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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.
On October 6th, 1962, Sears unveiled an offering of
original works of art for sale at its store in Denver, Colorado. Sears had
commissioned famous actor and art collector, Vincent Price, to assemble a
collection of art and gallery paintings that would be merchandised through its
stores, making fine art more accessible to all Sears’ customers. They gave
Price carte blanche to travel the world to put the collection together. After
that first opening in Denver, the program was broadened with exhibits of art in
ten additional Sears stores and after the first 1,500 pieces of art has been
sold, it was expanded nationwide to all Sears stores. The program ended in
1971, but more than 50,000 original artworks had been sold during its time.
The Vincent Price
Collection, as it was called, included gallery paintings and other
works by Rembrandt, Chagall, Picasso, Whistler and many contemporary artists of
the day. It included a watercolor by Andrew Wyeth and a painting by Salvador
Dali commissioned by Price.