View source for Donald Pleasence

{{Short description|English actor (1919–1995)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Donald Pleasence
| honorific_suffix   = [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
| image              = Donald Pleasence Allan Warren edit.jpg
| caption            = Pleasence in 1973 by [[Allan Warren]]
| birth_name         = Donald Henry Pleasence
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1919|10|5|df=yes}}
| birth_place        = [[Worksop]], [[Nottinghamshire]], England
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1995|2|2|1919|10|5|df=yes}}
| death_place        = [[Saint-Paul-de-Vence]],<br />[[Alpes-Maritimes]], France
| education          = [[Ecclesfield School]]
| years_active       = 1946–1995
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Miriam Raymond|1941|1958|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Jose Crombie|1959|1970|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Meira Shore|1970|1988|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Linda J. Kentwood|1988}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spookyisles.com/donald-pleasence/|title=Donald Pleasence: to Halloween and Back|author=Terry Sherwood|publisher=The Spooky Isles|date=2020-06-27|access-date=2021-03-25|archive-date=25 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125102001/https://www.spookyisles.com/donald-pleasence/|url-status=live}}
</ref>
}}
| children           = 5, including [[Angela Pleasence|Angela]]
| module             = {{Infobox military person
| embed = yes
| allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| branch = {{air force|UK}}
| rank = [[Flight lieutenant]]
| service_years = 1940-46
| unit = [[No. 166 Squadron RAF|No. 166 Squadron]]
| battles = [[World War II]]
}}
| occupation         = Actor
}}

'''Donald Henry Pleasence''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|l|ɛ|z|ə|n|s}};<ref>[http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pleasence "Pleasence"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402101645/http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pleasence |date=2 April 2015 }}, ''[[Collins English Dictionary]]''</ref> 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freebmd.org.uk|title=England and Wales Births 1837–1983|publisher=Freebmd.org.uk|date=2010-09-10|access-date=2010-10-06|archive-date=1 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101100547/https://www.freebmd.org.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes,"<ref>{{Cite web |title=BFI Screenonline: Pleasence, Donald (1919-1995) Biography |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/499914/ |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=www.screenonline.org.uk}}</ref> and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly 60-year career.

Pleasence began his career on stage in the [[West End theatre|West End]] before having a screen career, which included starring in a 1954 [[Nineteen Eighty-Four (British TV programme)|BBC adaptation]] of [[George Orwell]]'s ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'', before playing numerous supporting and [[Character actor|character roles]], developing a reputation for playing "nervy, unstable characters" including [[Flight Lieutenant]] Colin Blythe in ''[[The Great Escape (film)|The Great Escape]]'' (1963), the villain [[Ernst Stavro Blofeld]] in the [[Production of the James Bond films|James Bond film]] ''[[You Only Live Twice (film)|You Only Live Twice]]'' (1967), SEN 5241 in ''[[THX 1138]]'' (1971), and the deranged Clarence "Doc" Tydon in ''[[Wake in Fright]]'' (1971). He also maintained an acclaimed career on the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway stage]].

Pleasence starred as psychiatrist Dr. [[Samuel Loomis]] in ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]'' (1978) and four of [[Halloween (franchise)|its sequels]], a role for which he was nominated for a [[Saturn Award for Best Actor]]. The series' popularity and critical success led to a resurgent career for Pleasence, who appeared in numerous American and European-produced horror and thriller films. He collaborated with ''Halloween'' director [[John Carpenter]] twice more, as the President of the United States in ''[[Escape from New York]]'' (1981) and as the Priest in [[Prince of Darkness (film)|''Prince of Darkness'']] (1987).

For his stage work, Pleasence won a [[Drama Desk Award]] and was nominated for four [[Tony Awards]] for [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play|Best Actor in a Play]]. He was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his services to drama by [[Queen Elizabeth II]] in 1994.

==Early life==
Pleasence was born in [[Worksop]], [[Nottinghamshire]], the son of Alice (née Armitage) and Thomas Stanley Pleasence, a railway station master.<ref name="ref1">{{cite book|last1=Ross|first1=Helen|first2=Lillian |last2=Ross|title= The Player: A Profile of an Art|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=1962|page=[https://archive.org/details/playerprofileofa00ross/page/256 256]|url=https://archive.org/details/playerprofileofa00ross|url-access=registration}}</ref> His grandfather was a railwayman, who lived at Portland Place in Worksop, where Donald developed an interest in cricket.

He received his formal education at Crosby Junior School, known as Doncaster Road School, in [[Scunthorpe]].<ref name=ST>[http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/pictures/STAR-PUPILS-REVEALED-Famous-people-Scunthorpe/pictures-26690493-detail/pictures.html Star Pupils Revealed at Scunthorpe Telegraph] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151101161627/http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/pictures/STAR-PUPILS-REVEALED-Famous-people-Scunthorpe/pictures-26690493-detail/pictures.html |date=1 November 2015 }}. Retrieved 9 July 2016</ref> He lived at 111 Frodingham Road for nine years. Aged seven he took part in his first play, in Scunthorpe called ''[[Passers By (play)|Passers By]]''.<ref>''Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph'' Saturday 1 August 1998, page 83</ref>

He was brought up as a strict [[Methodist]] in the small village of [[Grimoldby]], [[Lincolnshire]], from the age of nine.<ref name=ref09/> With his older brother Ralph, both went to Eastfield Road school in Louth.<ref>''Louth Standard'' Saturday 9 January 1932, page 10</ref><ref>''Louth Standard'' Saturday 2 July 1932, page 9</ref> He was in the local Scouts, the 4th United Methodist in Louth.<ref>''Louth Standard'' Saturday 27 August 1932, page 9</ref><ref>''Louth Standard'' Friday 12 December 1958</ref>
He produced the school Christmas concert, in Louth, in his early teens.<ref>''Louth Standard'' Friday 21 February 1964, page 16</ref><ref>''Lincolnshire Standard'' Friday 21 February 1964, page 16</ref><ref>''Sleaford Standard'' Friday 21 February 1964, page 14</ref><ref>''Louth Standard'' Friday 10 February 1995, page 4</ref><ref>''Lincolnshire Echo'' Thursday 2 February 1995, page 15</ref><ref>''Grimsby Evening Telegraph'' Wednesday 8 January 1997, page 16</ref>

His father was the stationmaster at [[Grimoldby railway station]] for five years, on the [[Mablethorpe loop railway]].<ref>''Louth Standard'' Saturday 11 January 1947, page 6</ref> His parents were in the temperance society, as they were Methodists,<ref>''Louth Standard'' Saturday 6 December 1930, page 10</ref><ref>''Louth Standard'' Saturday 12 March 1932, page 16</ref> and his mother was in the Grimoldby and Manby WI.<ref>''Louth Standard'' Saturday 4 March 1933, page 14</ref>

By early 1934 he had moved from Lincolnshire, where his father had been the LNER stationmaster from around early 1929.<ref>''Nottingham Guardian'' Wednesday 5 July 1967, page 6</ref> His father was the stationmaster at Ecclesfield. His father would die aged 77 in around 1965, after moving to Teddington in the late 1950s.

He attended [[Ecclesfield School|Ecclesfield Grammar School]] near [[Sheffield]], which he said changed his life. Mr Clay was head of English, and with the headmaster, encouraged him, saying 'I owe virtually everything to them'. He developed his acting in Mr Clay's 'Wednesday Club' drama society. He has said that he was good at English but 'not much else'. Donald's father asked the headmaster to persuade his son to not choose to be an actor. A class friend Sam Hemingfield, would become a teacher, and later head of the sixth form at Ecclesfield School. Another friend was John Bertram, who would become a teacher, and head of English at [[Bradfield School]].

For 18 months he worked as a booking clerk at [[Swinton railway station (South Yorkshire)|Swinton railway station]],<ref>Obituary for Pleasence, 'The Independent', 2 February 1995.</ref> with LNER<ref name="Lincolnshire Standard' 1964, page 5">''Lincolnshire Standard'' Friday 17 July 1964, page 5</ref> and  decided that he wanted to be a professional actor, taking up a placement with the Jersey Repertory Company in 1939.<ref name=ref09>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/playeraprofileof002609mbp/playeraprofileof002609mbp_djvu.txt |title=Full text of "The Player A Profile Of An Art" |year=1961 |publisher=Simon And Schuster |access-date=2010-10-06}}</ref> His first professional play at the Playhouse, in Jersey in July 1939 was as assistant stage manager with the Kent-Naismith Rep Company, where he played Hareton Earnshaw in [[Wuthering Heights]].<ref>''Eckington and Staveley Express'' Saturday 15 July 1939, page 4</ref>

Until 1941, he worked in [[repertory theatre]]. Until leaving rep, he had a rebellious nature, and often upset theatre directors and managers, leading to him being dismissed.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

==Second World War==
In December 1939, Pleasence initially refused [[Conscription in the United Kingdom|conscription]] into the [[British Armed Forces]], registering as a [[conscientious objector]], but changed his stance in autumn 1940, after the attacks upon London by the [[Luftwaffe]], and volunteered with the [[Royal Air Force]].<ref>Obituary for D. Pleasence, 'The Independent', 3 February 1995.</ref> He served as aircraft [[Radio operator|wireless-operator]] with [[No. 166 Squadron RAF|No. 166 Squadron]] in [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]], with which he flew almost sixty raids against the [[Axis powers|Axis Powers]] over [[German-occupied Europe|occupied Europe]].

On 31 August 1944, his [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster NE112]] was shot down during an attack on [[Agenville|Agenville, France]],<ref name="lost12715">{{Cite web |url=http://www.lostaircraft.com/database.php?mode=viewentry&e=12715 |title=Record for Lancaster NE112 on ''lostaircraft.com'' |access-date=29 November 2014 |archive-date=6 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106023723/http://www.lostaircraft.com/database.php?mode=viewentry&e=12715 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Chorley, W.R. (1997), ''Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, Volume 5: 1944; p 407''. Midland Counties Publications, UK. {{ISBN|0-904597-91-1}}.</ref> and he was captured and imprisoned in the German prisoner-of-war camp [[Stalag Luft I]]. Pleasence produced and acted in many plays for the entertainment of his fellow captives.

After the war and his release, he was discharged from the RAF in 1946 as a [[Flight lieutenant]].<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-donald-pleasence-1571295.html |title=OBITUARIES : Donald Pleasence {{!}} The Independent<!-- Bot generated title --> |website=[[Independent.co.uk]] |date=3 February 1995 |access-date=27 October 2021 |archive-date=27 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027222754/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-donald-pleasence-1571295.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=DONALD PLEASENCE'S BIOGRAPHY |url=https://www.pleasence.com/BIO-DP.HTML |access-date=2025-09-12 |website=www.pleasence.com}}</ref>

Years later, he used his experiences in POW camps in his role in ''[[The Great Escape (film)|The Great Escape]]''. While filming the movie, Pleasence kindly offered advice to director [[John Sturges]], to which he was politely asked to keep his "opinions" to himself. Later, when another actor on set informed Sturges that Pleasence was actually imprisoned in a German POW camp, Sturges requested his technical advice and input on historical accuracy from that point forward.<ref name="screenrant">[https://screenrant.com/great-escape-trivia-information/ 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Great Escape] ''[[Screen Rant]]''. Retrieved September 3, 2025.</ref>

==Acting career==
Returning to acting after the war, Pleasence resumed working in repertory theatre companies in [[Birmingham]] and [[Bristol]].<ref name=indepobit>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries--donald-pleasence-1571295.html|title=Obituaries: Donald Pleasence|access-date=14 February 2012|newspaper=The Independent|date=3 February 1995|archive-date=19 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919034037/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries--donald-pleasence-1571295.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

His first production was ''[[The Brothers Karamazov]]'', where he played the interrogator Mavriky, when one of the actors was ill at the [[Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith)]]. It was his first 'unpleasant' acting role. He joined Birmingham Rep, where stayed for two years, then the Bristol Old Vic. He toured the US in 1950.<ref>''Grimsby Evening Telegraph'' Friday 11 February 1955, page 5</ref>

In the 1950s, Pleasence's stage work included performing as Willie Mossop in a 1952 production of ''[[Hobson's Choice (play)|Hobson's Choice]]'' at the [[Arts Theatre]], London and as Dauphin in [[Jean Anouilh]]'s ''[[The Lark (play)|The Lark]]'' (1956).<ref name=indepobit/> In 1960, Pleasence gained excellent notices as the tramp in [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[The Caretaker (play)|The Caretaker]]'' at the Arts Theatre, a role he would again play in a 1990 revival.<ref name=indepobit/> Other stage work in the 1960s included Anouilh's ''Poor Bitos'' (1963–64) and [[Robert Shaw (actor)|Robert Shaw]]'s ''The Man in the Glass Booth'' (1967), for which he won the London Variety Award for Stage Actor of the Year in 1968.<ref name=indepobit/> Pleasence's later stage work included performing in a double bill of Pinter plays, ''[[The Basement (play)|The Basement]]'' and ''[[Tea Party (play)|Tea Party]]'', at the [[Duchess Theatre]] in 1970.<ref name=indepobit/>

===Television===
Pleasence made his television debut in ''I Want to Be a Doctor'' (1946).<ref name=indepobit/> He received positive critical attention for his role as Syme in the [[BBC]] version of ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four (UK TV programme)|Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' (1954) from [[Nineteen Eighty-Four|the novel]] by [[George Orwell]].<ref name=indepobit/> The adaptation was by [[Nigel Kneale]] and featured [[Peter Cushing]] in the lead role of [[Winston Smith (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|Winston Smith]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Nineteen Eighty-Four (Dual Format Edition) |url=https://shop.bfi.org.uk/nineteen-eighty-four-dual-format-edition.html |access-date=7 November 2023 |agency=BFI}}</ref>

Pleasence played [[John, King of England|Prince John]] in several episodes of the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] series ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)|The Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' (1956–1958). He appeared twice with [[Patrick McGoohan]] in the British spy series, ''[[Danger Man]]'', in episodes "Position of Trust" (1960) and "Find and Return" (1961). Pleasence's first appearance in America was in an episode of ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', playing an aging teacher at a boys' school in the episode "[[The Changing of the Guard (The Twilight Zone)|The Changing of the Guard]]" (1962). In 1963, he appeared in an episode of ''[[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]'' titled "[[The Man with the Power]]". In 1966, he also guest starred in an episode of ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'' entitled "With Strings Attached".

In 1973, Pleasence played a sympathetic murderer in an episode of ''[[Columbo]]'' entitled "[[Columbo (season 3)|Any Old Port in a Storm]]". Also that year, he played a supporting role in [[David Winters (choreographer)|David Winters]]' musical television adaptation of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde''.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1973-04-03|title=Musical Version of 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' Stars Kirk Douglas|work=The Mexia Daily New|volume=74}}</ref>

He also portrayed a murderer captured by ''[[Mrs. Columbo]]'' in "Murder Is a Parlor Game" (1979). In 1978, he played a scout, Sam Purchas in an [[Centennial (miniseries)|adaptation]] of James A. Michener's ''[[Centennial (novel)|Centennial]]''. Pleasence starred as the Reverend Septimus Harding in the BBC's TV series ''[[The Barchester Chronicles]]'' (1982).<ref name=autogenerated1 /> In this series, his daughter [[Angela Pleasence]] played his onscreen daughter Susan.

He hosted the 1981 Halloween episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' with music guest [[Fear (band)|Fear]].

In 1986, Pleasence joined [[Ronald Lacey]] and Polly Jo Pleasence for the television thriller ''Into the Darkness''.

Pleasence and [[Michael Nader]] portrayed the villains in 1988's ''[[The Great Escape II: The Untold Story]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/07/arts/review-television-derring-do-and-deceit-in-wartime.html|title=Review/Television; Derring-Do And Deceit In Wartime|first=John J.|last=O'Conner|date=November 7, 1988|work=The New York Times}}</ref> which costar [[Christopher Reeve]] explained as not being a remake of the 1963 original film and being based on [[Paul Brickhill]]'s non-fiction account ''[[The Great Escape (book)|The Great Escape]]''. Noting his involvement in the original film, Joan Hanauer wrote that Pleasence had "graduated to an S.S. villain, and he is a marvel of soft-spoken, almost finicky evil."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/1988/11/5/18782949/untold-story-told-the-great-escape-ii|title=UNTOLD STORY TOLD: 'THE GREAT ESCAPE II'|date=November 5, 1988|publisher=Desert News}}</ref>

===Film===
[[File:Donald Pleasence in Eye of the Devil trailer 1.jpg|thumb|Pleasence in the trailer for the film ''[[Eye of the Devil]]'' (1966).]]
Pleasence made his big-screen debut with ''[[The Beachcomber (1954 film)|The Beachcomber]]'' (1954).<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Some notable early roles include Parsons in ''[[1984 (1956 film)|1984]]'' (1956), and minor roles opposite [[Alec Guinness]] in ''[[Barnacle Bill (1957 film)|Barnacle Bill]]'' (1957) and [[Dirk Bogarde]] in ''[[The Wind Cannot Read]]'' (1958). In [[Tony Richardson]]'s film of ''[[Look Back in Anger (1959 film)|Look Back in Anger]]'' (1959), he plays a vindictive market inspector opposite [[Richard Burton]]. In the same year, Pleasence starred in the horror films ''[[Circus of Horrors]]'' directed by [[Sidney Hayers]], playing the role of Vanet, the owner of a circus, and ''[[The Flesh and the Fiends]]'' as the real-life murderer [[Burke and Hare murders|William Hare]], alongside [[Peter Cushing]], [[George Rose (actor)|George Rose]] and [[Billie Whitelaw]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/253086|title=Circus of Horrors|work=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=9 November 2015|archive-date=28 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128201026/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/253086%7c0/Circus-of-Horrors.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Endowed with a bald head, a penetrating stare, and an intense voice, usually quiet but capable of a piercing scream, he specialised in portraying insane, fanatical, or evil characters, including the title role in ''[[Dr Crippen]]'' (1962), the frontier prophet Oracle Jones in ''[[Hallelujah Trail]]'', the double agent Dr Michaels in the science-fiction film ''[[Fantastic Voyage]]'' (1966), the white trader who sells guns to the [[Cheyenne]] Indians in the revisionist western ''[[Soldier Blue]]'' (1970), the mad German psychoanalyst with [[Bud Spencer]]–[[Terence Hill]] in ''[[Watch Out, We're Mad!]]'' (1974), Nazi leader [[Heinrich Himmler]] in ''[[The Eagle Has Landed (film)|The Eagle Has Landed]]'' (1976), and the Bond arch-villain [[Ernst Stavro Blofeld]] in ''[[You Only Live Twice (film)|You Only Live Twice]]'' (1967), the first film in which Blofeld's face is clearly seen. His interpretation of the character has become predominant in popular culture considering the popularity of the comic villain, [[Dr. Evil]] in the successful ''[[Austin Powers (film series)|Austin Powers]]'' film series, which primarily parodies it. In the crime drama ''[[Hell is a City]]'' (1960), shot in Manchester, he starred opposite [[Stanley Baker]], while he was memorably cast in the horror comedy ''[[What a Carve Up! (film)|What a Carve Up!]]'' (1961) as the "horrible-looking zombie" solicitor opposite [[Shirley Eaton]], [[Sid James]], [[Kenneth Connor]] and [[Dennis Price]].

He appeared as the mild-mannered and good-natured POW [[forger]] Colin Blythe in the film ''[[The Great Escape (film)|The Great Escape]]'' (1963), who discovers that he is slowly going blind, but nonetheless participates in the mass break-out, only to be shot down by German soldiers because he is unable to see them. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' highlighted Pleasence and [[Richard Attenborough]] as giving some of the better performances in the film, Pleasence specifically being praised for having the most moving portrayal and depicting "the film's most touching character."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1962/film/reviews/the-great-escape-3-1200420303/|title=Film Review: The Great Escape|date=December 31, 1962|publisher=Variety}}</ref>

Pleasence played [[Lucifer]] in the religious epic ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]'' (1965). He was one of many stars who were given [[cameo appearance|cameos]] throughout the film. He also acted in [[Roman Polanski]]'s ''[[Cul-de-sac (1966 film)|Cul-de-sac]]'' (1966), in which he portrayed the love-sodden husband of a much younger French wife ([[Françoise Dorléac]]). He ventured successfully into American cowboy territory, playing a sadistic self-styled preacher who goes after stoic [[Charlton Heston]] in the Western ''[[Will Penny]]'' (1968).

In ''[[The Night of the Generals]]'' (1967), Pleasence played, as he did in ''The Great Escape'', an uncharacteristically sympathetic role - this time, as an old-school German general involved in a [[20 July plot|plot]] to kill [[Adolf Hitler]].

Pleasence was the original choice of [[Michael Reeves (director)|Michael Reeves]] for the title role of the [[folk horror]] film ''[[Witchfinder General (film)|Witchfinder General]]'' (a.k.a. ''The Conqueror Worm'', 1968) but once [[American International Pictures]] became involved in the production, they insisted that their contract star, [[Vincent Price]], be given the lead, and Pleasence was dropped from the film.

In 1971, Pleasence delivered a ''tour de force'' performance in the role of an alcoholic [[Australia]]n doctor in [[Ted Kotcheff]]'s nightmarish outback drama ''[[Wake in Fright]]''. A [[lost film]] for many decades, ''Wake in Fright'' is now considered a pivotal film of both the [[Australian New Wave]]<ref>Rapold, Nicolas (4 October 2012). [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/movies/wake-in-fright-and-australian-new-wave.html?smid=tw-nytimesmovies&seid=auto&_r=2& "'Wake in Fright' and Australian New Wave"], ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved 12 January 2012.</ref> and the [[Ozploitation]] cycle,<ref name=ozploitation>{{Cite web| title=The 17 greatest Ozploitation movies – sorted |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/feb/14/the-17-greatest-ozploitation-movies-sorted |work=[[The Guardian]] |last=Buckmaster|first=Luke|date= 14 February 2022|access-date=20 March 2012}}</ref> earning praise from contemporary critics for Kotcheff's direction and the cast's performances.<ref name=rt>{{Cite web| title=Wake in Fright Movie Reviews |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wake_in_fright/ |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=23 December 2012}}</ref>

Pleasence portrayed SEN 5241 in ''[[THX 1138]]'' (1971), opposite [[Robert Duvall]] which was the directorial debut of [[George Lucas]]. The next year he appeared as an eccentric, tea-obsessed police inspector in the cult horror film ''[[Death Line]]'' alongside [[Norman Rossington]] and [[Christopher Lee]]. A few years later, he portrayed antagonist Lucas Deranian, in Walt Disney's ''[[Escape to Witch Mountain (1975 film)|Escape to Witch Mountain]]'' (1975) and, in ''[[Telefon (film)|Telefon]]'' (1977), Nicolai Dalchimsky, the Russian seeking to start a war between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Pleasence appeared as Dr. [[Samuel Loomis]] in [[John Carpenter]]'s horror film ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]'' (1978).<ref name="Smith 2003">Prometheus Entertainment, ''Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest'', 2003</ref> The film was a major success and was considered the highest grossing [[independent film]] of its time, earning accolades as a classic of the horror genre. He also played the teacher, Kantorek in ''[[All Quiet on the Western Front (1979 film)|All Quiet on the Western Front]]'' (1979), Dr. Kobras in ''[[The Pumaman]]'' (1980) and the held-hostage President of the United States in ''[[Escape from New York]]'' (1981). The rather sinister accent which Pleasence employed in this and other films may be credited to the [[elocution]] lessons he had as a child. He reprised his Dr. Sam Loomis role in ''[[Halloween II (1981 film)|Halloween II]]'' (1981), ''[[Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers]]'' (1988), ''[[Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers]]'' (1989) and ''[[Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers]]'' (1995).

Pleasence, [[Daria Nicolodi]], and [[Jennifer Connelly]] starred in [[Dario Argento|Dario Argento's]] ''[[Phenomena (film)|Phenomena]]'' (1985),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/phenomena/amp/|title=Review: Phenomena|first=Ed|last=Gonzales|date=December 4, 2001|publisher=Slant Magazine}}</ref> where Pleasence portrayed a wheelchair-using forensic entomologist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blueprintreview.co.uk/2018/01/phenomena/|title=PHENOMENA|date=January 6, 2018|first=David|last=Brook|publisher=Blueprintreview}}</ref> Although Austin Trunick of ''[[Under the Radar (magazine)|Under the Radar]]'' criticized Connelly for not being an active heroine, he cited "a lot of nice interaction between Connelly and Pleasence's eccentric character" as a positive tradeoff.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/phenomena_4k_uhd|title=Phenomena [4K UHD]|first=Austin|last=Trunick|date=March 16, 2022|publisher=Under The Radar}}</ref> Later that year, Pleasence played a retiring inspector who investigates the disappearance of the sister of [[Tom Schanley|Tom Schanley's]] character in ''[[Nothing Underneath]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://insidepulse.com/2021/11/01/blu-ray-review-nothing-underneath-too-beautiful-to-die/|title=Blu-ray Review: Nothing Underneath/Too Beautiful To Die|date=November 1, 2021|publisher=Inside Pulse|first=Joe|last=Corey}}</ref>
JA Kerswell called Pleasence's role "clichéd" for the actor while also praising his presence as "a welcome bonus."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/hysterialives/Hysteria/nothing_underneath.htm|title=NOTHING UNDERNEATH|first=JA|last=Kerswell|publisher=Hysteria Lives}}</ref> The reviewer from Horror Society wrote of liking Schanley and Pleasence "but the story is the main focus here and not the cast which is a bit of a shame because both did fantastic jobs."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.horrorsociety.com/2022/04/11/blu-review-nothing-underneath-too-beautiful-to-die-vinegar-syndrome/|title=Blu Review – Nothing Underneath/Too Beautiful To Die (Vinegar Syndrome)|date=April 11, 2022|publisher=Horror Society}}</ref> ''[[Operation Nam]]'' was Pleasence's sole film appearance in 1986, playing "a minor part as a priest" who services Vietnam soldiers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bzfilm.com/reviews/action-film-reviews/review-cobra-mission-1986/|title=REVIEW: Cobra Mission (1986)|first=Tim|last=Tal|date=September 6, 2011}}</ref>

Pleasence collaborated with Carpenter again when he starred in ''[[Prince of Darkness (film)|Prince of Darkness]]'' (1987), where he played a priest who seeks the aid of a professor and a few of the latter's quantum physics students to uncover the mystery of a glowing liquid in a canister.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://statehornet.com/2020/10/prince-of-darkness-halloween-horror-review/|title=REVIEW: 'Prince of Darkness' is a masterpiece of horror|date=October 23, 2020|publisher=The State Hornet}}</ref> Though mixed about the film, ''[[Starburst (magazine)|Starburst]]'' praised Pleasence's performance, admitting that to them, "there are very few sights in genre cinema as marvelous as seeing Pleasence delivering an intense, slightly erratic monologue, and he gets plenty to sink his teeth into here."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/prince-darkness-4k-ultra-hd|title=PRINCE OF DARKNESS – 4K ULTRA HD|first=Andrew|last=Pollard|date=November 20, 2018|publisher=Starburst}}</ref> Megan Summers asserted that Pleasence brought "his standard emotional prowess and psychological stability to his role" in the film,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/why-john-carpenters-prince-darkness-underrated-vs-not/|title=John Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness: 5 Reasons It's Criminally Underrated (& 5 It's Not)|date=June 11, 2020|publisher=Screen Rant}}</ref> and Michael Wilmington declared Pleasence and [[Victor Wong (actor, born 1927)|Victor Wong]] as "both fine; these two know how to make the most of shallow excess."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-10-23-ca-10702-story.html|title=MOVIE REVIEW : A JUMBLED 'PRINCE OF DARKNESS'|first=Michael|last=Wilmington|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=23 October 1987 }}</ref>

In 1988, Pleasence played a priest in the Italian horror film ''[[Vampire in Venice]]'' (a.k.a. ''Nosferatu in Venice''), a quasi-sequel to [[Werner Herzog]]'s ''[[Nosferatu the Vampyre]]'' (1979).

Pleasence admired [[Laurence Olivier|Sir Laurence Olivier]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pleasence.com/BIO-DP.HTML |title=Donald Pleasence'S Biography |publisher=Pleasence.com |access-date=2010-10-06 |archive-date=15 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715094444/http://www.pleasence.com/BIO-DP.HTML |url-status=live }}</ref> with whom he worked on-stage in the 1950s, and later on the film version of ''[[Dracula (1979 film)|Dracula]]'' (1979). Two years earlier, Pleasence did an amusingly broad impersonation of Olivier in the guise of a horror-film actor called "Valentine De'ath" in the film ''[[The Uncanny (film)|The Uncanny]]'' (1977). According to the film critic [[Kim Newman]] on a DVD commentary for ''Halloween II'', the reason for Pleasence's lengthy filmography was that he never turned down any role that was offered.

===Spoken records and voice-overs===
During the early 1960s, Pleasence recorded several children's-story records on the Atlas Record label. These were marketed as the Talespinners series in the United Kingdom. They were also released in the United States as ''[[Tale Spinners for Children]]'' by [[United Artists Records|United Artists]]. The stories included ''[[Don Quixote]]'' and the ''[[Brave Little Tailor]]''. He also wrote, directed and narrated ''[[Scouse the Mouse]]'' in 1977.

Pleasence provided the voice-over for the British [[public information film]], ''[[Lonely Water|The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water]]'' (1973). The film, intended to warn children of the dangers of playing near water, attained notoriety for allegedly giving children nightmares.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4690150.stm "Water horror"] , BBC News Magazine, 09-02-2006. ''Retrieved 04-10-2010''</ref>

===Books===
Pleasence was the author of the children's book ''[[Scouse the Mouse]]'' (1977) (London: New English Library), which was animated by Canadian animator/film director [[Gerald Potterton]] (a friend of the actor, who directed him in the Canadian film ''The Rainbow Boys'' (1973), retitled ''The Rainbow Gang'' for VHS release in the United States) and also adapted into a children's recording ([[Polydor Records]], 1977) with [[Ringo Starr]] voicing the book's title character, Scouse the Mouse.

In his book ''British Film Character Actors'' (1982), Terence Pettigrew describes Pleasence as "a potent combination of eyes and voice. The eyes are mournful but they can also be sinister or seedy or just plain nutty. He has the kind of piercing stare which lifts enamel off saucepans."

==Honours==
Pleasence was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his services to the acting profession by [[Queen Elizabeth II]] in 1994.

==Personal life==
Pleasence married four times and had five daughters from his first three marriages. He had [[Angela Pleasence|Angela]] and Jean with Miriam Raymond (m. 1941–1958); Lucy and Polly with Josephine Martin Crombie (m. 1959–1970); and Miranda with Meira Shore (m. 1970–1988). His last marriage was to Linda Kentwood (m. 1988–1995; his death).<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gussow|first=Mel|date=1995-02-03|title=Donald Pleasence, Virtuoso Actor, Dies at 75|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/03/obituaries/donald-pleasence-virtuoso-actor-dies-at-75.html|access-date=2021-10-17|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=25 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025154241/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/03/obituaries/donald-pleasence-virtuoso-actor-dies-at-75.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the late 1970s, he lived near the eastern side of [[Kew Bridge]]. In the early 1960s his brother Ralph was stationmaster at [[Smeeth Road railway station]].<ref name="Lincolnshire Standard' 1964, page 5"/> Ralph had retired to Lincoln in the 1970s.

He lived in the south of [[France]] for a number of years, up until his death.

==Death==
On 2 February 1995, Pleasence died at age 75 at his home in [[Saint-Paul-de-Vence]], [[France]], from complications of [[heart failure]] following [[heart valve]] replacement surgery.<ref>{{cite news |author=Mel Gussow |title=Donald Pleasence, Virtuoso Actor, Dies at 75 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/03/obituaries/donald-pleasence-virtuoso-actor-dies-at-75.html |quote=Donald Pleasence, the intense, virtuosic actor who was acclaimed in London and on Broadway for his performance in the title role of Harold Pinter's play "The Caretaker," died yesterday at his home in St. Paul de Vence in the south of France. He was 75 and also had a home in London. ... |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=3 February 1995 |access-date=2015-03-06 |archive-date=25 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025154241/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/03/obituaries/donald-pleasence-virtuoso-actor-dies-at-75.html |url-status=live }}</ref> His body was cremated.

==Legacy==
The 1995 film ''[[Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers]]'' was dedicated to Donald Pleasence. The 1998 film ''[[Halloween H20: 20 Years Later]]'' also features a dedication to Pleasence in the end credits, with voice actor [[Tom Kane]] providing a voice-over for Loomis in the film. In the 2018 film, [[Halloween (2018 film)|''Halloween'']], comedian Colin Mahan voiced Loomis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movieweb.com/halloween-2018-dr-loomis-voice-cameo/|title=Dr. Loomis Has a Voice Cameo in Halloween 2018|date=27 July 2018|access-date=16 August 2018|archive-date=3 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803194325/https://movieweb.com/amp/halloween-2018-dr-loomis-voice-cameo/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://ew.com/movies/2018/10/21/halloween-donald-pleasence/|title=New 'Halloween' almost had a completely different beginning|work=EW.com|access-date=2018-10-21|language=en|archive-date=5 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105221507/https://ew.com/movies/2018/10/21/halloween-donald-pleasence/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 2021 film ''[[Halloween Kills]]'' Tom Jones, Jr. played Loomis, wearing prosthetic make-up to resemble Pleasence. Loomis' voice was again provided by Mahan.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-20|title=How Halloween Kills Pulled Off That Loomis Cameo Without CGI|url=https://screenrant.com/halloween-kills-loomis-cameo-cig-without-details/|access-date=2021-11-25|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Review {{!}} Disappointing slasher sequel 'Halloween Kills' is nothing new, and maybe that's the point|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/halloween-kills-movie-review/2021/10/13/3527ec4e-2794-11ec-8d53-67cfb452aa60_story.html|access-date=2021-11-25|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

[[Dr. Evil]], the character played by [[Mike Myers (actor)|Mike Myers]] in the ''[[Austin Powers (film series)|Austin Powers]]'' comedy films (1997–2002), and Doctor Claw from ''[[Inspector Gadget (1983 TV series)|Inspector Gadget]]'' are parodies of Pleasence's performance as Blofeld in ''[[You Only Live Twice (film)|You Only Live Twice]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1997/05/16/austin-powers-sleuthing-who-inspired-dr-evil/|title="Austin Powers" sleuthing: Who inspired Dr. Evil?|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|first=Tim|last=Appelo|date=May 16, 1997|access-date=February 23, 2021|archive-date=14 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514163537/https://ew.com/article/1997/05/16/austin-powers-sleuthing-who-inspired-dr-evil/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1954
| ''[[Private's Progress]]''
| Scotland Yard Detective
|Uncredited
|-
| ''[[The Beachcomber (1954 film)|The Beachcomber]]''
| Tromp
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1955
| ''[[Orders Are Orders (1955 film)|Orders Are Orders]]''
| Corporal Martin
| Credited as 'Donald Plesance'
|-
| ''[[Value for Money]]''
| Limpy
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1956
| ''[[1984 (1956 film)|1984]]''
| Parsons
|
|-
| ''[[The Black Tent]]''
| Ali
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1957
| ''[[The Man in the Sky]]''
| Crabtree
|
|-
| ''[[Manuela (1957 film)|Manuela]]''
| Evans
|
|-
| ''[[Barnacle Bill (1957 film)|Barnacle Bill]]''
| Cashier
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1958
| ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1958 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]''
| John Barsad
|
|-
| ''[[Heart of a Child]]''
| Spiel
|
|-
| ''[[The Wind Cannot Read]]''
| Doctor
|
|-
| ''[[The Man Inside (1958 film)|The Man Inside]]''
| Organ-Grinder
|
|-
| ''[[The Two-Headed Spy]]''
| General Hardt
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1959
| ''[[Look Back in Anger (1959 film)|Look Back in Anger]]''
| Hurst
|
|-
| ''[[Killers of Kilimanjaro]]''
| Captain
|
|-
| ''[[The Battle of the Sexes (1959 film)|The Battle of the Sexes]]''
| Irwin Hoffman
|
|-
| rowspan="8" | 1960
| ''[[The Shakedown (1959 film)|The Shakedown]]''
| Jessel Brown
|
|-
|''[[The Flesh and the Fiends]]''
| William Hare
|
|-
| ''[[Circus of Horrors]]''
| Vanet
|
|-
| ''[[Hell Is a City]]''
| Gus Hawkins
|
|-
| ''[[Sons and Lovers (film)|Sons and Lovers]]''
| Pappleworth
|
|-
| ''[[The Big Day (1960 film)|The Big Day]]''
| Victor Partridge
|
|-
| ''[[Suspect (1960 film)|Suspect]]''
| Parsons / Bill Brown
|
|-
| ''[[The Hands of Orlac (1960 film)|The Hands of Orlac]]''
| Graham Coates
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1961
| ''[[No Love for Johnnie]]''
| Roger Renfrew
|
|-
| ''[[The Wind of Change (film)|The Wind of Change]]''
| 'Pop' Marley
|
|-
| ''[[A Story of David]]''
| Nabal
|
|-
| ''[[Spare the Rod (1961 film)|Spare the Rod]]''
| Mr. Jenkins
|
|-
| ''[[What a Carve Up! (film)|What a Carve Up!]]''
| Everett Sloane
|
|-
| 1962
| ''[[The Inspector (1962 film)|The Inspector]]''
| Sergeant Wolters
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1963
| ''[[The Caretaker (1963 film)|The Caretaker]]''
| Mac Davies / Bernard Jenkins
|
|-
| ''[[The Great Escape (film)|The Great Escape]]''
| Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe, "The Forger"
|
|-
| ''[[Dr. Crippen (1962 film)|Dr. Crippen]]''
| Dr. Crippen
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1965
| ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]''
| [[Satan]]
|
|-
| ''[[The Hallelujah Trail]]''
| Oracle Jones
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1966
| ''[[Cul-de-sac (1966 film)|Cul-de-sac]]''
| George
|
|-
| ''[[Eye of the Devil]]''
| Pere Dominic
|
|-
| ''[[Fantastic Voyage]]''
| Dr. Michaels
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1967
| ''[[The Night of the Generals]]''
| General Kahlenberge
|
|-
| ''[[You Only Live Twice (film)|You Only Live Twice]]''
| [[Ernst Stavro Blofeld]]
|
|-
| ''[[Matchless (film)|Matchless]]''
| Gregori Andreanu
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1968
| ''[[Will Penny]]''
| Preacher Quint
|
|-
| ''[[Sleep Is Lovely]]''
| Clive
|
|-
| ''Creature of Comfort''
| James Thorne
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1969
| ''[[Arthur? Arthur!]]''
| Arthur Brownjohn
|
|-
| ''[[The Madwoman of Chaillot (film)|The Madwoman of Chaillot]]''
| Prospector
|
|-
| 1970
| ''[[Soldier Blue]]''
| Isaac Q. Cumber
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1971
| ''[[THX 1138]]''
| SEN 5241
|
|-
| ''[[Wake in Fright]]''
| Clarence 'Doc' Tydon
|
|-
| rowspan="6" | 1972
| ''[[Death Line]]''
| Inspector Calhoun
|
|-
| ''[[The Jerusalem File]]''
| Major Samuels
|
|-
| ''[[The Pied Piper (1972 film)|The Pied Piper]]''
| Baron
|
|-
| ''[[Henry VIII and His Six Wives]]''
| Thomas Cromwell
|
|-
| ''[[Innocent Bystanders (film)|Innocent Bystanders]]''
| Loomis
|
|-
| ''[[Wedding in White]]''
| Jim Dougall
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1973
| ''[[Kidnapped (1971 film)|Kidnapped]]''
| Ebenezer Balfour
|
|-
| ''The Rainbow Boys''
| Ralph Logan
|
|-
| ''[[Lonely Water]]''
| The Spirit (voice)
| Short film
|-
| ''[[Malachi's Cove]]''
| Malachi
|
|-
|''[[Tales That Witness Madness]]''
| Professor Tremayne
|
|-
| rowspan="6" | 1974
| ''[[From Beyond the Grave]]''
| Jim Underwood
| Segment: "An Act of Kindness"
|-The Freakmaker
| ''[[Watch Out, We're Mad!]]''
| Doctor
|
|-
| ''[[The Black Windmill]]''
| Cedric Harper
|
|-
| ''House of the Damned''
| Martin Zayas
|
|-
| ''[[The Mutations]]''
| Professor Nolter
|
|-
| ''[[Barry McKenzie Holds His Own]]''
| Count Plasma
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1975
| ''[[The Count of Monte Cristo (1975 film)|The Count of Monte Cristo]]''
| Baron Danglars
|
|-
| ''[[Escape to Witch Mountain (1975 film)|Escape to Witch Mountain]]''
| Lucas Deranian
|
|-
| ''[[I Don't Want to Be Born]]''
| Dr. Finch
|
|-
| ''[[Journey into Fear (1975 film)|Journey into Fear]]''
| Kuvelti
|
|-
| ''[[Hearts of the West]]''
| A.J. Neitz
|
|-
| rowspan="6" | 1976
| ''[[Trial by Combat]]''
| Sir Giles Marley
|
|-
| ''[[Land of the Minotaur]]''
| Father Roche
|
|-
| ''[[Goldenrod (film)|Goldenrod]]''
| John Tyler Jones
|
|-
| ''[[The Passover Plot (film)|The Passover Plot]]''
| [[Pontius Pilate]]
|
|-
| ''[[The Last Tycoon (1976 film)|The Last Tycoon]]''
| [[Boxley]]
|
|-
| ''[[The Eagle Has Landed (film)|The Eagle Has Landed]]''
| [[Heinrich Himmler]]
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1977
| ''[[The Uncanny (film)|The Uncanny]]''
| Valentine De'ath
| Segment: "Hollywood 1936"
|-
| ''[[Oh, God! (film)|Oh, God!]]''
| Dr. Harmon
|
|-
| ''[[Telefon (film)|Telefon]]''
| Nikolai Dalchimsky
|
|-
| rowspan="7" | 1978
| ''[[Blood Relatives (1978 film)|Blood Relatives]]''
| James Doniac
|
|-
| ''[[Tomorrow Never Comes]]''
| Dr. Todd
|
|-
| ''[[Out of the Darkness (1978 film)|Night Creature]]''
| Axel MacGregor
|
|-
| ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (film)|Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]''
| B.D. Hoffler
|
|-
| ''[[Power Play (1978 film)|Power Play]]''
| Blair
|
|-
| ''[[CIA contro KGB|L'Ordre et la sécurité du monde]]''
| Rothko
|
|-
| ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]''
| [[Samuel Loomis|Dr. Sam Loomis]]
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1979
| ''[[Jigsaw (1979 film)|Jigsaw]]''
| Albert Rumpelmayer
|
|-
| ''[[Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff]]''
| Dr. Steiner
|
|-
| ''[[Dracula (1979 film)|Dracula]]''
| Dr. [[Jack Seward (Dracula)|Jack Seward]]
|
|-
| ''[[Jaguar Lives!]]''
| General Villanova
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1980
| ''[[The Pumaman]]''
| Dr. Kobras
|
|-
| ''[[The Monster Club]]''
| Pickering
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1981
| ''[[Escape from New York]]''
| The President of the United States
|
|-
| ''[[Halloween II (1981 film)|Halloween II]]''
| Dr. Sam Loomis
|
|-
| ''[[Race for the Yankee Zephyr]]''
| Gilbert 'Gibbie' Carson
|
|-
| 1982
| ''[[Alone in the Dark (1982 film)|Alone in the Dark]]''
| Dr. Leo Bain
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1983
| ''To Kill a Stranger''
| Colonel Kostik
|
|-
| ''[[Warrior of the Lost World]]''
| Prossor
|
|-
| ''[[The Devonsville Terror]]''
| Dr. Warley
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1984
| ''[[Frankenstein's Great Aunt Tillie]]''
| Baron [[Victor Frankenstein]]
|
|-
| ''[[Where Is Parsifal?]]''
| Mackintosh
|
|-
| ''[[The Ambassador (1984 American film)|The Ambassador]]''
| Eretz
|
|-
| ''[[A Breed Apart (1984 film)|A Breed Apart]]''
| J.P. Whittier
|
|-
| ''[[Terror in the Aisles]]''
| Himself (host)
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1985
| ''[[Phenomena (film)|Phenomena]]''
| John McGregor
|
|-
| ''Treasure of the Amazon''
| Klaus Von Blantz
|
|-
| ''[[Nothing Underneath]]''
| Inspector Danesi
|
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Operation Nam]]''
| Father Lenoir
|
|-
| rowspan="8" | 1987
| ''Warrior Queen''
| Clodius
|
|-
| ''[[Specters (film)|Specters]]''
| Professor Lasky
|
|-
| ''[[Double Target]]''
| Senator Blaster
|
|-
| ''[[Ground Zero (1987 film)|Ground Zero]]''
| Prosper Gaffney
|
|-
| ''[[Django 2]]''
| Gunn
|
|-
| ''[[Prince of Darkness (film)|Prince of Darkness]]''
| Priest
|
|-
| ''To Kill a Stranger''
| Colonel Kostik
|
|-
| ''Animali metropolitani''
| Professor Livingstone
|
|-
| rowspan="6" | 1988
| ''[[Phantom of Death]]''
| Inspector Datti
|
|-
| ''The Commander''
| Henry Carlson
|
|-
| ''[[Last Platoon]]''
| Colonel B. Abrams
|
|-
| ''[[Vampire in Venice]]''
| Don Alvise
|
|-
| ''[[Hanna's War]]''
| Captain Thomas Rosza
|
|-
| ''[[Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers]]''
| Dr. Sam Loomis
|
|-
| rowspan="6" | 1989
| ''The House of Usher''
| Walter Usher
|
|-
| ''[[Ten Little Indians (1989 film)|Ten Little Indians]]''
| Judge Lawrence Wargrave
|
|-
| ''[[Paganini Horror]]''
| Mr. Pickett
|
|-
| ''[[River of Death (film)|River of Death]]''
| Heinrich Spaatz
|
|-
|style="white-space:nowrap;"| ''[[Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers]]''
| Dr. Sam Loomis
|
|-
| ''[[Casablanca Express]]''
| Colonel Bats
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1990
| ''[[Buried Alive (1990 theatrical film)|Buried Alive]]''
| Dr. Schaeffer
|
|-
| ''[[American risciò|American Rickshaw]]''
| Reverend Mortom
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1991
| ''L'avvoltoio può attendere''
| Aaron Shalik
|
|-
| ''[[Millions (1991 film)|Millions]]''
| Ripa
|
|-
| ''[[Shadows and Fog]]''
| Doctor
|
|-
| 1992
| ''[[Dien Bien Phu (film)|Dien Bien Phu]]''
| Howard Simpson
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1993
| ''[[The Thief and the Cobbler]]''
| Phido the Vulture (voice)
|1992 workprint and Fred Calvert version only
|-
| ''[[The Big Freeze (1993 film)|The Big Freeze]]''
| Soup Slurper
|
|-
| ''[[The Hour of the Pig]]''
| Pincheon
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1995
| ''[[Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers]]''
| Dr. Sam Loomis
| rowspan="3" | ''Posthumous release''
|-
| ''Safe Haven''
| The Sailor
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Fatal Frames]]''
| Professor Robertson
|-
|}

===Television===

==== TV series ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1952–59
| ''[[Sunday Night Theatre]]''
| Various roles
| 6 episodes
|-
|1954
| ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four (British TV programme)|Nineteen Eighty-Four]]''
| Syme
|
|-
| 1955
| ''[[The Grove Family]]''
| Monsieur Paul
| Episode: "Parlez-Vous Français?"
|-
| 1956
| ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)|The Adventures of Robin Hood]]''
| [[John, King of England|Prince John]]
| 4 episodes
|-
| 1956–59
| ''[[ITV Playhouse]]''
| Various roles
| 6 episodes
|-
| 1957
| ''Assignment Foreign Legion''
| Commandant
| Episode: "The Coward"
|-
| 1957–67
| ''[[Armchair Theatre]]''
| Various roles
| 8 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1959
| ''The Killing Stones''
| Jakob Kleiber
| Episode: "The Carefulness of Kleiber"
|-
| ''The Scarf''
| Detective Inspector Harry Yates
| 6 episodes
|-
| ''[[The Adventures of William Tell]]''
| The Spider
| Episode: "The Spider"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1960
| ''[[The Four Just Men (TV series)|The Four Just Men]]''
| Paul Koster
| Episode: "The Survivor"
|-
| ''[[Interpol Calling]]''
| Karl Haussman
| Episode: "The Absent Assassin"
|-
| ''Rendezvous''
| Potter
| Episode: "The Dodo"
|-
| 1960–61
| ''[[Danger Man]]''
| Nikolides / Captain Aldrich
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1960–65
| ''[[Armchair Mystery Theatre]]''
| Host / Ambrose
| Episode: "Ambrose"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1961
| ''[[Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond]]''
| Harvey Laurence
| Episode: "The Confession"
|-
| ''[[Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color]]''
| Captain Pinski
| Episode: "The Horsemasters"
|-
| 1962
| ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''
| Professor Ellis Fowler
| Episode: "[[The Changing of the Guard (The Twilight Zone)|The Changing of the Guard]]"
|-
| 1963
| ''[[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]''
| Professor Harold Finley
| Episode: "[[The Man with the Power]]"
|-
| 1964
| ''[[Espionage (TV series)|Espionage]]''
| Escalon
| Episode: "The Liberators"
|-
| 1965
| ''[[The Defenders (1961 TV series)|The Defenders]]''
| Dr. Byron Saul
| Episode: "Fires of the Mind"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1966
| ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]''
| Max Pfeiffer
| Episode: "With Strings Attached"
|-
| ''[[The Wednesday Play]]''
| The Head Waiter
| Episode: "The Head Waiter"
|-
| 1967–68
| ''[[Thirty-Minute Theatre]]''
| J.G. / Richard Pratt
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1971
| ''[[The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (TV series)|The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes]]''
| [[Carnacki]]
| Episode: "The Horse of the Invisible"
|-
| 1971–83
| ''[[Play for Today]]''
| Samuel Johnson / Gerry Muddiman / Tom
| 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1972
| ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]''
| Hans Vogler
| Episode: "The Ninety-Second War: Part II"
|-
| ''The Man Outside''
| Victor Cobb
| Episode: "A Glass of Snake Wine"
|-
| ''[[Police Surgeon (UK TV series)|Police Surgeon]]''
| Jerry Hahn
| Episode: "Lady X"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1973
| ''[[Columbo]]''
| Adrian Carsini
| Episode: "[[Columbo (season 3)#Episodes|Any Old Port in a Storm]]"
|-
| ''[[Orson Welles Great Mysteries]]''
| Cawser
| Episode: "Captain Rogers"
|-
|1974
| ''[[Performance (Canadian TV series)|Performance]]''
| [[Wilhelm Voigt]]
| Episode "[[The Captain of Köpenick (play)|The Captain of Köpenick]]"
|-
|1975
| ''[[Shades of Greene]]''
| Puckler
| Episode: "The Root of All Evil"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1976
| ''[[Peep Show (Canadian TV series)|Peep Show]]''
| Max
| Episode: "Death"
|-
| ''[[Laurence Olivier Presents]]''
| Nat Jeffcote
| Episode: "[[Hindle Wakes (play)|Hindle Wakes]]"
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Mrs. Columbo]]''
| Ian A. Morly
| Episode: "Murder Is a Parlor Game"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1981
| ''[[Dick Turpin (TV series)|Dick Turpin]]''
| Ignatius Slake
| 2 episodes
|-
| ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''
| Himself (Host)
| Episode: "Donald Pleasence/[[Fear (band)|Fear]]"
|-
|1982
| ''[[The Barchester Chronicles]]''
| Reverend Septimus Harding
| 7 episodes
|-
|1987
| ''Basements''
| Mr. Kidd
|Episode: "[[The Room (play)|The Room]]"<ref>{{Cite web |date=1987-12-26 |title=Television Reviews : 'The Room' on ABC |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-26-ca-7252-story.html |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719045952/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-26-ca-7252-story.html |archivedate=19 July 2021 |accessdate=2021-07-19 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| 1988
| ''[[The Ray Bradbury Theater]]''
| George Hill
| Episode: "Punishment Without Crime"
|-
| 1992
| ''[[Lovejoy]]''
| Karel Redl
| Episode: "The Prague Sun"
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Screen Two]]''
| Victor Harty
| Episode: "Femme Fatale"
|}

==== TV films and miniseries ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
|-
| 1952
| ''The Dybbuk''
| 2nd Batlon
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1954
| ''Montserrat''
| Juan Alvarez
|-
| ''[[The Face of Love (1954 film)|The Face of Love]]''
| Alex
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1958
| ''I Spy''
| Mr. Frute
|-
| ''Granite''
| A Nameless Man
|-
|1959
| ''The Traitor''
| Grantley Caypor
|-
| 1967
| ''[[The Diary of Anne Frank (1967 film)|The Diary of Anne Frank]]''
| Mr. Dusseli
|-
|1973
| ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde''
| Fred Smudge
|-
| 1974
| ''Occupations''
| Christo Kabak
|-
| 1975
| ''[[The Count of Monte Cristo (1975 film)|The Count of Monte Cristo]]''
| Baron Danglars
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1977
| ''[[Jesus of Nazareth (miniseries)|Jesus of Nazareth]]''
| [[Melchior (magus)|Melchior]]
|-
| ''[[The Dark Secret of Harvest Home]]''
| Narrator
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1978
| ''[[The Defection of Simas Kudirka]]''
| Captain Vladimir Popov
|-
| ''[[The Bastard (1978 film)|The Bastard]]''
| Solomon Sholto
|-
| 1978–79
| ''[[Centennial (miniseries)|Centennial]]''
| Sam Purchas
|-
| rowspan="4" |1979
| ''[[All Quiet on the Western Front (1979 film)|All Quiet on the Western Front]]''
| Kantorek
|-
| ''[[Gold of the Amazon Women]]''
| Clarence Blasko
|-
| ''[[The French Atlantic Affair]]''
| Max Dechambre
|-
| ''[[Better Late Than Never (1979 film)|Better Late Than Never]]''
| Colonel Riddle
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1980
| ''[[The Ghost Sonata]]''
| The Old Man
|-
| ''[[Blade on the Feather]]''
| Professor Jason Cavendish
|-
| 1982
| ''[[Witness for the Prosecution (1982 film)|Witness for the Prosecution]]''
| Mr. Myers
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1984
| ''[[Master of the Game (miniseries)|Master of the Game]]''
| Salomon Van der Merwe
|-
| ''[[Arch of Triumph (1984 film)|Arch of Triumph]]''
| Haake
|-
| 1985
| ''[[Black Arrow (telefilm)|Black Arrow]]''
| Sir Oliver Oates
|-
| 1987
| ''[[Scoop (1987 film)|Scoop]]''
| Lord Copper
|-
|1988
| ''[[The Great Escape II: The Untold Story]]''
| Dr. Absalon
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Miss Marple (TV series)|Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery]]''
| Jason Rafiel
|-
| 1991
| ''[[Women in Arms (film)|Women in Arms]]''
| Dreyfuss
|-
| 1995
| ''Signs and Wonders''
| Cornelius Van Damm
|}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |author=Jacobs, David |year=1980 |title=David Jacob's Book of Celebrities' Jokes & Anecdotes |publisher=[[HarperCollins|Robson Books]] |contributor-last=Pleasence |contributor-first=Donald |contribution=Contributor |page= 120|isbn=0860511251 |author-link=David Jacobs (broadcaster)}}

== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Award
!Year
!Category
!Work
!Result
|-
|[[AACTA Awards|Australian Film Institute Awards]]
|1987
|[[AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role|Best Actor in a Supporting Role]]
|''[[Ground Zero (1987 film)|Ground Zero]]''
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|[[British Academy Television Awards]]
|1959
|Light Entertainment Award{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
|{{N/A}}
|{{Won}}
|-
|[[Drama Desk Award]]s<ref name=":0" />
|1969
|Outstanding Performance
|''The Man in the Glass Booth''
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Primetime Emmy Awards]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Donald Pleasence |url=https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/donald-pleasence |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Television Academy |language=en}}</ref>
|1978
|Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special
|''[[The Defection of Simas Kudirka]]''
|{{Nominated}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Saturn Awards]]
|1980
|[[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
|''[[Dracula (1979 film)|Dracula]]''
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|1982
|[[Saturn Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
|''[[Halloween II (1981 film)|Halloween II]]''
|{{Nominated}}
|-
| rowspan="4" |[[Tony Awards]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Donald Pleasence – Broadway Cast & Staff {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/donald-pleasence-68547#Awards |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref>
|1962
| rowspan="4" |[[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play|Best Actor in a Play]]
|[[The Caretaker (play)|''The Caretaker'']]
|{{nom}}
|-
|1965
|''Poor Bitos''
|{{nom}}
|-
|1969
|''The Man in the Glass Booth''
|{{nom}}
|-
|1972
|''[[Wise Child]]''
|{{nom}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}

{{British Academy Television Award for Best Actor 1955–1959}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pleasence, Donald}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners]]
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[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English male voice actors]]
[[Category:English Methodists]]
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