1911 - 1993

“In art, religion, and politics the respect must be mutual, no matter how violent the disagreement.”

– Vincent Price

Vincent Price was born to a family of means in St. Louis in 1911. Educated in private schools, Price studied art history at Yale before pursuing a fine arts degree at University of London. Soon he took to the stage. The debonair 6’4” actor made his film debut in 1938, finding success in films like “Laura”, “The Three Musketeers”, and “Champagne for Caesar”. In 1953 Price’s career took an interesting turn with his performance in the 3-D smash “House of Wax”. Over the next two decades he achieved icon status in horror films with his over the top theatrics, chilling voice, and menacing presence enlivening movies like “The House on Haunted Hill”, “The Fly”, “House of Usher”, “The Pit and the Pendulum”, “The Abominable Dr. Phibes”, “Theater of Blood”, and many more. Of his popular horror antiheroes, Price said, “I don't play monsters. I play men besieged by fate and out for revenge.” Price was also a familiar face on TV, appearing in everything from The Brady Bunch to Batman to The Bionic Woman. Considered one of the most cultured actors in Hollywood, Price was an art collector and served for decades on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles County Museum. He even developed a fine art sales division for Sears. Price was also an avid gardener and gourmet and wrote the best-selling cookbook A Treasury of Great Recipes. Married three times, Price’s last wife was bisexual actress Coral Browne who, upon their marriage, remarked that they had both “decided to give up boys." Price’s most popular later day performances were his sinister voiceover on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, and in the films “The Whales of August”, and as the creator/father of “Edward Scissorhands”. He died of lung cancer at age 82 on October 25, 1993. His ashes were scattered off the California coast together with his favorite gardening hat. Two decades after his passing, Price’s daughter Victoria confirmed the longstanding rumor that her father had, indeed, been bisexual.

Demography

Gender Male

Sexual Orientation Bisexual

Gender Identity Cisgender

Ethnicity Caucasian/White

Faith Construct Catholic

Nations Affiliated United States United Kingdom

Era/Epoch Information Age (1970-present)

Field(s) of Contribution

Art

Author

Culinary Arts

Film

Humanities

Radio

Television

Theater

Commemorations & Honors

Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College Named in Price's Honor (1957)

Hollywood Walk of Fame Stars For Television and Motion Pictures (1960)

USA Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Life Career Award (1988)

St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductee (1989)

Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement (1993)

Authorship

Original Biography Author
Victor Salvo
Biography Edited By
Owen Keehnen
Resources Coordination
Carrie Maxwell