Vincent Price was many things in his lifetime. He was an actor, a horror movie icon, an art historian, a avid art collector, a prolific gourmet cook, a loyal friend, and a dedicated family man. He acted in films, on tv, performed in theater, and lent his unique voice to radio programs. Price was a multitalented man but is mainly known in the mainstream for the spooky films that he starred in.
In every role Price played you know that you are getting a passionate and professional performance. Price was that way in everything he did in his life. He studied art at Yale University which lead him to pursue art collecting. In 1965 he published his first cookbook called A Treasury of Great Recipes. He would venture into more art collecting and cookbooks as the years went on while he continued to lend his talents as an actor. He also used his ominous voice in audiobooks and voiceover work. You may also remember his iconic rap in Michael Jackson's song Thriller in 1982.
Price started out as a character actor in the 1930's and eventually established himself in Laura (1944) played the role of Shelby Carpenter. His first venture into the horror genre was in the Boris Karloff film Tower of London (1939). He really made his mark in horror films from the 1950's on. He played the bad guy many times in horror films but he only played a monster once in The Monster Club (1981) as a vampire named Eramus.
There is no denying that Vincent Price was a renaissance man who lived his life doing all of the things he loved but it is in the horror genre where he left his biggest mark in cinema. I highly recommend trying to get your hands on one of his biorgaphies or his cookbooks to learn more about him. If you want a small taste of Vincent Price's work as an actor here are five film recommendations that I will guarantee you will enjoy especially during this spooky season.
Have you seen any of these film recommendations? What Vincent Price films have you enjoyed?
House of Wax (1953)
House on Haunted Hill (1959)
The Last Man on Earth (1964)
The Monster Club (1981)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Those are all great recommendations! I love him in early non-horror roles, too, but he's always a treat in his most outrageous horror comedies. THEATER OF BLOOD and THE COMEDY OF TERRORS are two that I enjoy revisiting. I also love the way he walks the line between melodrama and horror in DRAGONWYCK.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I have to see Dragonwyck. Thank you for the recommendation! xox
DeleteVP is a favorite actor. Have you seen the Dr. Phibes movies? I am going to be writing about both in an upcoming blog entry on my blog. They are odd and sometimes pretty funny. (Horror and comedy do work together if done right...)
ReplyDeleteQuiggy
Omg I actually haven't. I have to check them out. Thanks for stopping by!! xox
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