Donald Pleasence: This Great Escape Actor Was A Real POW
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มิ.ย. 2024
- Donald Pleasence, who starred in "The Great Escape" was actually a WW2 Prisoner of War (POW).
He later found fame as Bond villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and as Dr. Loomis in the cult horror film "Halloween".
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So what did Donal Pleasence actually do in World War 2, how did he become a prisoner and where was he imprisoned?
Well, this is his story and thank you to everyone who wrote in to me requesting it after my recent episode about another actor POW, Peter Butterworth (of “Carry On” fame).
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Donald Pleasence served in the RAF from 1940, particpating in 60 bombing missions.
Eventually his Lancaster bomber was shot down whilst on a raid to bomb a V1 rocket site in northern France.
Captured, Donald Pleasence was to spend the rest of the war as a German Prisoner in a POW camp, Stalag Luft I / Stalag Luft 1.
Situated on the Baltic coast of Germany, Stalag Luft I housed over 9,000 prisoners of war (POW).
Whilst Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force men made up about 20% of the camp population, over 7500 men were US airmen.
Included in their number were John C. Morgan (the only US airman to receive the Medal of Honor and also be a POW), flying ace Vermont Garrison, and Colonel Hubert Zemke.
After the war, Donald Pleasence resumed his acting career and was to appear in 140 films over the next 50 years.
Arguably, one of the greatest villains that James Bond (007) was to go up against, Pleasence played Ernst Stavro Blofeld in "You Only Live Twice".
Later on he also appeared as Dr. Samuel Loomis in the cult "Halloween" film franchise.
In 1963, he reprised his experience as a wartime POW when he starred in "The Great Escape".
Speaking of wartime movies, he also appeared in "The Eagle Has Landed".
Donald Pleasence died in France in 1995.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:00 Early Life
1:55 Wartime Service in RAF
2:47 Shot Down
4:02 Stalag Luft 1
4:49 American POW's
7:05 Life as a POW
8:33 Liberation
9:55 Home Coming
10:28 Resumes Acting Career
11:21 Film Career
12:17 The Great Escape
13:27 Death
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My name is Chris Green and I love to share stories from British history. Not just because they are interesting but because, good or bad, they have shaped the world we live in today.
History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens.
So rather than lectures or TH-cam animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life.
My aim is to be chat as if I were having a coffee or meal with you. Jean in Maryland, USA recently wrote: "Chris, is the history teacher I wish I had at school!"
Just for the record, I do have a history degree in Medieval & Modern history from the University of Birmingham.
Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
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I will have to say that is my favorite quote by him, I was quite successful right up until the point where I was shot down! Brilliant British humor! You're very well done my friend, kudos to you!
Glad you enjoyed it Harry. Hope you can make live stream on Friday.
There's an episode of The Twilight Zone where Pleasence plays a teacher who looks back over a lifetime in the classroom and thinks that he was a failure. Contemplating ending his life, he returns to the classroom to find the ghosts of boys he had taught, all of whom say how important the lessons he taught them were. There's a lad who died on the Arizona, another who fought at Iwo Jima and so on. It's impossible for me to watch without howling my eyes out, but well worth a look.
I will try to track the episode down 👍
Peter Butterworth was one as well. He was on the actual Wooden Horse escape team about which a famous film of the same name was made but Butterworth failed the audition beause the casting director didn't think he looked enough like a real POW.
Strange but true.
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60 combat missions in itself, are a bloody miracle.
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Donald Pleasence did an exceptional job of acting in the Great Escape, we seem to have lost both the actors and the ability to make films like it now.
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Great story, a special Man indeed. Fellow Actor, Denholm Elliot also became a POW after his bomber was shot down over the North Sea.
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Donald Pleasance is my favourite actor of all time. He had astounding range and talent and always elevates anything he was in.
Nice comment. Thanks for taking the time to post.
@@TheHistoryChap thanks for taking the time to make the video :)
His performance in the Bond movie - You Only Live Twice - was superb, giving just enough of a truly menacing air...... One of the better Bond villains in my opinion.
I share your opinion, an extremely versatile character actor. He became the gold standard for evey role he played.
The reason according to an interview with james garner the reason the director had a change of heart in his attitude to Donald was Charles Bronson who had a face to face talk on set and informed the director. " in the nicest possible way " what experience Donald had during the war
Thanks for sharing.
Ive been looking forward to this one.
The actors of our childhood had some amazing military histories.
Hope you enjoy it Charlie.
@@TheHistoryChap I most certainly did!
I also went and rewatched the great escape video and left another comment....you know for the algorithm magic n stuff!
My favourite memory of Donald Pleasance was one of his last roles as ‘The Warden’, in an adaptation of an Anthony Trollope novel of that name, in which he played very gentle and humble clergyman. It was in such contrast to many of his most well known acting roles as evil characters.
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I am Australian and two of my mother's cousins were bomber pilots in WWII. One, Keith Cornish, was shot down and killed over Milne Bay New Guinea, and his brother Geoffrey was shot down over Germany and sent to Stalag Luft III. He was supposed to go out in the Great Escape but as he had been a medical student and the closest thing they had to a doctor in the camp, his place was given to another man who was among the fifty executed by the Germans. He felt the guilt ever after. My mother said that the actor playing the doctor in the film was dark haired but her cousin was fair.
After the liberation, the Americans asked if there were any people in the camp with medical experience. Geoffrey was thus sent to a liberated concentration camp to help with care of the inmates. He found it a very traumatic experience. His daughter was watching an episode of the British television Antiques Roadshow, and a woman on the show said that her mother had been in the concentration camp and had been assisted by a fair haired 'British' POW. Geoffrey's daughter was sure it was him but was unable to get into contact with the woman.
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@@TheHistoryChap Thanks. Dr Cornish became a well known cardiologist after the war. From an article about him:
The Continuing Inspirational Social Legacy of Dr Geoffrey J. Cornish MBBS, OAM (1921-2005)
The esteemed medical career of GC includes, but is certainly not limited to, innovations in cardiac rehabilitation and anaesthetics, as well the establishment of vital Red Cross blood banks throughout regional Australia, all having significant community impact. Indeed, GC’s life of service, that extended into his eighties, contains many other dimensions and achievements of distinction.
He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
@@TheHistoryChap Thank you. Although Geoffrey felt guilty about surviving at the expense of the life of another man, it is fortunate for many that he did.
From the article:
The Continuing Inspirational Social Legacy of Dr Geoffrey J. Cornish MBBS, OAM (1921-2005)
This year marks several anniversary milestones of an eminent Australian and Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) recipient, Dr Geoffrey James Cornish MBBS...
The esteemed medical career of GC includes, but is certainly not limited to, innovations in cardiac rehabilitation and anaesthetics, as well the establishment of vital Red Cross blood banks throughout regional Australia, all having significant community impact. Indeed, GC’s life of service, that extended into his eighties, contains many other dimensions and achievements of distinction...
Journalist Tara Brown of 60 Minutes Australia describes in GC’s life as a touching and inspirational story of humble heroism and enduring spirit resembling an adventure novel, but being far more fascinating than any work of fiction.
My parents were fortunate enough to meet Donald on the You Only Live Twice set and had lunch with him in the studio canteen along with Sean Connery and Cubby Broccoli. He was an outstanding actor and a very generous person.
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Love this movie and have watched several times over the years along with my late father.
Dad was a Combat Veteran, like Mr Pleasance. However, my father served in the South Pacific Campaign. Dad was a Flightline Engineer and Mechanic on the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt with the 20th US Army Air Force, 7th Army Air Corp, 414th Fighter/ Bomber Group, 413th F/ B Squadron on Guam, Tinian, Saipan and Iwo Jima.
Luckily, dad was never captured. But, two men of his Squadron (field personnel) decided to sneak out of the safe zone and go swimming one night. The Japanese soldiers were still being cleared off Iwo. They found their bodies with throats slashed on the beach.
Danger every where!!
Lost dad in '06 at 88yrs old. Miss and love ya dad!!
Such a lovely comment. Thanks for taking the time to share your father's story of wartime service.
@@TheHistoryChapenjoy your video, from southern West Virginia, USA.
A great actor and a lovely man. RIP.
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It was great Pleasance had the chance to share his experiences with the production crew during filming, such information is invaluable! I did not know prior to today there is a town called Boston in Britain just like in America. Thank you for sharing the story of Hoover's escape! Always enjoy learning about successful escape stories. For his villain role in You Only Live Twice, the facial and eye scars were his idea. He indeed had one heck of a life as a serviceman, prisoner, and actor! Thank you Chris for telling this story.
Hi Nathan,
I'm glad you enjoyed this story.
Boston in England gave its name to the city in New England. Many of the Pilgrim Fathers and early Puritan settlers came from the eastern side of England, such as the counties of Lincolnshire and Essex.
@@TheHistoryChap Thank you for explaining.
We have a real town called Gotham too.
@@karahughes7074 I had absolutely no idea! I had only previously heard the name in Batman.
Er....I think you'll find there's a town in America called Boston just like in Britain...
There's any number of places in America named after the towns the settlers came from - Birmingham, Manchester, Northampton, Winchester, Woodstock etc.
( I wonder if many Americans have ever heard of some out-of-the-way places called "California", "New York" and "Washington"? LOL.)
One thing about WWII was that it produced a lot of actors.
One of them in _The Longest Day_ actually plays someone else having a conversation with another actor who is playing HIM.
.
That's Richard Todd you are talking about.
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Thank you, another learning experience about an actor who was a real hero. RIP xx
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in another doc i learned the director didnt want to hear about pleasances pow experiance. it was charles bronson purple heart like 40 missions in a b29 who set the director straight. .
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TY. A man who showed up for a war, but on his own terms. Donald could be 50% of service men on that score.
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I remember the Lincoln's flying in Hong Kong in the early 1950's, they, the Spits, Mosquitos, Meteors (the first jets) and Vampires, and especially the Spits, would put on great shows almost every day. Back then there was very little traffic at Kai Tak, the Airport, so the Spits would go up and dog fight almost every day. A couple of WW2 aces would square off against the young pilots and teach them "what's it's really all about"... it really was "the greatest show on earth".. a friend and i were walking down the long road to the terminal building when we heard the hum of some Merlins coming up behind us, it was a pair of "mosies" about 8 feet off the deck coming right at us. we jumped as they spilt and went by on either side of us, then came around again and the pilots took off he masks so we could see them laugh at us.. we jumped around and waved back.. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything!!..
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In 1991 it was a privilege to see Donald in a masterful stage performance at the Lyceum Theatre Sheffield reviving his role in Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker. I had no idea of his POW back story at the time. Interesting to note from this video that he was back in the city of his schoolboy days for that performance. (Slightly surprised The Caretaker wasn’t mentioned in this given Donald Pleasance became synonymous with a play from its inception to its acceptance as a classic, however it is obvious his astounding talent is acknowledged amidst this engaging account).
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@@TheHistoryChap thanks for the video. Aside from interest in your content it triggered that great memory of him for me, so I looked up that performance. I found that it was a young unknown Colin Firth co-starring with him there a full 4 years before he emerged from the lake at Lyme Park as D’Arcy in Pride and Prejudice (to the delight of my wife and many others !)
Brilliant yet again Chris more history please love from Ireland ❤
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He was born in 1919 I thought it was 1910 and he was in the camp for 8 months I thought it was only three I stand corrected
I love Donald more than my life thank you for filling me in on this amazing human being. Rest in peace My Donald❤😢❤❤❤❤
Poor FORGER, I didn't want him to die
I've rewatched that bit of the film, and it is sad.
He knew my grandfather who lived on the same street in tinsley,sheffield and they were both in the raf
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You mentioned Bob Hoover. Hoover was described by Chuck Yeager as the greatest pilot he ever knew. High praise indeed. I knew Pleasence had been a POW, but thank you for fleshing out the story.
I was fortunate to see Bob Hoover do a flying demonstration of jaw dropping quality at an air show in Windsor, Ontario. When he landed he emerged from the aircraft dressed as if headed to a day at the office.
Great story thanks for sharing
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Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, of VMF 214, The Black Sheep, was also a Medal of Honor winner, and a POW of the Japanese.
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I love these vignettes of history. I wish you could do Christopher Lee, but I rather suspect his work was _so_ secret we won't know about it for decades. Hence the scene with Peter Jackson where Saruman is stabbed in the back and screams and Lee, apparently, turned to Jackson and murmured, 'You know if a man is stabbed in the back, they *can't* scream.' And when Jackson found out about his wartime service Jackson listened to him.
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Thank you very much for sharing this beautiful story.
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Another great video Chris! On a side note, Marine Corps Fighter Ace Greg "Pappy" Boyington was awarded the Medal Of Honor after he was captured by the Japanese in January 44 but did not receive it until his liberation and return in October 45.
Thanks for that little bit of info about Greg "Pappy" Boyington.
Also, the U.S. Navy's top submarine commander, Richard O'Kane. He was forced to work in the Ashio Copper Mine as a POW of the Japanese. I was fortunate to visit with him in the early '90s.
@@TheHistoryChap Excellent video, BTW
Pleasance also played Septimus Harding in the T.V. adaptation of Trollop's "The Warden", the first of the Barchester Chronicles. He was brilliant! This can be found on TH-cam.
Regarding weight loss and forced marches by POWs, I read the memoire "A Ticket To Hell Via Dieppe" by a veteran who lost a third of his weight in captivity, only then to be forced march ever further away from the advancing western Allies.
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Maybe not his longest role, certainly not his most widely known, but Pleasance was outstanding in his role in The Greatest Story Ever Told.
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“For you the war is over” is very literal in that the POW’s usually became very friendly with the guards and after the war many former guards and POW’s would visit each other countries for holidays.
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Donald Pleasence was referred to as a wireless radio operator and Gunner AKA wop. Donald's think exactly 3 months. In which he was deprived of food and was suffering from severe malnutrition when the camp was liberated by Russian forces. Donald spent six months in a French hospital recovering from severe malnutrition.
Best Himmler ever in The Eagle has Landed.
Yes, very menacing.
Awesome as always,thanks Chris
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
He played a crazy Preacher in Will Penny alongside Charlton Heston in 1968.
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Very good tribute. That generation was a different breed of man.
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Too right they were. The Germans took Douglas Bader's false legs off him, after his repeated attempts to escape from a POW camp...... These men were from another era......
Fascinating, thank you!
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great story Chris, enjoyed it
Thanks for watching (or listening).
Another well-paced and enjoyable lecture❤👍🤟
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
Nice video!
I had known about him being a POW, but this video provided a lot more info/detail.
Thank you!
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Great story Chris, thank you. Anyone out there hesitating on whether to become a member, believe me, its well worth supporting the History Chap.
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Again a great video thank you for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Nice one Chris ! 👍
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Great video Chris! I really like your channel, you have a great presenting style and I love how you shine a light on topics that aren't as well known.
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The history Chap what History TV was meant to be
Very kind of you, thanks.
Live stream on Friday (1pm UK)
Chris, thank you for another fine video. You certainly have Pleasence of mind.
I'm chuckling at the second part of your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
A brilliant actor. Those eyes penetrated everything.
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Great story about a great man. Your mention of Paul Brickhill made me think that his story could be interesting as so many of Paul's books were required reading for boys who grew up in the 60s.
Leave it with me and I will see what I can do.
That's when I read Brickhill's book, but in the US. 😉👍
Thanks for sharing this. I heard about his RAF experiences in Bomber Command. Brave man.
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George Cole - who played Arthur Daly in Minder - was also RAF aircrew during WW2.....
Let's hear it then, thanks for your content!
Thank you for taking the time to comment
Thank you.
My pleasure. Here is my latest video:
th-cam.com/video/ON8om9B1sOA/w-d-xo.html
Well highlighted
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Hi Chris, very enjoyable video. What an amazing life he led. Its nice to know the director made ammends when he discovered his PoW experience.
Have a great weekend!!
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Great channel and vid....
Thank you very much. Please make sure you subscribe (if you haven't already).
I'll always remember the Twilight Zone episode: Changing of the Guard, where Donald portrayed an elderly professor suddenly forced to retire. Looking back on his life he believed he'd done nothing to inspire his students (boys' school) and was going to take his own life when something wonderful happens to show him that he was wrong. Such a wonderful episode.
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Fascinating!I never knew any of this!A true hero!
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According to another channel, Sturges found out about Pleasence being a POW from one of the other actors, fellow WW2 veteran Charles Bronson. Bronson angrily told the director after he heard him tell Pleasence to mind his own business. Donald made anything he was in better to watch. Some low budget films like Puma Man and Warrior of the Lost World where only watchable because he was in them! Thanks for the video!
My pleasure. Thanks so much for watching.
Another great video mate, while I knew he had been a POW. The actual detail and information were very enlightening. On a side note, found quite ironic that Til Kiwe who played a German guard was a paratrooper in Africa Korp who tried several escape attempts in the USA where he had been a POW
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Hardy Kruger, who played Franz Von Werra, the only German POW to successfully escape from a British POW camp during WW2, in the movie The One That Got Away, was also an actual POW of the Americans during WW2....
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Everyone is a conscientious objector, until the Luftwaffe starts being naughty.
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Fantastic story! Please keep these coming so interesting. By the way that image of Dick Turpin kind of looks like Keith Moon?
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Thanks for the information. I never knew Pleasance was a serious person.
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brilliant
Thank you very much.
Thank you for another amazing telling of a brilliant story. Cheers
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Great actor, the older actors have such honest presence of the part theyre playing, great believeabilty,
Donald Pleasance 👊
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5:37 correction, Pappy Boyington was also a MOH recipient and POW, but during the war he was presumed MIA.
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One of my favorite actors.
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Good one, 60 missions is a great deal. Well done old boy.
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There is more to Stugess saying sorry than what is in the video. It was McQueen and Garner who pulled Sturgess up on what he said and how he said it. Sturgess apologized and then used DP experience on a daily basis
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60 missions. Shot down as and survived the war. Very fortunate.
Indeed. Thanks for taking the time to watch my video.
Agreed on 'The Eagle Has Landed'. I got the book as a Christmas present when I was a kid. Loved that book. It has remained my first choice of clue-giving when playing charades.........not that I've played charades in a while.......
Glad I am not alone. Great story, especially the opening.
@@TheHistoryChap Oh Gawd! I can't remember it! I last read it over 40 years ago. I'll have to re-read it.
@@TheHistoryChap Just tried watching the film. Couldn't stomach it.
60 missions and surviving being shot down in a Lancaster. Did he volunteer for a second tour as I thought 30 missions was a standard tour. Whatever an extremely lucky man who lived a full life. Another excellent video.
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He’s in my favourite “Columbo” episode. Great actor.
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Just come across you
Well done
Both he and Butterworth…. Proper
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Donald Pleasance was a much underrated actor. Watch his performance in the seminal Australian film Wake in Fright (available on YT).
Thanks for taking the time to share.
I think you should use the word "malnutrition" rather than malnourishment, when describing the cause of Pleasence's hospitalisation. Otherwise, a fine account. You should do a story about Christopher Lee, a real WWII badass, who went on to act the roles of vampires and sorcerers and everything in-between.
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TOP MAN was Pleasence and the History Chap is an excellent presenter.
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He was also in a great episode of The Twilight Zone called For Whom The Bell Tolls. He was a retiring school teacher who learned a very important lesson on his final day of work.
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The fact that his Lancaster carried a crew of 8 (not 7), meant that his plane was one of the electronic warfare planes that hovered around the target jamming the enemy transmissions.
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I remember him from one of my favorite TV Shows as a kid, Robin Hood!
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@@TheHistoryChap I love your channel and all the backstories! One recently made me wish we had gotten the Carry On films across the pond. His story was so interesting! Thank YOU!
Not being a Brit I discovered Donald Pleasance in "The Eagle Has Landed". In the 1990s I was living in Australia where I watched him in the magnificent BBC production of Anthony Trollope´s "The Barchester Chronicles" (1982) He shared the screen with two other great actors now also sadly gone: Alan Rickman and Nigel Hawthorne. The episode of "Columbo" where Donald Pleasance gave another great performance is called "Any Old Port in a Storm" (1973) and is available on YT. Cheers!
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@@TheHistoryChap My plesure Chris! Thank you for all your excellent videos!
Mark, memory fails me and can't access my archive files in the middle of a move but there is a once very well known British 'Top Notch' cameraman who filmed all the classic flight adventure movies of the 60s/70s, etc. Killed in a air collision on his last film - a tragedy.
Shot down as aicrew in mid-'43, he found help and evaded with help from good patriots. Ultimately arrested in mid-December, along with many other collected for special, 1st time mass evacuation, at a RR station in east Paris. Largest number of arrests in one place up to that date - half the number assembled were arrested. The other half escapded with more adventures and close calls (some assisted by the Abwehr - who always let a few escape to see where they went)
The personalities he met and his group of 4 other would be evaders are remarkable without exception. Their betrayer has never been officially identified by one person is highy suspect. This mass arrest was the first of a series that would all but destroy all French evacuation lines in preperation for the D-Day all knew was coming.
You'll be able to sniff him out with clues given.
If I can help with more of this long forgotten extraordinary affair leave a relpy. I have all their KEW & NARA files.
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His descrition in the movie of being shot down was classic. And his skill as an actor was showcased in a few brief lines on an SNL skit where he played (chillingly) a child molester on a radio call-in show.
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I'd like to see how accurate the ministry of ungentlemanly warfare is also
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Have you done a show on Denholm Elliot who was also a POW ? if not I think you should. From Mick.D.
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How about a story on the V rockets
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As a child I always frightened by the appearance of Pleasant a real vain. Imagine, the flying POW of all west allies were the luckiest of all inhabitants in the Stalags of whole Germany and it's bitter to think about the rest. They were at least the guys who are treated with respect and earned this for sure. All the best Ludwig.
Thanks for your input.
Great video. You vary your pronunciation of "Stalag" between correct German and English ( "shtalag"/"stalag"). Also the German for "one" is "eins". "Ein" (which you use) is the indefinite article.
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What a man to do 60 missions.
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"A mechanical failure"? The plane ran out of fuel.
Aah, Garner says "We're losing power. Carb, fuel pump, l don't know" so it's unclear.
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Donald Pleasance once suggested to James Garner that he should do Shakespeare. Garner laughed 😂
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It's so nice that you didn't use those terrible AI generated pictures for this videos thumbnails. They're so annoying and it's hard to discern between your videos and the youtube ad spam.
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God bless them all who suffered for us .
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The caption at 1.22 needs amending: The narration says that "...whilst being a clerk might have suited his father, it really didn't work for Donald." However - the caption states that it "really did..."
Thanks for your feedback. Now corrected.
60 Mission! Very much a hero
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@@TheHistoryChap You’re welcome. Good story, well told. 🫡
So was Cpl Jones.
Yes, watch my video about Cpl. Jones.
The name of the camp ends with the number Eins.
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Overheard at a pub by my Grandmother, a RAF pilot says to a US Paratrooper (recognisable by the tucked in jump boots) 1944
RAF Pilot, "My, you boys are very brave, getting all dressed up to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft'
US Paratrooper "Huh?"
RAF Pilot, "I've been doing that for the last five years, haven't succeeded yet!"
US Paratrooper "Huh?"
RAF Pilot "Good luck, old chap, I'm the 'Bus driver' who will get you to your destination safely"
She, my Grandmother RIP 1979
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The same camp that my father was sent to after he was shot down.
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