Stepping Into Another Man’s Skin

by Peter Makoid

Happy 100th Birthday to Mr. Gregory Peck! He brought such a debonair charisma to the screen. Whenever one of his movies comes on television, I immediately tune in to see him. From Roman Holiday to The Yearling, there are so many to choose from, with each performance being a little different. My personal favorite, which is shared by many, is To Kill a Mockingbird. I love and appreciate his relationship with the cast, crew, and Harper Lee. As an actor he took Atticus’s advice and stepped into his character’s skin and walked around in them. But he also did this off the screen by understanding other people lives and taking them into concern when he spoke and fought for gun control and against the Vietnam War. His care for humanity and the industry made him the perfect President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and a recipient of the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a true hero and one of my personal heroes. Thank you to the whole Peck family for sharing this wonderful archive with us. And here’s to another 100 years Mr. Gregory Peck.