Episode Details

The American Film Institute named Gregory Peck’s Atticus Finch the greatest movie hero in cinema history. Audiences saw unshakable integrity. What they did not see was the grief, self-doubt, and personal losses that shaped the actor behind the role.

This episode explores Peck’s journey from a lonely childhood through his rise as one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, a failed first marriage, and the devastating loss of his eldest son.

• He was rejected from military service due to a back injury from a college rowing accident
• His Atticus Finch won him the Academy Award in 1963
• He turned down roles in High Noon and Ben-Hur, both of which won Best Picture
• He and President Lyndon Johnson were close friends who spoke regularly by phone