110: Donald Pleasence: The Great Escape Actor Who Was A Real POW.

The History Chap Podcast

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Donald Pleasence, who starred in "The Great Escape" was actually a WW2 Prisoner of War (POW).
He later found fame as Bond villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and as Dr. Loomis in the cult horror film "Halloween".
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Donald Pleasence served in the RAF from 1940, particpating in 60 bombing missions.
Eventually his Lancaster bomber was shot down whilst on a raid to bomb a V1 rocket site in northern France.
Captured, Donald Pleasence was to spend the rest of the war as a German Prisoner in a POW camp, Stalag Luft I / Stalag Luft 1.
Situated on the Baltic coast of Germany, Stalag Luft I housed over 9,000 prisoners of war (POW).
Whilst Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force men made up about 20% of the camp population, over 7500 men were US airmen.
Included in their number were John C. Morgan (the only US airman to receive the Medal of Honor and also be a POW), flying ace Vermont Garrison, and Colonel Hubert Zemke.
After the war, Donald Pleasence resumed his acting career and was to appear in 140 films over the next 50 years.
Arguably, one of the greatest villains that James Bond (007) was to go up against, Pleasence played Ernst Stavro Blofeld in "You Only Live Twice".
Later on he also appeared as Dr. Samuel Loomis in the cult "Halloween" film franchise.
In 1963, he reprised his experience as a wartime POW when he starred in "The Great Escape".
Speaking of wartime movies, he also appeared in "The Eagle Has Landed".
Donald Pleasence died in France in 1995.
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