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Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25,
1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector, and gourmet cook. He
appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has
two stars on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame, one for motion pictures and one for television.
Price's first film role was as a leading man in the 1938 comedy Service de Luxe. He became a character actor, appearing in The Song of
Bernadette (1943), Laura (1944), The Keys of the
Kingdom (1944), Leave Her to
Heaven (1945), Dragonwyck (1946), and The Ten
Commandments (1956). He established himself in the horror
genre with roles in House of Wax (1953), The Fly (1958), House on Haunted
Hill (1959), Return of the Fly (1959), The Tingler (1959), The Last Man on
Earth (1964), Witchfinder
General (1968), The Abominable
Dr. Phibes (1971), and Theatre of Blood (1973). He
collaborated with Roger Corman on House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the
Pendulum (1961), The Haunted
Palace (1963), and The Masque of
the Red Death (1964), most of which were Edgar Allan Poe adaptations. Price
appeared in the television series Batman as Egghead.
Price voiced the villainous Professor Ratigan in Disney's
animated film The Great Mouse
Detective (1986), and appeared in the drama The Whales of
August (1987), which earned him an Independent
Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male nomination. Price's final
film was Tim Burton's Edward
Scissorhands (1990). For his contributions to cinema, he
received lifetime achievement or special tribute awards from Academy of
Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films; Fantasporto; Bram Stoker Awards; and Los Angeles Film
Critics Association. Price narrated animated films, radio dramas,
and documentaries, and provided the narration in Michael Jackson's song "Thriller". For his voice work
in Great American Speeches (1959), Price was nominated for a Grammy Award for
Best Spoken Word Album.
Price was an art collector and arts consultant, with a degree in
art history. He lectured and wrote books on art. The Vincent Price
Art Museum at East Los Angeles
College is named in his honor. Price was a gourmet cook
and cookbook author.