biography

Vincent Price Born on May 27, 1911, in St. Louis, Missouri, actor Vincent Price came from a well-to-do family. Upon completing his studies at Yale, Price went to England to embark on a stage career, eventually returning to the U.S. He made his way to Hollywood in the late 1930s and acted in first film Service de Luxe, in 1938. Early on, producers attempted to turn the handsome actor into a matinee idol but without success. Rather, he excelled at dark, brooding character portrayals and also demonstrated a flair for comedy. His long association with horror films began with The Invisible Man Returns (1940; with Cedric Hardwicke and Dana Andrews). However, many of his films throughout the 1940s were costume epics, such as The Song of Bernadette (1943; with Jennifer Jones), A Royal Scandal (1945; with Tallulah Bankhead), and The Three Musketeers (1948; with Lana Turner). He was often cast in supporting roles in A films such as Laura (1944; with Gene Tierney), but starring roles for Price usually came in the form of B pictures.

Vincent Price
His 3-D Warner Bros. film House of Wax (1953; with Phyllis Kirk and Carolyn Jones) would eventually set the stage for Price's career renaissance; he starred in an impressive string of horror films from the 1950s through the late 1970s. Following such films as The Fly (1958; with Patricia Owens) and The House on Haunted Hill (1958; with Carol Ohmart and Richard Long), producers found that casting Vincent Price in a horror film was a sure-fire way to earn profits. In 1960, Price signed a deal with American International Pictures (AIP) to act in a series of Poe-inspired horror films, beginning with House of Usher (1960; with Mark Damon and Myrna Fahey). Enormously popular with audiences, Price acted in a string of these Roger Corman films including The Raven (1963; with Boris Karloff, Hazel Court, and Peter Lorre) and The Masque of the Red Death (1964; with Hazel Court and Jane Asher).


the films of vincent price

Service de Luxe (1938)

Vincent Price and Helen BroderickCharles Ruggles, Joy Hodges, Mischa Auer, Constance Bennett, Vincent Price, and Helen Broderick

From the Universal comedy Service de Luxe, Price's first film. LEFT: With Helen Broderick. RIGHT: With Charles Ruggles, Joy Hodges, Mischa Auer, Constance Bennett, and Helen Broderick

Laura (1944)

Vincent Price

From one of Price's A films, Laura. Pictured are Clifton Webb, Price, Judith Anderson, and Dana Andrews

Champagne for Caesar (1950)

Vincent Price and Art Linkletter

From Champagne for Caesar with Art Linkletter

Curtain Call at Cactus Creek (1950)

Vincent Price and Eve Arden

From the Universal-International comedy Curtain Call at Cactus Creek with Eve Arden

The Story of Mankind (1957)

Vincent Price

Price as the Devil in The Story of Mankind

The Fly (1958)

Vincent PriceVincent Price and Charles Herbert

Images from The Fly, one of Price's best horror films. The right photo includes Charles Herbert

The House on Haunted Hill (1958)

Carol Ohmart with Vincent Price

With Carol Ohmart in The House on Haunted Hill, Price's first film for William Castle

Return of the Fly (1959)

Vincent Price and Brett Halsey

With Brett Halsey in the 20th Century Fox horror flick Return of the Fly

The Bat (1959)

Vincent Price

Campy promotional photo from The Bat

The Tingler (1959)

Vincent PriceVincent Price

With Patricia Cutts in William Castle's 1959 gimmicky horror flick The Tingler

The Haunted Palace (1963)

Vincent Price and Debra Paget

With Debra Paget in The Haunted Palace, one in a series of Poe-themed AIP films

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

Vincent PriceVincent Price

Price battles the bloodthirsty undead in the excellent apocalyptic thriller The Last Man on Earth, an Italian-made precursor to The Omega Man

Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965)

Susan Hart, Dwayne Hickman, Frankie Avalon, and Vincent PriceVincent Price

From AIP's science fiction comedy Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine. LEFT: With Susan Hart, Dwayne Hickman, and Frankie Avalon. RIGHT: Price as Dr. Goldfoot

Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966)

Vincent Price

From Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, the Italian-made sequel to Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine

The Oblong Box (1969)

Vincent Price

From AIP's horror film The Oblong Box

The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)

Vincent Price

From AIP's The Abominable Dr. Phibes, probably my favorite Vincent Price film

Theater of Blood (1973)

Vincent Price and Robert MorleyVincent Price and Robert Morley

Price as Edward Lionheart, the wronged stage actor who takes his revenge on theatre critics in Theater of Blood, one of Price's most fun performances. LEFT: With Robert Morley. RIGHT: As Edward Lionheart

later years

Vincent Price and Coral Browne Price, a well-known art collector and authority, was in the habit of downgrading his living arrangements while on location shooting, using the extra money to amass an incredible art collection. Price was also renowned for his culinary skills and authored several cookbooks. His acting career, on the other hand, began to slow down in the late 1970s; he then focused his attention mostly on television and narrative work. On the set of one of Price's later American-International features, Theatre of Blood (1973; with Diana Dors), he met actress Coral Browne; the couple married in 1974. Price's health began to deteriorate in the late 1980s and worsened after Coral Browne's death in 1991. He passed away from lung cancer on October 25, 1993, at age 82 and was survived by a son from his first marriage to actress Edith Barrett and a daughter from Price's second marriage to designer Mary Grant. In 1999, Price's daughter Victoria published an interesting and loving biography of her famous father.

filmography

FILM
The Heart of Justice (1992) with Bradford Dillman
Edward Scissorhands (1990) with Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder
Backtrack (1989) with Jodie Foster and Dennis Hopper
Dead Heat (1988) with Treat Williams
The Whales of August (1987) with Bette Davis, Lillian Gish, and Ann Sothern
The Offspring (1986) with Cameron Mitchell and Clu Gulager
The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984) with Pamela Stephenson
House of the Long Shadows (1983) with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing
The Monster Club (1980) with Stuart Whitman, John Carradine, and Donald Pleasence
Scavenger Hunt (1979) with Richard Benjamin, James Coco, and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Journey Into Fear (1975) with Sam Waterston, Shelley Winters, Yvette Mimieux, and Donald Pleasence
Madhouse (1974) with Peter Cushing
It's Not the Size That Counts (1974) with Leigh Lawson and Elke Sommer
Theatre of Blood (1973) with Diana Dors, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, and Coral Browne
Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) with Peter Cushing and Beryl Reid
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) with Joseph Cotten and Terry-Thomas
Mooch Goes to Hollywood (1971) with James Darren, Jill St. John, and Zsa Zsa Gabor
Cry of the Banshee (1970) with Quinn O'Hara
The Oblong Box (1969) with Christopher Lee
Scream and Scream Again (1969) with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing
The Trouble with Girls (1969) with Elvis Presley and Sheree North
More Dead Than Alive (1969) with Clint Walker, Anne Francis, and Mike Henry
The Conqueror Worm (1968)
The House of 1,000 Dolls (1967) with George Nader and Martha Hyer
The Jackals (1967)
Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966) with Fabian
War Gods of the Deep (1965) with Tab Hunter and Susan Hart
The Tomb of Ligeia (1965) with Frank Thornton
Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965) with Frankie Avalon, Dwayne Hickman, and Susan Hart
The Masque of the Red Death (1964) with Jane Asher and Hazel Court
The Last Man on Earth (1964) with Giacomo Rossi-Stuart
The Comedy of Terrors (1963) with Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, Peter Lorre, and Joyce Jameson
The Haunted Palace (1963) with Debra Paget, Lon Chaney Jr., Barboura Morris, and Bruno VeSota
Twice-Told Tales (1963) with Mari Blanchard, Sebastian Cabot, and Brett Halsey
Beach Party (1963) with Robert Cummings, Dorothy Malone, Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Jody McCrea, and John Ashley
Diary of a Madman (1963) with Nancy Kovack
The Raven (1963) with Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Hazel Court, and Jack Nicholson
Tower of London (1962) with Sandra Knight
Convicts 4 (1962) with Stuart Whitman
Tales of Terror (1962) with Basil Rathbone, Peter Lorre, Joyce Jameson, and Debra Paget
Confessions of an Opium Eater (1962)
Black Pirate (1961) with Ricardo Montalban
Queen of the Nile (1961) with Jeanne Crain
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) with Barbara Steele and Luana Anders
Master of the World (1961) with Charles Bronson and Richard Harrison
The Fall of the House of Usher (1960) with Mark Damon
The Tingler (1959) with Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman, and Patricia Cutts; directed by William Castle
Return of the Fly (1959) with Brett Halsey
The Bat (1959) with Agnes Moorehead and Darla Hood
The Big Circus (1959) with Victor Mature, Rhonda Fleming, Gilbert Roland, and Peter Lorre
House on Haunted Hill (1958) with Carol Ohmart and Richard Long; directed by William Castle
The Fly (1958) with Patricia Owens
The Story of Mankind (1957) with Ronald Colman, Virginia Mayo, Peter Lorre, Hedy Lamarr, John Carradine, and Ziva Rodann
The Ten Commandments (1956) with Charlton Heston, Yvonne De Carlo, Debra Paget, and John Derek
While the City Sleeps (1956) with Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders, Howard Duff, and Sally Forrest
Serenade (1956) with Mario Lanza
Son of Sinbad (1955) with Dale Robertson, Sally Forrest, and Mari Blanchard
Dangerous Mission (1954) with Victor Mature and Piper Laurie
The Mad Magician (1954) with Eva Gabor
House of Wax (1953) with Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones, Dabbs Greer, and Charles Bronson
The Las Vegas Story (1952) with Jane Russell, Victor Mature, and Colleen Miller
His Kind of Woman (1951) with Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, Tim Holt, and Raymond Burr
Adventures of Captain Fabian (1951) with Errol Flynn and Agnes Moorehead
Curtain Call at Cactus Creek (1950) with Donald O'Connor and Gale Storm
Champagne for Caesar (1950) with Art Linkletter, Celeste Holm, and Barbara Britton
The Baron of Arizona (1950) with Ellen Drew
Bagdad (1949) with Maureen O'Hara
The Bribe (1949) with Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, and John Hodiak
Rogues' Regiment (1948) with Dick Powell
Up in Central Park (1948) with Deanna Durbin and Dick Haymes
The Three Musketeers (1948) with Lana Turner and Gene Kelly
The Long Night (1947) with Henry Fonda and Barbara Bel Geddes
Moss Rose (1947) with Peggy Cummins and Victor Mature
The Web (1947) with Ella Raines
Dragonwyck (1946) with Gene Tierney
Shock (1946) with Lynn Bari
Leave Her to Heaven (1945) with Gene Tierney and Cornel Wilde
A Royal Scandal (1945) with Tallulah Bankhead and Anne Baxter
The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) with Gregory Peck
Laura (1944) with Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews
Wilson (1944)
The Eve of St. Mark (1944) with Anne Baxter and John Archer
The Song of Bernadette (1943) with Jennifer Jones
Hudson's Bay (1940) with Gene Tierney and Paul Muni
Brigham Young (1940) with Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Jean Rogers, and Brian Donlevy
Green Hell (1940) with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Joan Bennett
The House of the Seven Gables (1940) with George Sanders
The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
Tower of London (1939) with Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) with Bette Davis and Errol Flynn
Service de Luxe (1938) with Constance Bennett and Helen Broderick

TELEVISION SERIES
Mystery!, long-running anthology series. Price served as host from 1980-1989. Diana Rigg replaced him in 1989
Time Express, 1979 CBS TV series. Price portrayed Jason Winters
The Chevy Mystery Show, 1960 TV series. Price served as occasional host
E.S.P., 1958 TV series. Price served as host

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Blacke's Magic, episode Wax Poetic, originally aired May 5, 1986
Trapper John, M.D., episode The Ransom, originally aired November 7, 1982
The Love Boat, episode Ship of Ghouls, originally aired October 28, 1978
The Bionic Woman, episode Black Magic, originally aired November 10, 1976
Ellery Queen, episode The Adventure of the Sinister Scenario, originally aired February 8, 1976
The Snoop Sisters, episode A Black Day for Bluebeard, originally aired March 19, 1974
Columbo, episode Lovely But Lethal, originally aired September 23, 1973
The Brady Bunch, episode The Tiki Caves, originally aired October 6, 1972
Rod Serling's Night Gallery, episode The Return of the Sorcerer, originally aired September 24, 1972
Rod Serling's Night Gallery, episode Death in the Family/The Merciful/Class of '99/Witches' Feast, originally aired September 22, 1971
The Red Skelton Hour, episode The Castaways, originally aired February 8, 1971
Mod Squad, episode A Time of Hyacinths, originally aired December 1, 1970
Love, American Style, episode Love and the Decision/Love and the Haunted House, originally aired November 6, 1970
The Red Skelton Hour, episode Blood Is Thicker Than Water and Harder to Shave With, originally aired March 10, 1970
The Red Skelton Hour, episode You Can Take the Boy Out of the Country If You Promise Not to Bring Him Back, originally aired January 6, 1970
Get Smart, episode Is This Trip Necessary?, originally aired December 12, 1969
The Good Guys, episode Fly in My Stew, originally aired October 17, 1969
BBC Play of the Month, episode The Heiress, originally aired October 12, 1969
Daniel Boone, episode Copperhead Izzy, originally aired January 30, 1969
The Red Skelton Hour, episode He Who Steals My Robot Steals Trash, originally aired September 24, 1968
Batman, episode The Ogg Couple, originally aired December 21, 1967
The Red Skelton Hour, episode Climb Upon My Knee, Dummy Boy, originally aired November 14, 1967
Batman, episode How to Hatch a Dinosaur, originally aired November 9, 1967
Batman, episode The Ogg and I, originally aired November 2, 1967
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, episode The Deadly Dolls, originally aired October 1, 1967
F Troop, episode V Is for Vampire, originally aired February 2, 1967
Batman, episode The Yegg Foes in Gotham, originally aired October 20, 1966
Batman, episode An Egg Grows in Gotham, originally aired October 19, 1966
The Man from U.N.C.L.E., episode The Foxes and Hounds Affair, originally aired October 8, 1965
Moment of Fear, episode The Secret Darkness, originally aired July 6, 1965
The Best of the Post, episode Off the Set, originally aired April 1, 1961
The United States Steel Hour, episode Shame the Devil, originally aired December 14, 1960
The Chevy Mystery Show, episode Run-Around, originally aired August 14, 1960
Startime, episode Tennessee Ernie Ford Meets King Arthur, originally aired May 10, 1960
Adventures in Paradise, episode The Color of Venom, originally aired February 8, 1960
Riverboat, episode Witness No Evil, originally aired November 1, 1959
Have Gun - Will Travel, episode The Moor's Revenge, originally aired December 27, 1958
Matinee Theatre, episode Angel Street, originally aired May 9, 1958
Schlitz Playhouse, episode The Kind Mr. Smith, originally aired April 25, 1958
General Electric Theater, episode Angel in the Air, originally aired March 9, 1958
Playhouse 90, episode Lone Woman, originally aired December 26, 1957
Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre, episode The Perfect Alibi, originally aired December 12, 1957
Studio 57, episode Secret Darkness, originally aired November 28, 1957
General Electric Theater, episode The Iron Horse, originally aired November 24, 1957
Playhouse 90, episode The Clouded Image, originally aired November 7, 1957
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, episode The Perfect Crime, originally aired October 20, 1957
Schlitz Playhouse, episode High Barrier, originally aired October 18, 1957
Climax!, episode Avalanche at Devil's Pass, originally aired April 25, 1957
Schlitz Playhouse, episode The Blue Hotel, originally aired April 12, 1957
Crossroads, episode God's Healing, originally aired November 30, 1956
Playhouse 90, episode Forbidden Area, originally aired October 4, 1956
Science Fiction Theatre, episode One Thousand Eyes, originally aired September 7, 1956
The Alcoa Hour, episode Sister, originally aired July 22, 1956
Lux Video Theatre, episode Sting in the Tail, originally aired July 12, 1956
Matinee Theatre, episode Whom Death Has Joined Together, originally aired April 23, 1956
Climax!, episode Spin Into Darkness, originally aired April 5, 1956
Crossroads, episode The Rebel, originally aired March 2, 1956
Science Fiction Theatre, episode Operation Flypaper, originally aired February 3, 1956
General Electric Theater, episode The Ballad of Mender McClure, originally aired January 15, 1956
TV Reader's Digest, episode The Brainwashing of John Hayes, originally aired November 7, 1955
Crossroads, episode Cleanup, originally aired October 14, 1955
Climax!, episode Night of Execution, originally aired September 22, 1955
Lux Video Theatre, episode The Heiress, originally aired September 23, 1954
The Philip Morris Playhouse, episode Ballet for a Stranger, originally aired November 5, 1953
Schlitz Playhouse, episode Sheila, originally aired August 21, 1953
The Plymouth Playhouse, episode Dream Job, originally aired July 17, 1953
Robert Montgomery Presents, episode The Ringmaster, originally aired May 26, 1952
Gruen Guild Theater, episode Dream Man, originally aired April 10, 1952
Schlitz Playhouse, episode The Human Touch, originally aired March 21, 1952
Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, episode Monsieur Beaucaire, originally aired March 12, 1952
Chesterfield Presents, episode Count Victor Lustig, the Fabulous Swindler, originally aired March 6, 1952
Lux Video Theatre, episode The Game of Chess, originally aired February 11, 1952
Lights Out, episode The Third Door, originally aired January 28, 1952
Lux Video Theatre, episode The Promise, originally aired June 25, 1951

vincent price trailers now showing

Watch the trailer for Vincent Price's 1958 horror/sci-fi film The Fly

vincent price tv appearances

Watch Vincent Price in an October 4, 1956 episode of Playhouse 90 titled Forbidden Area

vincent price film now showing

Watch Vincent Price's 1959 horror film The Bat
filmstrip image
Back to Brian's Drive-In Theater
Click on the logo to go back to Brian's Drive-In Theater
This page premiered August 9, 2002.
Copyright and Disclaimer Information