Celebrating Gregory Peck

Gregory Peck, who was born on April 5, 1916, lived an incredible life. I first noticed him in Roman Holiday when I was an adolescent obsessed with Audrey Hepburn’s grace, and had committed myself to watching every one of her movies that I could get my hands on. Peck was unknown to me, but did he ever leave an impression! . . . I though he was simply the most handsome man to grace the silver screen. Then I read Harper Lee’s astonishing work, To Kill a Mockingbird and decided to watch the film. Lo and behold, there, playing the lead character Atticus Finch, was Gregory Peck.

Given Peck’s own commitment to the workers’ movement and the civil rights movement, the role was natural for him. He brought Finch alive for me, and for many others, in his Oscar-winning performance. Worldwide, this film became known for its courageous illustration of the deeply embedded cultural disease of racism.

Today we regard Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird as a classic novel, depicting humorous incidents of small-town life, as well as a coming of age and a struggle for justice. Its lessons of humanity remain relevant as we continue fighting to overcome racial prejudice, as evidenced by movements such as Black Lives Matter. To that end, Gregory Peck remains a wonderful illustration of integrity and bravery.