CLAIM TO TOUGH GUY FAME: 

Eldred Gregory Peck was one of the biggest movie stars of all time, with a prolific career that spanned multiple decades. 

Known for a stoic, no-nonsense demeanor, he just oozed masculinity and macho cool. One thing that’s different about Gregory Peck is that unlike some of our previously-featured Tough Guys who made their bones playing antiheroes, villains, and otherwise dubious characters, Peck was almost strictly cast in heroic roles that showcased a rich and righteous moral fiber and fundamental decency. These upstanding characters were incorruptibly good, but prove that a saint can be a Tough Guy too.

Peck had very few misses in his career, but his handful of stabs at playing villains were mostly panned pretty hard. Critics found him unnatural and unbelievable, and audiences were so invested in him as a perennial hero that his attempt at playing the heel caused very strong reactions, and not positive ones. Audiences apparently didn’t want his ruggedly handsome face to be messed with either; the controversial decision to have Peck’s character sport a mustache in The Gunfighter (1950) was blamed for the film bombing at the box office.

Peck got the message and mostly gave the people exactly what they wanted: a new brand of gritty hero, men whose virtuosity was unsullied by their dripping testosterone. The uncompromising hero with an impossible jawline who you can’t help but root for. This is a rare breed of Tough Guy, the kind that you can bring home and introduce to your parents. 

WAS HE TOUGH IN REAL LIFE?

Kind of! When his parents were unable to care for him, the burden of raising the young Eldred Peck fell to his grandmother. Life without his parents was hard, but Eldred found an escape to look forward to in the local cinema, where his grandmother took him once a week, the highlight of his childhood. At age ten, he was shipped off to military school, which is pretty tough for such a young boy.

Following his schooling, Peck was set on becoming a doctor and enrolled in the University of California as a pre-med student. He spent what little money he earned on tuition, barely scraping by and sometimes going hungry. 

At some point, the impressive physical specimen who stood a burly 6’3” was recruited to row on the university crew team. Rowing is a very overlooked sport, but with a full-body load regularly taxed to grueling extremes of endurance, rowing is truly one of the most brutal and painful team sports out there, and competing at such a demanding high level is worthy of some Tough Guy points.

After graduating from college, Peck pursued his new interest of acting. As such, he was extremely poor, and for certain stretches, homeless as well, spending his nights in New York’s Central Park. He worked various odd jobs, including as a model, often in exchange for food. It takes a certain amount of grit to try to make it in New York City when you’re hungry and raw with nothing to your name, so that also checks out. 

However, we have to address the elephant in the room. There’s one thing that most of the Tough Guys I’ve covered have, especially those of this era, that Peck sorely stands out by comparison for lacking. I’m talking of course about military service, especially active wartime combat, the toughest brand of serving.

By the late 1930s, Peck had shifted his focus to acting and took dance classes as part of his training, which would forever alter his life. Peck excelled at the new discipline until one fateful rehearsal, when he injured his back performing a movement. The freak injury caused permanent damage to his spine, and he was very slow to recover, never fully healing. 

(Peck was never unashamed of the injury’s source and was always forthcoming when asked about it, but some years later, a major studio, in an attempt to manage the macho image of their star, would falsely claim that his chronic back issues stemmed from a rowing injury. This narrative was widely accepted as truth by the public. Even though Peck spent years trying to straighten the story out, the rowing injury narrative was well-known and widely accepted by the public.)

So when Uncle Sam came calling after the U.S. joined World War II, Peck was the prime age to join up, but because of his debilitating, persistent back injury, he was ruled unfit for the rigors of service and given a medical exemption. Instead of aiding the war effort in a civilian capacity by contributing to manufacturing, Peck turned his attention to acting full time. There’s no telling the impact of the shortage of actors his age had on his career trajectory, but it certainly didn’t hurt; it was during the war that he broke through with his first major starring role, ironically a war adventure, Days of Glory (1944).

Even though it wasn’t really his fault, there’s no question that Gregory Peck loses major Tough Guy points for not serving in World War II alongside his contemporaries and working as an actor instead of contributing in a more industrial-based job. These circumstances may have paved the way for his breakthrough, but come on, man. Almost overnight, he was a big star; he could have at least served in the USO or something.

Sorry, Gregory. You may have had a perfectly legitimate reason, but you still lose real-life Tough Guy cred for dodging compulsory military service for the biggest war ever and going all-in on acting. I guess in a way, you could say he was contributing by aiding morale at home with his movies, but that’s a bit of a stretch; I think he just wanted to seize the opportunity.

PATH TO GREATNESS:

Although he certainly had the good looks of a matinee star, Peck’s golden pipes are what got him discovered. He took a public speaking class at Cal, and during one speech, an acting coach in attendance took note of his uniquely resonant deep baritone voice, which Peck confidently commanded like a fine instrument.

Recruited to take an acting class, the intrigued Peck quickly became fully absorbed, dropping his pre-med studies in favor of acting courses. After Cal, he moved to New York City, where he was accepted into the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse, working with the most renowned and celebrated acting teachers in the country. Eager to reinvent himself, he stopped going by “Eldred” in favor of Gregory, his middle name. Good thing, too. “Gregory” is a much tougher name than “Eldred”. Not even close.

Most actors, including many of the ones covered here, grapple with rejection for quite some time, finally breaking through and getting noticed after many lean years of bit parts and minor roles. Gregory Peck, however, was not one of these late-bloomers or lessons in persistence. Instead, he found success on the stage almost immediately, basically skipping over years of minor roles and obscure stages to land his first lead Broadway role in 1942. 

The newcomer was an absolute force on the stage and had instantly established his star power. This performance directly led to another prominent Broadway lead role, then another and another. He was unstoppable, an undeniable new talent conquering New York, a go-to for challenging new roles who consistently brought the house down.

(It’s worth noting again that his success was no doubt aided by a lack of competition from other men his age, who were fighting in the war. Peck was much more than just a warm body, however, as unlike many actors who were exempt, he had the appearance of youthful vigor, and also happened to be uncommonly handsome. This helped thrust him into the limelight, but he certainly had immense natural talent and the acting pedigree to back it up.)

As he became more and more famous and acclaimed through his work on Broadway, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood came calling. He was high in demand, allowing him to once again jump right into the deep end without having to dip his toe in first. Studios were fighting over him, and he was offered the lead in the war epic Days of Glory (1944), his first Hollywood role.

Although it bombed at the box office and was widely panned by critics, Peck’s performance was seen as a bright spot. His unmistakable charisma had effortlessly transitioned from stage to screen, and it was clear to many that they were witnessing the birth of a star. 

Shortly after filming, he followed up the buzz with his second film role, the lead in The Keys of the Kingdom (1944). The film opened to mixed reviews, but critics unanimously praised Peck’s performance. Unlike his first film, some people actually saw this one, and as a result, Peck’s performance established him as one of the finest young actors working in Hollywood. In just his second film ever, he was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award! It was his first time being honored by the Academy, but far from his last.  

Peck never looked back, dominating the 1940s with a string of performances that brought even more acclaim and hardware. He rode the steam into the 50s with a variety of performances, from period films to Westerns, war epics, action swashbucklers, and beyond. In 1953, he challenged himself by tackling uncharted new territory: comedy. The result, Roman Holiday, is simply one of the finest romantic comedies ever made. 

Notable for being Audrey Hepburn’s first starring role, the film features another stalwart, manly Peck performance that finds winning humor and electric on-screen chemistry. If modern romantic comedies have convinced you that they’re all terrible, that’s an understandable reaction, but watch Roman Holiday and tell me you don’t have a good time.

Roman Holiday was a smash hit and catapulted Peck to new levels of worldwide stardom. He continued his winning streak throughout the decade and entered the 1960s as Hollywood’s biggest star. He possessed certain timeless, ageless good looks that allowed him to continue to be a leading man as he got into his 40s.

There are so many career highs and accolades; it’s really hard to hit all of them without this thing just getting too long. War epic The Guns of Navarone (1961), starring Peck as a tough-as-nails Army officer, was the most popular and highest-grossing film of the year, continuing his winning streak. Cape Fear (1962) is another classic, a Tough Guy tag team co-starring previously-featured Tough Guy Robert Mitchum.

Before I speed through this section and wrap things up, we absolutely have to talk about Peck’s most famous role, as the heroic lawyer Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). This is his most well-known, defining performance. If you haven’t seen this one, you’re really missing out. It really is one of the all-time great and memorable acting performances I’ve ever seen. Believe me, it lives up to the hype, which is considerable, as this is one of the iconic characters in cinema history. Peck was once again nominated for Best Actor, and this time, they just had to give it to him.

As the 1970s came along, Peck inevitably aged out of playing most leading men roles and moved on to supporting turns and “character”  parts. His film roles, which used to light up the box office several times a year, started becoming more and more infrequent as the decade rolled along and Peck approached his 60s.

Peck would finally call it quits in the early 1990s, but was lured back for one final role in 1998. He was in his early 80s, but proved that he could still bring it. His supporting role in an epic TV adaptation of Moby Dick was one of his most acclaimed performances ever, garnering him widespread praise and numerous awards. True star power never gets old. 

WIth little else to prove, Peck retired again, this time on his own terms. In the end, he went out just like he came in: on top of the world and untouchable. Lots of faded stars deserve the opportunity for one more big role but never get the call, so it’s pretty cool that Gregory Peck had one last chance to really shine. Afterward, he was happy to ride off into the sunset and enjoy his golden years, and lived large until the age of 87.

There will simply never be another Gregory Peck.

NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1963 for his legendary performance of righteous attorney Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. In 2003, the American Film Institute ranked his character #1 in their list of the greatest all-time cinematic heroes, edging out the likes of Indiana Jones and James Bond. 

A nomination for a Best Leading Actor Oscar is a rarified honor that may come once in a career; Peck was nominated an impressive FIVE separate times for the award.  

Owner of six Golden Globe Awards. In a 1998 TV adaptation of Moby Dick, the final performance of his career, the 82 year old Peck became one of the oldest to win a Golden Globe and also picked up a Primetime Emmy for the role.

In 1969, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor that a civilian can receive.

His substantial body of work has been honored with too many lifetime achievement awards to list and he’s consistently named as one of the greatest movie stars of all time by everyone ever.

FUN TOUGH GUY FACTS:

Co-founded the American Film Institute in 1967.

His effortlessly dapper look earned him induction into the Best Dressed Hall of Fame in 1983.

Known for his progressive political activism, including standing up to the House Un-American Activities Committee during their witch hunt for secret communists in Hollywood in the 1950s, to being outspokenly against the Vietnam War way before it was cool, to rallying for a worldwide ban of nuclear weapons. Peck was also a tireless public advocate for political candidates and causes he supported.

Was obsessed with Guinness, partaking of his favorite beverage every single day. Eventually, he even built a bar in his house and had a Guinness tap and keg installed! 

KEY FILMS:

The Yearling (1946), Gentlemen’s Agreement (1947), Twelve O’Clock High (1949), Roman Holiday (1953), The Guns of Navarone (1961), Cape Fear (1962), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Moby Dick (1998)