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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Books

Reviewed by Larry Cox King Features Syndicate

“Gregory Peck: A Charmed Life”

By Lynn Haney

(Carroll & Graf, $26)

Oscar-winning actor Gregory Peck’s first screen test was a disaster. According to a fascinating new biography, Peck’s features were large and irregular, his ears didn’t seem to match, and technicians found him difficult to light. Despite these problems, he had two important assets: He was lethally handsome, and he could act.

RKO took a chance and cast him as the male lead in the 1944 production of “Days of Glory.” His flawless performances, even in difficult roles, established him as one of Hollywood’s major talents.

His first outing at RKO was followed by a string of box-office blockbusters. He received Oscar nominations for his roles as a priest in “Keys of the Kingdom,” as the nurturing father in “The Yearling,” and as a reporter covering anti-Semitism in the 1947 hit “Gentleman’s Agreement.”

He was nominated once again in 1950 for “Twelve O’Clock High” and eventually won two Oscars, one for his sensitive portrayal of attorney Atticus Finch in the 1962 production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and a second, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in 1968.

Author Lynn Haney became friends with Gregory Peck while she was employed at the National Endowment for the Arts, and she had access to many of his friends and colleagues while researching her book. The result is a well-grounded biography that is both detailed and crisply written. She reveals, for example, that Peck had an explosive temper, was entangled in an unfortunate marriage, and battled alcoholism for most of his adult life.