Donald Pleasence Dies

LONDON - Donald Pleasence, who breathed life into a series of odd and sinister characters on stage and screen, died today at 75.

His agent Tessa Sutherland said the actor, who had surgery to replace a heart valve shortly before Christmas, died at his home at St. Paul de Vence in the south of France.

"It was very unexpected. We talked to him last night and he seemed well," Sutherland said.

Mr. Pleasence began his dramatic life on the stage and appeared in nearly 100 film roles and dozens of TV productions.

He grew up in Sheffield, England, and at the age of 18 left his job as a railway station clerk, saying he was off to become an actor.

Lacking any formal training, he joined one of England's many repertory companies and made his debut in 1939.

He served with the Royal Air Force during World War II, was shot down in 1944 and spent the last year of the war in a German prison camp.

In 1951, he made his New York debut with Laurence Olivier's company, in "Caesar and Cleopatra" and "Antony and Cleopatra."

In 1960, Mr. Pleasence won critical acclaim in Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker," winning the London Critics' Award.

He won the London Variety Award for Stage Actor of the Year for "The Man in the Glass Booth" in 1967.

His films include "The Great Escape," "A Tale of Two Cities," "Look Back in Anger," "Soldier Blue" and the "Halloween" movies.

He also appeared in dozens of television productions, including "Call Me Daddy," for which he won an Emmy Award, and "Columbo."

He is survived by his fourth wife, Linda, and six daughters.