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Background[]

The late Vincent Price ( b. 27 May 1911 - d. 25 October 1993 ) was an American actor who appeared in radio broadcasts as well as live action classic stage theater, television and cinematic roles; and voice acting performances. He was particularly well known for his love of character roles and was frequently typecast in horror films; usually as the charismatic and debonair villain.

Price was renowned for his velvety voice which was his trademark. This earned him a number of voice acting roles―but is probably best known for being the sinister monologue at the very conclusion of Michael Jackson's 1983 "Thriller" song culminating in his infamous evil cackling laughter.

Price was also well known as an art historian, an avid art collector, and a gourmet cook.

Biography[]

Personal Life[]

Filmography[]

  • Service de Luxe (1938)
  • The Shoemaker's Holiday (1938)
  • The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
  • Tower of London (1939)
  • The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
  • Green Hell (1940)
  • The House of the Seven Gables (1940)
  • Brigham Young (1940)
  • Hudson's Bay (1941)
  • The Song of Bernadette (1943)
  • The Eve of St. Mark (1944)
  • Wilson (1944)
  • Laura (1944)
  • The Keys of the Kingdom (1944)
  • A Royal Scandal (1945)
  • Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
  • Shock (1946)
  • Dragonwyck (1946)
  • The Web (1947)
  • The Long Night (1947)
  • Moss Rose (1947)
  • Up in Central Park (1948)
  • Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
  • Rogues' Regiment (1948)
  • The Three Musketeers (1948)
  • The Bribe (1949)
  • Bagdad (1949)
  • The Christmas Carol (1949)
  • The Baron of Arizona (1950)
  • Champagne for Caesar (1950)
  • Curtain Call at Cactus Creek (1950)
  • Adventures of Captain Fabian (1951)
  • His Kind of Woman (1951)
  • Fireside Theatre (1951) 1 episode
  • Lux Video Theatre (1951-56) 4 episodes
  • The Las Vegas Story (1952)
  • Lights Out (1952) 1 episode
  • Chesterfield Presents (1952) 1 episode
  • Pulitzer Prize Playhouse (1952) 1 episode
  • Gruen Guild Theater (1952) 1 episode
  • Robert Montgomery Presents (1952) 1 episode
  • Schlitz Playhouse (1952-58) 5 episodes
  • House of Wax (1953)
  • Summer Theatre (1953) 1 episode
  • The Plymouth Playhouse (1953) 1 episode
  • The Philip Morris Playhouse (1953) 1 episode
  • Dangerous Mission (1954)
  • Born in Freedom: The Story of Colonel Drake (1954)
  • Casanova's Big Night (1954)
  • The Orange Coast College Story (1954)
  • The Mad Magician (1954)
  • Son of Sinbad (1955)
  • TV Reader's Digest (1955) 1 episode
  • Crossroads (1955-56) 3 episodes
  • Climax! (1955-57) 3 episodes
  • Serenade (1956)
  • While the City Sleeps (1956)
  • The Alcoa Hour (1956) 1 episode
  • The Vagabond King (1956)
  • Science Fiction Theatre (1956) 2 episodes
  • The Ten Commandments (1956)
  • Playhouse 90 (1956-57) 3 episodes
  • General Electric Theater (1956-58) 3 episodes
  • Matinee Theatre (1956-58) 2 episodes
  • The Red Skelton Hour (1956-71) 19 episodes
  • Shower of Stars (1957) 1 episode
  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1957) 1 episode
  • The Story of Mankind (1957)
  • Studio 57 (1957) 1 episode
  • Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre (1957) 1 episode
  • Half Hour to Kill (1958)
  • Collector's Item (1958)
  • The Fly (1958)
  • Have Gun - Will Travel (1958) 1 episode
  • House on Haunted Hill (1959)
  • Return of the Fly (1959)
  • The Big Circus (1959)
  • The Tingler (1959)
  • The Bat (1959)
  • Riverboat (1959) 1 episode
  • Adventures in Paradise (1960) 1 episode
  • Startime (1960) 1 episode
  • House of Usher (1960)
  • The Chevy Mystery Show (1960) 1 episode
  • Family Classics: The Three Musketeers (1960)
  • The United States Steel Hour (1960) 1 episode
  • The Best of the Post (1961) 1 episode
  • Master of the World (1961)
  • Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
  • Nefertite, regina del Nilo (1961)
  • Rage of the Buccaneers (1961)
  • Famous Ghost Stories (1961)
  • Confessions of an Opium Eater (1962)
  • Tales of Terror (1962)
  • Convicts 4 (1962)
  • Tower of London (1962)
  • The Raven (1963)
  • Diary of a Madman (1963)
  • Beach Party (1963)
  • The Haunted Palace (1963)
  • Twice-Told Tales (1963)
  • The Comedy of Terrors (1963)
  • The Last Man on Earth (1964)
  • The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
  • The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)
  • City in the Sea (1965)
  • Moment of Fear (1965) 1 episode
  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1965) 1 episode
  • Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965)
  • The Wild Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot (1965)
  • Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966)
  • Clown Alley (1966)
  • Batman (1966-67) 7 episodes
  • F Troop (1967) 1 episode
  • Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1967) 1 episode
  • House of 1,000 Dolls (1967)
  • The Jackals (1967)
  • The Conqueror Worm (1968)
  • Spirits of the Dead (1968)
  • More Dead Than Alive (1969)
  • Daniel Boone (1969) 1 episode
  • The Trouble with Girls (1969)
  • The Oblong Box (1969)
  • BBC Play of the Month (1969) 1 episode
  • The Good Guys (1969) 1 episode
  • World Wide Adventures: Annabel Lee (1969)
  • Get Smart (1969) 1 episode
  • Scream and Scream Again (1970)
  • An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (1970)
  • Cry of the Banshee (1970)
  • Love, American Style (1970) 1 episode
  • Here's Lucy (1970) 1 episode
  • Mod Squad (1970) 1 episode
  • Holiday Startime Special (1970)
  • Cucumber Castle (1970)
  • The Hilarious House of Frightenstein (1971) series regular
  • Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1971)
  • The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
  • Curiosity Shop (1971) 1 episode
  • What's a Nice Girl Like You...? (1971)
  • Night Gallery (1971-72) 2 episodes
  • Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
  • The Brady Bunch (1972) 2 episodes
  • The Aries Computer (1972)
  • Theatre of Blood (1973)
  • The Movie Quiz (1973) 2 episodes
  • Columbo (1973) 1 episode
  • The Carol Burnett Show (1974) 1 episode
  • The Snoop Sisters (1974) 1 episode
  • Madhouse (1974)
  • It's Not the Size That Counts (1974)
  • The Devil's Triangle (1974)
  • Alice Cooper: The Nightmare (1975)
  • Journey Into Fear (1975)
  • Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare (1975)
  • Ellery Queen (1976) 1 episode
  • The Bionic Woman (1976) 1 episode
  • The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (1977) 1 episode
  • The Butterfly Ball (1977)
  • Lindsay Wagner: Another Side of Me (1977)
  • Ringo ( (1978)
  • The Love Boat (1978) 1 episode
  • Time Express (1979) 4 episodes
  • Symbols of Lives Past: The Rambova Collection (1979)
  • Scavenger Hunt (1979)
  • The Strange Case of Alice Cooper (1979)
  • I Go Pogo (1980)
  • The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1980)
  • The Monster Club (1981)
  • Bustin' Loose (1981)
  • Standing Room Only (1981) 1 episode
  • Vincent (1982)
  • Fun with Mr. Future (1982)
  • Trapper John, M.D. (1982) 1 episode
  • Ruddigore (1982)
  • House of the Long Shadows (1983)
  • Hansel and Gretel (1983)
  • Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984)
  • Faerie Tale Theatre (1984) 2 episodes
  • The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (1985) 13 episodes
  • Blacke's Magic (1986) 1 episode
  • The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
  • Escapes (1986)
  • From a Whisper to a Scream (1987)
  • The Whales of August (1987)
  • The Little Troll Prince (1978)
  • Sparky's Magic Piano (1987)
  • Michaels' Movie Madness (1988)
  • Dead Heat (1988)
  • Catchfire (1990)
  • Edward Scissorhands (1990)
  • Tiny Toon Adventures (1991) 1 episode
  • The Heart of Justice (1992)
  • The Princess and the Cobbler (1993)

Trivia[]

  • An avid gourmet chef, he wrote a number of cookbooks.
  • He would often attend showings of his films in costumes; often to play pranks on moviegoers.
  • He was the visual inspiration for the original illustrations of the comic book superhero Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange created in 1963. Strange was later given his middle name as Stephen Vincent Strange in his honor.
  • Sesame Street made a puppet with his likeness, Vincent Twice; when Price found out about it he was ecstatic and considered it a great honor.
  • Was good friends with Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Adam West, John Carradine, Yvonne Craig, and Cassandra Peterson.

Quotes[]

  • "The horror thriller offers the serious actor unique opportunities to test his ability to make the unbelievable believable."
  • "I don't play monsters. I play men besieged by fate and out for revenge."
  • "It's as much fun to scare as to be scared."
  • " 'Gothic' is just a word recalling a multitude of sins!"
  • "I hate being old and ill! Don't get old if you can avoid it!"
  • "I like to be seen, I love being busy and I believe in being active. I know some people think I've lowered myself as an actor, but my idea of 'professional decline' is 'not working'."
  • "I sometimes feel that I'm impersonating the dark unconscious of the whole human race. I know this sounds sick, but I love it."
  • "A man who limits his interests, limits his life."
  • "Suddenly in the '50s, a whole new group of actors came out: Marlon Brando, James Dean and Paul Newman, who were very moody and realistic. So actors like myself and Basil Rathbone and so on didn't really fit into those realistic dramas and we began to do costume pictures. This was really the only place we could go on working if we wanted to survive as actors. Most of the things of my later career have been costume pictures. They require a certain knowledge of the language, they require enunciation and a poetic approach to the language. Really, the one thing we have over the apes is our language, isn't it? That's about all."
  • "The best parts in movies are the heavies. The hero is usually someone who has really nothing to do. He comes out on top, but it's the heavy who has all the fun."
  • "To me, films that deal with drug addiction, crime and war are the real horror films. In a world where slaughter and vicious crimes are daily occurrences, a good ghoulish movie is comic relief."
  • "Hollywood's worst fault is typecasting. John Wayne, Cary Grant, everyone who's been a success — we all had the same problem. And they tell me I'm too important to play small character roles; you can't win!"

External Links[]

IMDb Profile

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