How tall was Peter Cushing

Peter Cushing's Height

5ft 11 ½ (181.6 cm)

British actor, best remembered for roles in films such as Star Wars, Horror of Dracula, Horror Express, Hamlet, The Mummy, Asylum, Tales from the Crypt, Top Secret! and The Curse of Frankenstein.
Under the expert supervision of our "physical jerks" instructor, I added an extra one and a half inches on to my height, stretching my still "green" vertebrae by hanging from the gymnasium's overhead bars, and from any handy trees.
I managed to top six feet and weighed twelve stone five pounds.
-- Peter Cushing: an autobiography

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Add a Comment91 comments

Average Guess (52 Votes)
5ft 11.37in (181.3cm)
Sandy Cowell said on 29/Nov/23
Over the weekend, I was lucky enough to catch a showing of Peter’s cat-based horror film entitled ‘The Uncanny’.

I’ve been after a copy for simply years, but I didn’t know what it was called! I was so pleased to find out that I ordered a copy in the first advert break and it arrived today. It has a hissy tabby cat on the front cover, and some people might think it’s scary, but when my cats make faces like that, it makes me laugh!

The other cat horror that I’ve been watching of late is Stephen King’s ‘Sleepwalkers’, but although cats get killed in it, which upsets me dreadfully, Clovis the hero cat, along with many of his mates, sorts out the cats’ shape-shifting enemies and all’s well that ends well.

The great Peter gets 5ft11.75. 😁🐈🐈‍⬛
Henrik said on 27/Nov/23
My link seems to be broken. This is the proper one:

Click Here
Henrik said on 25/Nov/23
Here is a 58-year old Peter Cushing with 6ft Joss Ackland (who just recently passed, RIP) in The House That Dripped Blood (1971). I think Cushing holds his own.

Click Here
Danimal 5'9 1/4" said on 20/Sep/23
Peter was definitely 6'0" in his prime. Sadly, he lost at least a half a foot by time of his death at 81 years of age.
Here he is healthy, young and tall next to 6'5" Christopher Lee in the late 1950's:
Click Here
Next to Christopher in the early 1970's (still tall):
Click Here
Next to Christopher in the mid 1970's (still around 6'0"):
Click Here
Click Here
Next to Christopher in 1994 (looks to be about 5'5" or about a foot shorter than Christopher):
Click Here
Sandy Cowell said on 9/May/23
Well I never! Peter is in Tales of the Unexpected! It’s called ‘A Vorpal Blade’ and surrounds the story of a man (Peter) who challenges Nazi Von Bardon to a duel. Peter wins!
Sandy Cowell said on 17/Mar/23
I’m about to watch The Curse of Frankenstein, which stars Peter as Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as his monster.

Caroline Munro had said Peter is particularly good in
this and I believe her. She knew them all, after all.

Let’s see…. this is a Hammer film g from 1957. Caroline was around 9 years old.

Peter can have 5ft11.75 from me,
Black Noir said on 30/Sep/22
Hi Rob how tall do u think he was in his last year of death?
Editor Rob
I'm not so sure as that last decade of life he didn't really appear much.
David Zelisney said on 26/Jul/22
Looked shorter than Lee or Price. All those vampire/horror films didn't make him taller evidently.
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 28/May/22
At the end of Christopher Lee’s special interview, he mentioned how much he missed his friends Peter and Vincent. He added that he didn’t have to state their surnames; any fan of Christopher’s will know exactly who he was talking about.

Do you think, Rob, that Peter could be added to the Classical Actors page? Thanks!
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 27/May/22
I should say so, Chaos! One of the few actors who is short and scared the cr@p out of me is Robert Blake in the movie ‘Lost Highway’. He sends shivers down my spine every time I see it!

⭐️ English gentleman horror actor Peter Cushing was born 109 years ago yesterday.

May he rest in peace. 🕯

5ft11.5.
Chaos's Throwaway said on 13/May/22
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 11/May/22
The average male horror actor is over 6ft1, and I’ve never seen an average that high.

It’s probably because large men can be intimidating more easily
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 11/May/22
The average male horror actor is over 6ft1, and I’ve never seen an average that high. I’m watching Peter’s ‘Twins of Evil’ and although he was tall, especially for his time, there are actors in this, admittedly younger ones, who are taller than Mr Cushing.

5ft11.5. 🕯
Rich Paul said on 6/Apr/22
I doubt he was over 5-10. No way on earth was he ever 6 feet.
Adam Cornwell said on 19/Mar/22
Thanks Rob for linking the clip. I was quoting the wrong clip as somewhere else he says 6ft and size 12, but it's close enough and all part of the same story.
Editor Rob
Actors do have a lot of little stories that they repeate in interviews, I liked the one about Alec Guinness talking about Star Wars.
ChristianPerkins said on 13/Mar/22
The theory that hanging on bars making you permanently taller is a myth, whether your vertebrae's still growing/young or not. It'll give you a little boost for a very temporary moment (maybe up to a few hours), but gravity puts you right back down, just like how the transition from a morning to evening height.
Adam Cornwell said on 12/Mar/22
There is another quote from Cushing. He wore just his socks in all the famous scenes in the death star talking to Leia, Vader and commanders etc., when you couldn't see his feet. The boots were standard issue but he claims that they were too small because he has size 12 feet and 6 ft tall. It's available on YouTube under Cushing... Carpet slippers. My guess is 5 ft 11. 75
Editor Rob
Here is the Clip
Mon said on 13/Jun/21
The horror actors were tall. Cushing was over six foot at his peak, that was tall for a man of his generation. Christopher Lee said he himself was six four and a half and when he started there was no one on the English stage over sis two, You cannot tell me that Lee ever had a full five inches on Cushing. We are talking about someone who was acting with Dave Prouse!
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 14/Jan/21
Rob, why not 6ft?
Editor Rob
would probably have to look again at some films, he could have passed for that height.
Alan mctavish said on 6/Dec/20
I just couldnt see that peter cushing was a solid 6ft guy as he says in is autobiography! I always thought since his late 1950s hammer films he was a weak 5' 10" or a strong 5' 9" he never looked a tall guy at any time. And in the 1950s 6ft was tall. But a great actor. One of the best in his time. I saw him in 1980 in a hammer house of horror film and he was at least 2" taller than brian cox who a thought maybe 5' 8" or 9"
Editor Rob
I only recently found a quote from Cushing, was interesting he claimed to top out at six foot...but I saw another quote from Lee too and he always seemed to maintain 6ft 4
Rich Paul said on 19/Oct/20
Cushing was 5-10. Right now I’m watching The Hound of the Baskervilles, the terrific Hammer version. Cushing looks five inches shorter than Francis De Wolf who’s listed at being just under 6-3. In wide shots Cushing looks six inches shorter than Christopher Lee. In closer angles around 4 inches shorter which means they put him on a box for the closer angles to keep him within the frame.

Cushing could appear tall because at 5-10 he was taller than most other male actors. Also, he was extremely thin which helped make him look tall.
M.P.R.Stephenson. said on 5/Sep/20
I'm sure Peter was a lovely man , but I never perceived him to be any more than ' tallish ', 5ft 9 to 5ft 10 .
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 26/May/20
Peter Cushing was born 107 years ago today. Unfortunately, he didn't live as long as his friend Christopher Lee, passing on at 81. They starred so often together that you didn't realize quite how tall Peter was until you saw him star with more 'average sized' people, for example, Ralph Bates.

He gets a Birthday 6ft from me.

RIP Peter Cushing XXX 🕯️
(26/5/1913-11/8/1994)
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 18/Mar/20
I watched a Frankenstein film the other night - from 1957. Christopher Lee played his monster. You could see how tall Peter was back then - and virtually line-free! - so I am going to give him 6ft.
Nearly 180cm guy said on 19/Jan/20
I wonder how much height Cushing lost before his death... Here is his last photo next to Christopher Lee from 1994 a few months before his death: Click Here
We can assume that Lee was somewhere in the range of 192 cm (from 6'3.5" to 6'3.75") at that time. Rob, what do you think his height was when he died?
Dream said on 28/Oct/19
Rob, who would you give the edge to, Peter Cushing or Joseph Fiennes?
Editor Rob
Hard to tell, but I've not seen as much of Cushing in last few years.
Hopping hopper said on 11/Aug/19
Not a 6 footer but close. Lost lots towards in old age. Perhaps 5-9 or lower.
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 1/Jul/19
Has anybody read about how nice Peter was in Brighton, which is where he retired to? Well, he was, and I think they should erect a statue in his honour.

What a beautiful person.

6ft.
Sandy Cowell said on 21/Oct/18
I watched the 1964 film 'The Gorgon' the other night, and it starred Peter and also Christopher Lee. I think that because you see Peter with other, smaller guys until fairly late on in the film, it's really easy to see that he did look tall AND he had an excellent posture too. I wouldn't be surprised if at the earlier times of the day, Peter hit 6ft back then, or perhaps a tiny bit under. From the evidence of that film, I have no trouble whatsoever putting 5ft11.5 for Peter.
Neelasish Sen Roy said on 21/Sep/18
Jack Palance was not solid 6'4" tall,He was 6'3.25" (191.1cm) tall or even 6'3.5" (192cm) but not full 193cm.
Neelasish Sen Roy said on 4/Sep/18
Does peak height of peter Cushing would be, solid 6'0"?
Neelasish Sen Roy said on 12/Aug/18
Peter cushing peak height was 6'0" or 6'1"? Rob what is your answer
Editor Rob
6ft 1 seemed hard to believe for Cushing in his 30's or 40's.
Neelasish Sen Roy said on 11/Aug/18
Rob, is peter cushing is full 6' at his youth or even taller or he is same as 6'david niven or 6'1" clark gable or 6'1.5" cary grant?
Neelasish Sen Roy said on 10/Aug/18
Rob, is peter cushing is full 6' at his youth or even taller or he is same as 6'david niven or 6'1" clark gable or 6'1.5" cary grant?
Sandy Cowell said on 19/Jul/18
What a funny gent he was as well!

Although he was nearly deaf when interviewed by Michael Aspel for his edition of 'This is your Life', when Ursula Andress walked on, he couldn't cuddle her enough! Michael Aspel said, "Your hearing may be failing but nothing else is!"

Needless to say, Peter found it very funny indeed!

This English Gentleman can have 5ft11.75, peak height.
Neelasish Sen Roy said on 16/Jun/18
In A Chump at Oxford Peter Cushing is tallest. I think Cushing and Hardy both are 6'1" Like 6'1 Clark Gable.
Rabindra sankar sen roy said on 15/Jun/18
He is full 6'/183cm tall.
Danimal 5'9 3/4 said on 27/Dec/17
With 6'0" Andre Morell in 1959 (Peter was 45/46 years old): Click Here
Danimal 5'9 3/4 said on 24/Dec/17
Peter looking around 6'0" with 6'5" Christopher Lee here in this 1974 clip. Peter was around 60 years old and was no longer at his peak height, yet still stands up very well next to Lee who was in his early 50's and may have dipped below 6'5" at this point: Click Here
Danimal 5'9 3/4 said on 24/Dec/17
Video of Peter 2-3 months before his death in 1994. You can see how curved over he had gotten. Click Here
Danimal 5'9 3/4 said on 23/Dec/17
Peter Cushing looking every bit 6'0" with 6'4" Jack Palance in 1966/1967:
Click Here
Click Here
Danimal said on 10/Dec/17
Sadly it looked like Peter had shrunk several inches by the time he died at 81 years old. A 63-64 year old Christopher Lee (not his peak height of 6'5" anymore) TOWERED Peter by what looked like close to a foot by that point: Click Here

Here's Cushing and 6'5" Lee when Cushing was younger and healthier:
Click Here
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Click Here
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Click Here
Danimal said on 10/Dec/17
With 5'7" barefoot Mark Hamill on the set of Star Wars probably around 1976 when he was 63 or 64 years old, so not his peak height and yet he still had several inches on Hamill: Click Here
avi said on 11/Oct/17
5'10.5 area
Jordan87 said on 19/Jul/17
Mark,

I believe Peter would have giving a taller IMpression then Cumberbach. Remember Cushing held up quite well at times with guys like Christopher Lee and Dave Prowse who are taller than anyone Benedict has shared the screen from what I remember.
JJAK said on 21/May/17
Good actor no one played him in the abysmal rogue one it was obvious cg.
As was the princess also quite obvious and both publicized.
He looks about 6 foot at middle age so this listing seems ok.
Scarlett Rose said on 18/May/17
One of my favourite actors as a child. Always struck me as a kindly gentleman. I used to cry buckets if he ever got 'killed' in one of his horror movies. My mother had to tell me it was just a film. Such a kind face. He should have got a knighthood! 😃
Mark(5'9.25") said on 25/Feb/17
Rob, who do you think gives a taller impression on screen, Peter Cushing or Benedict Cumberbatch? I would have said Cushing.
James said on 5/Jan/17
He was 5'11".
Scott said on 28/Dec/16
He looked six feet. Maybe 5' 11" by the time he was in Star Wars. Also, remember he was wearing slippers in Star Wars, so he looks an inch or two shorter than he was.
Rogue One said on 18/Dec/16
Correction, 6ft 3.5 actor Guy Henry portrayed Cushing in the film.
Rogue One said on 18/Dec/16
The actor who played him in Rogue One absolutely dwarfed Ben Mendelsohn who is only an inch shorter than him.
Jake:1.84 m- 1.85 m said on 21/Nov/16
I think he could've been the full 6ft.
Sandy Cowell said on 10/Oct/16
Well, I really didn't think Peter Cushing was just a touch under 6ft, but I think that when you act alongside Christopher Lee and Vincent Price, you are going to appear shorter. Then the other day I saw him in a film with 'normal size' people and he did actually seem quite tall! A beautifully spoken, true English gent!
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 28/Aug/16
Not a full 6ft, Rob?
Jake: 1.84 m- 1.85 m said on 1/May/16
He appeared rather tall in 'the Vampire Lovers' - around the 6ft mark for sure. His slender frame accentuated a tall look.
Sam said on 4/Mar/16
Recently watched Time Without Pity and a 3 inch difference between him and Michael Redgrave in that was feasible, at some points the difference could look a tad more but not much.
Tom said on 8/Nov/15
He was only 2 to 2.5 inches taller than 5'7" Barbera Shelly in The Gorgon. She probably had a couple of inches advantage in her shoes but I doubt Peter was the full 6 foot even then.
Edgar_Hernández said on 2/Jun/15
Click Here
with Christopher lee, he looks still solid 6ft, it helps that he had wonderful good posture.
Sam said on 22/Oct/14
Could you add to his credits?: Hamlet, The Mummy, Asylum, Tales from the Crypt, and Top Secret!
Danimal said on 4/Oct/14
In the Torture Garden (1967), Cushing stood every bit of 6'0" next to 6'4" Jack Palance, of whom he shared many scenes with standing side by side, back to back and face to face.
gsbr said on 14/Dec/13
In an interview with Terry Wogan, Cushing described himself as being "six feet high" when he was 19.

Click Here

The important thing to note is Cushing was describing his younger self. He continued to act into his 70s, so it's natural he would lose height in his later movies. He also looked close to Wogan's height in the interview.
Arch Stanton said on 15/Apr/13
Rob, how can he be 1.5 inches taller than Telly Savalas?
Arch Stanton said on 14/Apr/13
Christopher Lee definitely has nothing under 5 inches on him, but I'm not convinced he was a full 6 ft. That film is 1972, he'd have been 59 and looks nearer 5'10", 5'11" at most. I strongly doubt he would have lost that much height by then. I'd downgrade him to 5'11" peak. He didn't quite look 6 ft in the earlier Hammer horror films either.
Arch Stanton said on 14/Apr/13
Rob pause at 1:08:47 Click Here If anything Savalas looks as if he edges out Cushing. Do you think he was wearing lifts?
Arch Stanton said on 14/Apr/13
Click Here

Christopher Lee does look easily 5-6 inches taller. I'd go with more 5'11-5'11.5".
sladdin said on 1/Apr/13
I met Peter Cushing once and I would definetely put him at 6'.
Anonymous said on 1/Apr/13
I met Peter Cushing once and I would say he was definetely 6' no less
John Clayton said on 8/Feb/13
Having met Peter Cushing in 1975, I would have estimated his height at aproximately 5'10" to 5'11". He made so many films with his close friend, Christopher Lee (who was about 6'5" in his prime), one doesn't think of Cushing as being particularly tall.
Martyr said on 30/Dec/12
I do not agree at all. In fact he looked a strong 6' until the 70's. Watch him in the avengers, he has a strong inch on Patrick Macnee. For sure, he looked much shorter than 6'5 Christopher Lee. He really lost height and weight after his wife's death, in the early 70's.
Lebensdorf said on 31/Jul/12
Although he held up pretty well next to Darth Vader, even in slippers (he wore slippers for the film, finding his costume's boots too uncomfortable), he did not appear over 5'10" next to Christopher Lee in 1959's Hammer version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. He may have been 6 feet tall in his youth, but certainly not by that time.
M2 said on 13/May/11
Go on YouTube and check out Cushing's appearances with the British comedy team Morecambe and Wise. In the earliest one (about 1969), he towers over Morecambe, who was about 5'8". In the last one (1980), he has lost at least an inch. Circa 1980 Cushing was probably between 5'9 and 5'10.
EdgarHernandez said on 23/Jan/11
cushing in his 20s and until his midd 40s could be 6ft, but maybe most people know him very old, so his 5ft 11 aperance could count
Mister_Lennon said on 2/Dec/10
Peter Cushing was at least 5'11, and could look 6 in the morning. Only compare him to tall people like Chris Lee or Vincent Price.
Anonymous said on 30/Nov/10
Jonesey, what do you hope to achieve by lying? He was about 5'8.
Raymond Delauney said on 24/Apr/09
Never struck me as a six-footer. Just watched Hound of the Baskervilles. Doesn't look anything like 6", more like 5'9". I think his skinny frame made him look taller. Of course I never met him, just seen plenty of movies with him in. Oliver Reed was 5'11" I believe so maybe Cushing ws 5'11 but surely no more than that,even at 'peak height'.
M2 said on 7/Jan/09
Obviously, Cushing shrunk with age, but in his prime he appears to have been between 5'11 and 6'0". In the 1962 film "Night Creatures" he is exactly the same height as Oliver Reed, even though their physical characteristics are much different (Cushing had a very, very long face).
Mr Mayfair said on 3/Jan/09
His niece confirms minimum of six foot in the early seventies and he was a smidge tall than my 5.11 grandfather when we saw him back then in Kent
Bleemo said on 24/Dec/08
Keir was taller then 6' I've seen listings of 6'4" but 6'2" seems to be the prevailing theory. Christopher Lee mentions him as being though of by Hammer as being in the same vain as Lee himself and Vincent price who were both well over 6'. Also Keir's daughter who is also an actress is 6'+ herself.

I think I can clear up the seeming lack of height difference at times between he and carrie fisher, they never filmed the majority of their scens together, they used standins and carboard cutouts then cut the scenes tofether.

Finally here is a great photo of Cushing and Lee together showing 4-5 inches in height gap, but to be fair to Peter Lee wa smeasured 6'5" for the guiness book of records so that would place cushing as a solid 6'....

Click Here
Anonymous said on 24/Mar/08
How tall were Robert Urquhart and Andrew Keir?
Bleemo said on 11/Nov/07
I suspect that Cushing suffered from standing opposite a lot of genuinely tall actors and few taller then 6'5 Christopher Lee who was a colossus in his youth. Other tall actors included Andrew Keir(Dr Who movie), John Richardson (SHE), David Prowse (Star Wars and later Frankenstein movie), Robert Urquhart (first Frankenstein movie) and even old Vincent Price in one of the Dr phibes movies.

So I guess you could say it was a conspiracy to make a fairly tall guy look average, one of the rare occasion of an actor being taller then most would think.
Jordan said on 15/Oct/07
I never knew his exact height buy he never appered short to me. I thought he could be between 5'10 and 6'0.
guy said on 26/Jul/07
Interesting trivia note that shows he wasn't self concious of his height. He found the provided footwear uncomfortable so was allowed to wear his slippers on set. If you notice there are no logshots of him. Slippers have what 1/4 inch soles maybe. I hope they were pink.
5'11.5 guy said on 5/May/07
My parents met Peter Cushing on a regular basis while he lived in whitstable. 6ft.
Anonymous said on 12/Jan/07
in an article about him from the 70s, he is described as "6 feet tall but weighs only 9 stone"
Mr Mayfair said on 10/Jan/07
At least 5.11 in his later years although awfully thin.
Frank2 said on 18/Apr/06
Here's Peter (fourth from the left) wearing a fake mustache in the film A Chump at Oxford starring Laurel and Hardy: Click Here Peter seems to be the tallest.

Peter and 6'5" Christopher Lee: Click Here

Cushing, Princess Leia (Carrie Fischer) and Darth Vader (David Prowse): Click Here

ForensicNYC said on 15/Apr/06
Peter Cushing appeared to be 5'11" in Star Wars Episode 4 (the very first movie). There is a 1.5 second "head to foot" telephoto long shot of him before he gives the command to destroy the Rebel Hideout in the climax scenes and appears to be tall enough. The confusion of height starts when he previously argues with Leia played by Carrie Fisher before destroying Planet Alderaan. In the close up shots they both appear to be only a few inches difference in height, but Carrie Fisher is only 5'0"! Another one of those apple crates mysteries. George Lucas had to fit them in a camera frame. Perhaps this scene is one of the many instances they gave Peter Cushing the incorrect 5'8" height.
Editor Rob said on 11/Apr/06
Actually what D said on 18th Dec, I saw a quote in an Ida Lupina biography which describe Cushing as "six foot two!"
Gotxo said on 7/Feb/06
Mmm 6' sounds quite good for him when young, where it come the mad idea of him at 5'8" as he never looked nothing but tallish?
Anonymous said on 6/Feb/06
6' according to a british newspaper article about star wars

Editor Rob
I can buy that for peak height
D said on 18/Dec/05
he stated in an interview that he was 6' when he was in his teens. however an american newspaper from the 40s gives his height as 6'2", looks like the magical 2" the americans give actors has appeared again

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