Happy Birthday! La Jolla Remembers the Late, Legendary Gregory Peck

Today would have marked the 95th birthday of the late Gregory Peck. Born in 1916, the Academy Award winning actor and local legend was a prideful La Jolla native who left a perpetual legacy.

The revered entertainer appeared in more than 50 films over the course of his career. Most will recall his role as Atticus Finch in the film rendition of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1962); a performance that earned him the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Peck’s extensive credit reel also included work with other big time names like director Alfred Hitchcock and actress Jane Wyman.

While Peck was, no doubt, a Hollywood heavyweight, in San Diego he is perhaps best remembered for using his show biz glamour to back local theatre. In 1947, along with his Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) co-star Dorothy McGuire and fellow actor, and friend, Mel Ferrer, Peck founded .

This result of Peck’s desire to revive excitement for live, on-stage performance has accomplished lasting effects for the arts and theatre scene in La Jolla, and San Diego as a whole. For over 60 years, the Tony-Award winning La Jolla Playhouse has been plugging out big-name productions and catching the attention of critics and audiences nationwide.

Needless to say, when Peck passed away in 2003, it was a great loss on many levels. However, we’re very luckily left with local reminders of his passion and life’s work.

“La Jolla Playhouse would not exist without the extraordinary efforts of our esteemed founder and consummate actor, Gregory Peck. His legacy lives on today through the achievements of this Tony Award-winning regional theatre, from its 66 world premieres to its 29 Tony Awards for productions that have transferred to Broadway, and we proudly celebrate his birthday on April 5,” said La Jolla Playhouse Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg.