Vincent Price

Actor Vincent Price appeared in numerous cult horror films throughout the 1950s and 1960s, in addition to being a seasoned TV actor, stage actor and radio performer. Born into a wealthy family with descendants tracing back to the Mayflower, Price grew up in relative privilege and comfort. As a child he attended an elite prepratory school in Connecticut, before going off to study art history at Yale. Price would eventually go on to earn a degree in art history from the university, and had every intention of pursuing his masters in the subject. But, as fate would have it, he developed a keen interest in the stage shortly after graduation, and thus, decided to pursue a career in acting. As an actor, Price was first draw to the stage, and began appearing in plays in the mid-1930s. Price honed his fledgling acting craft on the stage by appearing in several more plays, before turning his attention to film acting. He began appearing in films in the late 30s, and by the mid-1940s Price was making a name for himself with supporting roles in noir classics like "Laura" (1944). Although Price would go on to appear in a myriad of film genres throughout his career, however, it was the horror genre that he'd be most remembered for. Price made several horror films throughout his career, most notably "Dragonwyck" (1946), "House of Wax" (1953), and "The Fly" (1958). By the early 1960s he began working with the legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman, and throughout the decade made several low budget horror films with Corman, including "House of Usher" (1960), "Tales of Terror" (1962), "The Raven" (1963), and "The Tomb of Ligeia" (1964). By the late 1960s and well into the 70s and 80s, Price relegated himself to guest appearances on TV shows as well as voice over work. As Price's film acting career declined, his earlier work in the horror genre only grew in appreciation amongst the genre's diehard fans, one of whom was a young director named Tim Burton. In 1982 Burton would go on to make a tribute short film to Price called "Vincent" (1982) (which Price narrated), and would also cast him in his 1990 film "Edward Scisscorhands" (1990). Price's role in Burton's Oscar-nominated fantasy romance would prove to be his last. After being diagnosed with emphysema, Price died from lung cancer on October 25, 1993. He was 82.