Friday, February 10, 2012

Peter Breck Dead at 82

Peter Breck, who played Magus (and Agent Masters) as part of the David Grey story line (watch clips below) in GENERAL HOSPITAL in 1982, died Monday in Vancouver after a long illness. He was 82.

A native of Haverhill, Mass., and the son of a jazz musician, Breck scored a contract at Warner Bros. and appeared in dozens of shows from the mid-1950s to the early 2000s, including THE VIRGINIAN, HAWAIIAN EYE, PERRY MASON, LAWMAN, BRANDED, GUNSMOKE, FANTASY ISLAND, THE FALL GUY and JOHN DOE.

His film work included roles in Thunder Road (1958), I Want to Live! (1958), The Beatniks (1960), Portrait of a Mobster (1961), Lad: A Dog (1962), Samuel Fuller’s Shock Corridor (1963) and Benji (1974).

On THE BIG VALLEY, Breck played Nick Barkley, who lost his temper easily and was often spoiling for a fight. Nick was the brother of the characters played by Richard Long, Charles Briles and Linda Evans and the half-brother to Lee Majors. He stayed close with Stanwyck after the show finished production.

In the mid-1980s, Breck moved to Vancouver, worked in theater and opened an acting school. His wife of 51 years, Diane, wrote on his website that he was suffering from dementia and had been hospitalized since January 10.

Watch some scenes including Breck on GENERAL HOSPITAL below:

2 comments:

  1. I remember Peter fondly from "The Big Valley." My condolences to his family.

    ReplyDelete
  2. RIP Peter. I loved his portrayal of Nick on the Big Valley.

    ReplyDelete