald Pleasence plays the part of Blythe, a birdwatcher, photographic aerial reconnaissance pilot, and camp forger.
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Steve McQueen definitely grabs the audience’s attention with various heroic gestures; however, it’s Pleasence’s Blythe that really tugs at the audience’s heartstrings. With the patrolling soldiers drawing in close, Pleasence has no way of escaping, as he’s not only nearly blinded, but his stolen plane has also crashed. Blythe takes his final breath in Scrounger’s (James Garner) arms right after thanking him for helping him escape the Nazi camp. It’s rather heartbreaking to see Blythe come so close to freedom, yet never achieve it.
5 Cul-de-sac (1966)
Art Theatre Guild
Roman Polanski’s psychological comedy thriller Cul-de-sac centers around a couple that lives in a castle and a criminal who terrorizes them for two days. Polanski puts more emphasis on the comedic element, and the cast brings to the mix elements of horror, giving the overall film an eerie feeling. The movie has its share of absolutely ridiculous movements that involve a box of kites, pressure cookers, Dior ties, and omelets. Donald Pleasence plays the part of George, the artsy intellectual who owns the castle. Pleasence is absolutely hilarious when needed, but becomes terrifying when one realizes that he’s a man going mad. Cul-de-sac received the Best Film Award at the Berlin Film Festival.
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4 Fantastic Voyage (1966)
20th Century Studios
Directed by Richard Fleischer, Fantastic Voyage is a science fiction adventure film that uses the concept of miniaturization. Within the narrative of the film, a submarine is shrunk to the size of a microbe so that it can venture into the body of a Soviet spy to repair his brain injury. Pleasence portrays Dr. Michaels, the chief medical officer, who is not only claustrophobic, but is also suspected to be a traitor. It’s not just Pleasence’s delivery of dialogue that makes this role so memorable, but rather his performance as a whole. From the get-go, the audience can sense the shiftiness in his character that may cause trouble for the crew at some point or the other.
3 Will Penny (1967)
Paramount Pictures
Donald Pleasence has only done a handful of westerns, which is quite a shame, especially if you take into account his performance in Will Penny. The film diverts from the classic western structure that focuses on heroics and actions; rather, the film can be seen as a character study that attempts to portray the life and psychology of a cowboy. Pleasence plays the part of Preacher Quinn, a pious Christian, and leader of a clan of roughnecks. Preacher Quinn is extremely religious and perhaps even a little crazy. It’s rather amusing to see him shrieking about the wrath of the Lord.
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2 You Only Live Twice (1967)
One of Donald Pleasence’s most iconic roles is definitely his performance as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice, the fifth film in the James Bond franchise. Blofeld is definitely the most iconic of Bond villains. The most interesting part about Pleasence’s role in this movie is that the audience gets a proper look at his character quite later on in the movie. The first time the audience sees Blofeld, he’s sitting with his back to the audience, and only his hand is visible, with which he’s stroking his cat. For a major chunk of the film, the audience either hears his German accent or gets a glimpse of his hand as he pets his cat. It’s only when Blofeld reveals himself to James Bond that the audience too, gets their first glimpse of the mastermind villain. To think that Pleasence was able to capture his audience simply with his voice is quite remarkable. In fact, his performance was so amazing that it inspired quite a few characters later on. For instance, Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers series and Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget were both inspired by Pleasence’s performance as Blofeld.
1 Halloween (1978)
Compass International PicturesSony Pictures
If one were to pick one defining performance of Pleasence, it would be his portrayal of Dr. Sam Loomis, the psychiatrist who is responsible for taking care of Michael Myers. When Pleasence first signed for the role, he probably had no idea the success Halloween would gather over the years. In fact, Pleasence mostly took on the role because his daughter was a fan of Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13. Imagine the surprise, when he had to return for not only the sequel but for all four future installments. The audience really gets to see Pleasence’s skill as an actor in this role. In fact, Dr. Loomis’s unsurprising reaction to Michael Myers’ idea. He suggested that instead of a surprising look, it would make more sense for Dr. Loomis to have an “I knew this would happen” reaction. Interestingly, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers and Halloween H2O: Twenty Years Later are both dedicated to Pleasence.
