Topic: Donald Pleasence

Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, (5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. His high work rate in international cinema earned him the distinction of being the most prolific film actor at the time of his death with over 200 screen credits. Although a large number of his characters were villains and psychopaths, he is perhaps best known for his roles in two enduring film franchises, the James Bond series and the Halloween series. In the former, he portrayed Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice, thus becoming the first of several actors to give a face to Bond's persistent nemesis. In the latter, he hunted serial killer Michael Myers as Dr. Sam Loomis throughout five Halloween films (I, II, IV, V and VI).

Pleasence was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, the son of Alice (née Armitage) and Thomas Stanley Pleasence, a stationmaster. He was brought up in the small village of Grimoldby, Lincolnshire, and attended Ecclesfield Grammar School, in Sheffield,Yorkshire.

His acting career began in a production of Wuthering Heights, but was interrupted by World War II. He was at first a conscientious objector, but later joined the Royal Air Force and served with 166 Squadron, Bomber Command. His Avro Lancaster was shot down on 31 August 1944 during a raid on Agenville. He was taken prisoner and placed in a German prisoner-of-war camp, where he produced and acted in plays. He would later play Flight Lt. Colin Blythe in The Great Escape where much of the story takes place inside a POW camp.