Before He Was Moff Tarkin in Star Wars, Peter Cushing Played Other Cold-Hearted Villains
Most people know Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin, the vicious Outer Rim Governor from Star Wars: A New Hope, and one of the few to casually dismiss the almighty Vader without ending up on the business end of a force choke. It was through the role of Tarkin that Cushing achieved widespread fame as a man well versed in invoking fear. But with 20 years of classic horror roles under his belt, Peter Cushing was singularly prepared for the part of a cold-hearted fiend.
In 1957 Hammer Productions released The Curse of Frankenstein, and with it, kicked off a long line of films that have since become "required reading" for anyone expressing an interest in horrific history. Cushing played none other than Baron Victor Frankenstein, a role he would reprise again and again over the course of his career.
