Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor known for his work in the horror genre, frequently portraying villains. He performed on stage, television, and radio, and appeared in over 100 films. He received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion pictures and one for television. After early stage work, including time with the Mercury Theatre, Price's first film role was as a leading man in the 1938 comedy "Service de Luxe.
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Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor known for his work in the horror genre, frequently portraying villains. He performed on stage, television, and radio, and appeared in over 100 films. He received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion pictures and one for television. After early stage work, including time with the Mercury Theatre, 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), "The Three Musketeers" (1948), and "The Ten Commandments" (1956). He became well known 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 adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories, including "House of Usher" (1960), "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1961), "The Haunted Palace" (1963), and "The Masque of the Red Death" (1964). He also appeared in the television series "Batman" as the character Egghead. Price provided the voice of 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 nomination for Best Supporting Male. His final film role was in Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" (1990). He received lifetime achievement and special tribute awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, Fantasporto, the Bram Stoker Awards, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Price narrated animated films, radio dramas, documentaries, and Michael Jackson's song "Thriller." His work on "Great American Speeches" (1959) earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album. Price was an art collector and consultant with a degree in art history. He lectured and wrote books on art, and the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College is named in his honor. He was also a gourmet cook and authored several cookbooks.
