Donald Pleasence was born on October 5th, 1919 in the town of Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, UK, the son of a stationmaster.

Donald began his long and distinguished acting career on the London stage in 1939. During WW2, Pleasance joined the British Royal Air Force and was shot down and captured by the Germans, who tortured him. While Donald spent the rest of the war in a German POW Camp, he formed an acting group with the other POW's, and put on plays to help pass the time and unpleasantness of being in captivity in the Nazi's hands.

The POW experience Donald Pleasence endured was put to good use in such films as THE GREAT ESCAPE, a film which also starred other actors who were POW'S in Germany.

In 1954, Donald Pleasence started his film career in earnest, and never stopped until the year of his death in 1995, due to complications of heart surgery.

Donald Pleasence was a talented, memorable character actor who excelled in a variety of genres, specializing in strange roles, such as Flight Lt. Colin 'The Forger'' Blythe in THE GREAT ESCAPE, or menacing characters, portraying various types of villains, characters the audience loved to hate.

Donald's most memorable roles include:

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE - Ernst Stavro Blofeld
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK - President of the United States
HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS - Dr. Loomis

Donald Pleasence's other film credits include: