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{{Infobox person
| name           = Gregory Peck
| image          = Gregory Peck Allan Warren.jpg
| caption        = Peck in 1973
| birth_name     = Eldred Gregory Peck
| birth_date     = {{Birth date|1916|4|5|mf=y}}
| birth_place    = [[San Diego]], [[California]], U.S.
| death_date     = {{Death date and age|2003|6|12|1916|4|5|mf=y}}
| death_place    = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| alma_mater     = {{ubl|[[San Diego State University]]|[[University of California, Berkeley]] (dropped out)}}
| resting_place  = [[Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (Los Angeles)|Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels]], Los Angeles
| occupation     = Actor
| party          = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| years active   = 1941–2000
| spouse         = {{plainlist|
*{{marriage|Greta Kukkonen|1942|1955|reason=div}}
*{{marriage|[[Veronique Peck|Veronique Passani]]|1955}}
}}
| children       = 5, including [[Cecilia Peck]]
| family         = [[Ethan Peck]] (grandson)
| website        = {{URL|gregorypeck.com}}
}}

'''Eldred Gregory Peck''' (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s. In 1999, the [[American Film Institute]] named Peck among [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars|25 Greatest Male Stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema]], ranking him at No. 12.

After studying at the [[Neighborhood Playhouse]] with [[Sanford Meisner]], Peck began appearing in stage productions, acting in over fifty plays and three [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] productions. He first gained critical success in ''[[The Keys of the Kingdom (film)|The Keys of the Kingdom]]'' (1944), a [[John M. Stahl]]-directed drama which earned him his first [[Academy Award]] nomination. He starred in a series of successful films, including romantic-drama ''[[The Valley of Decision]]'' (1944), [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Spellbound (1945 film)|Spellbound]]'' (1945), and family film ''[[The Yearling (1946 film)|The Yearling]]'' (1946). He encountered lukewarm commercial reviews at the end of the 1940s, his performances including ''[[The Paradine Case]]'' (1947) and ''[[The Great Sinner]]'' (1948). Peck reached global recognition in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing back-to-back in the book-to-film adaptation of ''[[Captain Horatio Hornblower]]'' (1951) and biblical drama ''[[David and Bathsheba (film)|David and Bathsheba]]'' (1951). He starred alongside [[Ava Gardner]] in ''[[The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952 film)|The Snows of Kilimanjaro]]'' (1952) and [[Audrey Hepburn]] in ''[[Roman Holiday]]'' (1953), which earned Peck a [[Golden Globe award]].

Other notable films in which he appeared include  ''[[Moby Dick (1956 film)|Moby Dick]]'' (1956, and its [[Moby Dick (1998 miniseries)|1998 mini-series]]), ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]'' (1961), ''[[Cape Fear (1962 film)|Cape Fear]]'' (1962, and its [[Cape Fear (1991 film)|1991 remake]]), ''[[The Omen]]'' (1976), and ''[[The Boys from Brazil (film)|The Boys from Brazil]]'' (1978). Throughout his career, he often portrayed protagonists with "fiber" within a moral setting.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gregory Peck Is Dead at 87; Film Roles Had Moral Fiber |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/13/movies/gregory-peck-is-dead-at-87-film-roles-had-moral-fiber.html |access-date=December 20, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=June 13, 2003}}</ref> ''[[Gentleman's Agreement]]'' (1947) centered on topics of [[antisemitism]], while Peck's character in ''[[Twelve O'Clock High]]'' (1949) dealt with [[post-traumatic stress disorder]] during [[World War II]]. He won the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his performance as [[Atticus Finch]] in ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|To Kill a Mockingbird]]'' (1962), an adaptation of the [[To Kill a Mockingbird|modern classic of the same name]] which revolved around racial inequality, for which he received universal acclaim. In 1983, he starred opposite [[Christopher Plummer]] in ''[[The Scarlet and The Black]]'' as [[Hugh O'Flaherty]], a Catholic priest who saved thousands of escaped Allied POWs and Jewish people in Rome during the [[Second World War]].

Peck was also active in politics, challenging the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] in 1947 and was regarded as a political opponent by President [[Richard Nixon]]. President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] honored Peck with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 1969 for his lifetime [[humanitarian]] efforts. Peck died in his sleep from [[bronchopneumonia]] at the age of 87.

== Early life ==
Eldred Gregory Peck was born on April 5, 1916, in the neighborhood of [[La Jolla]] in [[San Diego]], [[California]],<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 14, 2017|title=How to Get to La Jolla Cove {{!}} La Jolla Cove Directions|url=https://www.lajolla.com/article/la-jolla-cove-directions/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204051801/https://www.lajolla.com/article/la-jolla-cove-directions/|archive-date=December 4, 2020|access-date=June 14, 2021|website=LaJolla.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=June 14, 2003|title=Gregory Peck obituary|url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jun/14/guardianobituaries.film|access-date=June 14, 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> to Bernice Mae "Bunny" ({{née}} Ayres; 1894–1992), and Gregory Pearl Peck (1886–1962), a Rochester, New York–born chemist and pharmacist.  His father was of English (paternal) and Irish (maternal) heritage,{{sfn|Freedland|1980|p=10}}<ref>United States Census records for La Jolla, California 1910</ref> and his mother was of English and Scots ancestry.<ref>United States Census records for [[St. Louis, Missouri]] – 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910</ref> She converted to her husband's religion, [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]], and Peck was raised as a Catholic. Through his Irish-born paternal grandmother Catherine Ashe (1864–1926), Peck was related to [[Thomas Ashe]] (1885–1917), who participated in the [[Easter Rising]] less than three weeks after Peck's birth and died while being force-fed during a hunger strike in 1917.

[[File:Gregory Peck with father.png|thumb|left|Peck (right) with his father {{circa}} 1930]]

Peck's parents divorced when he was five, and he was brought up by his maternal grandmother, who took him to the movies every week.<ref name="Ronald Bergan">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jun/14/guardianobituaries.film|title=Gregory Peck obituary|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=June 13, 2003|last=Bergan|first=Ronald|access-date=October 19, 2018}}</ref>{{sfn|Freedland|1980|pp=12–18}} At the age of 10, he was sent to a Catholic military school, St. John's Military Academy in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]. While he was a student there, his grandmother died. At 14, he moved back to San Diego to live with his father. He attended [[San Diego High School]],{{sfn|Freedland|1980|pp=16–19}} and after graduating in 1934, enrolled for one year at San Diego State Teacher's College (now known as [[San Diego State University]]). While there, he joined the track team, took his first theatre and public-speaking courses, and pledged the Epsilon Eta fraternity.{{sfn|Fishgall|2002|pp=36–37}} Peck had ambitions to be a doctor, and later transferred to the [[University of California, Berkeley]],<ref>Thomas, Tony. ''Gregory Peck''. Pyramid Publications, 1977, p. 16</ref> as an English major and [[pre-medical]] student. Standing {{convert|6|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}}, he [[College rowing (United States)|rowed on the university crew]]. Although his tuition fee was only $26 per year, Peck still struggled to pay and took a job as a "hasher" (kitchen helper) for the [[Gamma Phi Beta]] [[sorority]] in exchange for meals.

At Berkeley, Peck's deep, well-modulated voice gained him attention, and after participating in a public speaking course, he decided to try acting. He was encouraged by an acting coach, who saw in him perfect material for university theatre, and he became more and more interested in acting. He was recruited by [[Edwin Duerr]], director of the university's Little Theater, and appeared in five plays during his senior year, including as Starbuck in ''Moby Dick''.<ref name="Monush, Barry">{{cite book|last=Monush|first=Barry|year=2003|title=The Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors|location=New York|publisher=[[Hal Leonard LLC|Applause Theatre and Cinema Books]]|isbn=1-557-83551-9|page=589|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=toTIb1Ek2WwC}}</ref> Peck would later say about his years at Berkeley that "it was a very special experience for me and three of the greatest years of my life. It woke me up and made me a human being."<ref name="berkmag">{{cite web|url=http://www.berkeley.edu/news/magazine/summer_96/departments/aroundcal/peck.html|title="Gregory Peck comes home", ''Berkeley Magazine'', Summer 1996|publisher=Berkeley.edu|date=July 4, 2000}}</ref> In 1996, Peck donated $25,000 to the Berkeley rowing crew in honor of his coach, the renowned [[Ky Ebright]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=02.21.96 - >'Just One of the Guys'|url=https://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/1996/0221/guys.html|access-date=September 16, 2020|website=berkeley.edu}}</ref>

==Career ==

===Beginnings and stage roles (1939–1943)===
Peck did not graduate with his friends because he lacked one course. His college friends were concerned for him and wondered how he would get along without his degree. "I have all I need from the university", he told them. Peck dropped the name "Eldred" and headed to New York City to study at the [[Neighborhood Playhouse]] with the legendary acting teacher [[Sanford Meisner]]. He was often broke, and sometimes slept in [[Central Park]].{{sfn|Freedland|1980|p=35}} He worked at the 1939 [[World's Fair]] as a [[barker (occupation)|barker]], and [[Rockefeller Center]] as a tour guide for [[NBC]] television, and at [[Radio City Music Hall]].<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> He dabbled in modelling before, in 1940, working in exchange for food at the [[Barter Theatre]] in [[Abingdon, Virginia]], where he appeared in five plays, including ''Family Portrait'' and ''On Earth As It Is''.<ref name="autogenerated1998">"Gregory Peck Returns to Theatre Roots in Virginia Mountains", ''Playbill'', June 29, 1998</ref>

His stage career began in 1941, when he played the secretary in a [[Katharine Cornell]] production of [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s play ''[[The Doctor's Dilemma (play)|The Doctor's Dilemma]]''. The play opened in San Francisco just one week before the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]].<ref>Tad Mosel, ''Leading Lady: The World and Theatre of Katharine Cornell'', Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 1978{{page needed|date=June 2013}}</ref> He made his [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut as the lead in [[Emlyn Williams]]' ''The Morning Star'' in 1942.<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> His second Broadway performance that year was in ''The Willow and I'' with [[Edward Pawley]]. Peck's acting abilities were in high demand during [[World War II]] because he was exempted from military service, owing to a back injury suffered while receiving dance and movement lessons from [[Martha Graham]] as part of his acting training.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/1188/The-Valley-of-Decision/articles.html|title=The Valley of Decision (1945) |website=[[Turner Classic Movies]]}}</ref> [[Twentieth Century Fox]] later claimed he had injured his back while rowing at university, but in Peck's words, "In Hollywood, they didn't think a dance class was macho enough, I guess. I've been trying to straighten out that story for years."<ref name="sdut">Welton Jones. [http://www.jefflangonline.com/peck/bio/index.htm "Gregory Peck"], ''[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]'', April 5, 1998.</ref> Peck performed in a total of 50 plays, including three short-lived Broadway productions, 4–5 road tours, and summer theater.<ref name="theactorswork.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theactorswork.com/2013/04/films-and-filming-gregory-peck.html|title=Vintage Magazine: Gregory Peck interview + Badlands}}</ref>

===Rapid critical and commercial success (1944–1946)===

Film historian [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]] wrote "From his debut, Peck was always a star and rarely less than a box office success."<ref name="Thomson, David 1994 pg. 576"/> After gaining stage recognition, Peck was offered his first film role, the male lead in the war-romance ''[[Days of Glory (1944 film)|Days of Glory]]'' (1944), directed by [[Jacques Tourneur]], alongside top-billed [[Tamara Toumanova]], a Russian-born ballerina.<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> Peck portrayed the leader of Russian guerrillas resisting the Germans in 1941 who stumble across a beautiful Russian dancer (Toumanova), who had been sent to entertain Russian troops, and protect her by letting her join their group.<ref name="Monush, Barry"/><ref name="Thomson, David 1994 pg. 576">Thomson, David (London, 1994) "A Biographical Dictionary of Film", Martin Secker and Warburg Ltd., pg. 576.</ref> During production of the film, Tourneur "untrained" Peck from his theater training where he was used to speaking in a formal manner and projecting his voice to the entire hall.<ref name="ReferenceE">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/1874/Days-of-Glory/articles.html|title=Days of Glory (1944) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Peck considered his performance in the film as quite amateurish and did not wish to watch the film after it was released.<ref name="ReferenceE"/> The film lost money at the box office, disappeared from theaters quickly,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/days-of-glory/review/112333|title=Days Of Glory &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceH">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/days-of-glory-v12658|title=Days of Glory (1944) - Jacques Tourneur &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref> and was largely dismissed by critics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/gregory-peck-p55747|title=Gregory Peck &#124; Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos|website=AllMovie}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceE"/> 
[[File:Gregory Peck in Days of Glory (1944).png|thumb|left|upright|Peck in his film debut ''[[Days of Glory (1944 film)|Days of Glory]]'' (1944)]]
At the time of the film's release, critic [[Bosley Crowther]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' assessed it as slow-moving and verbose, adding that Peck's acting was stiff.{{efn|name=DaysofGloryMovieBosleyCrowther| Crowther said, "Gregory Peck comes recommended with a Gary Cooper angularity and a face somewhat like that modest gentleman's, but his acting is equally stiff."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/06/17/archives/days-of-glory-starring-tamara-toumanova-and-gregory-peck-at-palace.html|title=' Days of Glory,' Starring Tamara Toumanova and Gregory Peck, at Palace -- Mexican Film Opens|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=June 17, 1944|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> |group=}}  Film historian Barry Monush has written, "Peck's star power was evident from the word go."<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> Following the release of the film, Peck gained the attention of producers, but rather than participating in the [[studio system]], he decided to remain a freelancer with the ability to choose his roles, signing non-exclusive contracts with four studios,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gregory-peck-dead-at-87/|title=Gregory Peck Dead At 87|website=cbsnews.com}}</ref> including an unusual dual contract with [[20th Century Fox]] and ''Gone With the Wind'' producer [[David O. Selznick]].<ref name="Turner, Adrian">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/gregory-peck-36623.html|title=News > Obituaries {{!}} Gregory Peck|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=June 14, 2003|author=Adrian Turner|access-date=November 29, 2019}}</ref>

Peck's second movie, ''[[The Keys of the Kingdom (film)|The Keys of the Kingdom]]'' (1944), features him as an 80-year-old Roman Catholic priest looking back at his undertakings during over half a century spent as a determined, self-sacrificing missionary in China.<ref name="variety1944">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1944/film/reviews/the-keys-of-the-kingdom-1200414440/ |title=The Keys of the Kingdom |work=Variety.com |date=December 31, 1944}}</ref><ref name="Thomson, David 1994 pg. 576"/> The film shows the character aging  from his 20s to 80; Peck featured in almost every scene.<ref name="auto49">{{cite web|author=Greg Orypeck |url=https://www.classicfilmfreak.com/2018/05/31/the-keys-of-the-kingdom-1947-starring-gregory-peck-and-thomas-mitchell/ |title=The Keys of the Kingdom (1947) starring Gregory Peck and Thomas Mitchell |work=Classic Film Freak |date=May 31, 2018 |access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref>  The film was nominated for four [[Academy Awards]], including the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]], which was Peck's first nomination.<ref name="Kinn, Gail 2000 pg. 92">Kinn, Gail, and Jim Plazza (New York, 2000) "The Academy Awards: The Complete History of Oscar", Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers, pg. 92.</ref> Although the film finished only 27th at the box office in North America for 1944,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/1944-top-grossing-movies/|title=1944 Top Grossing Movies &#124; Ultimate Movie Rankings|first=Cogerson|last=says|date=April 9, 2017}}</ref> Jay Carr of [[Turner Classic Movies]] refers to it as Peck's breakthrough performance<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/80168/The-Keys-of-the-Kingdom/articles.html|title=The Keys of the Kingdom (1945) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> while writer [[Patrick McGilligan (biographer)|Patrick McGilligan]] says that it "catapulted him to stardom".<ref>McGilligan, Patrick (New York: 2004), "Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light", HarperCollins Publishers Inc., pg. 357.</ref> At the time of release, Peck's performance was lauded by ''Variety'' and ''The New York Times,'' amidst mixed reviews for the film itself.{{efn|name=TheKeysoftheKingdomMovieReviews|''Variety'' described the movie as "a cavalcade of a priest's life, played excellently by Peck, what transcends all the cinematic action is the impact of tolerance, service, faith and godliness."<ref name="variety1944"/> Bosley Crowther of ''The New York Times'' wrote, "Much of the dialogue that is cautiously arranged between and among these people is tedious, since it lacks real depth or point," but Peck "gives a quiet and forceful performance".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/12/30/archives/keys-of-the-kingdom-from-novel-by-aj-cronin-opens-at-rivoli-rkos.html|title=' Keys of the Kingdom,' From Novel by A.J. Cronin, Opens at Rivoli -- RKO's 'Experiment Perilous' New Bill at Palace|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=December 30, 1944|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>}} The ''[[Radio Times]]'' referred to it as "a long, talkative and rather undramatic picture" but admitted that "its success saved Peck's career".<ref name="auto3">{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/hygzj/URL/|title=The Keys of the Kingdom – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref> Craig Butler of [[AllMovie]] states "he gives a commanding performance, full of his usual quiet dignity and intelligence, and spiked with stubbornness and an inner fire that make the character truly come alive."<ref name="allmovie.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-keys-of-the-kingdom-v27139/review|title=The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) - John M. Stahl &#124; Review &#124; AllMovie|via=allmovie.com}}</ref>

In ''[[The Valley of Decision]]'' (1944), a romantic drama about intermingling [[social classes]], Peck plays the eldest son of a wealthy steel mill owner in 1870s Pittsburgh who has a romance with one of his family's maids, portrayed by [[Greer Garson]].<ref name="auto11">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/05/04/archives/the-screen-in-review-the-valley-of-decision-with-greer-carson-and.html|title=The Screen in Review; 'The Valley of Decision,' With Greer Carson and Gregory Peck, Makes Its Appearance at the Radio City Music Hall Judy Garland Seen in 'The Clock' at Capitol--Other New Films Are Offered at the Palace and at Loew's State Theatre At the Capitol At the Palace At Loew's State|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=May 4, 1945|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-valley-of-decision-v115370|title=The Valley of Decision (1945) - Tay Garnett &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref> who was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]].  Upon release, reviews from ''The New York Times'' and ''Variety'' were somewhat positive, with Peck's performance described as commanding.{{efn|name=TheValleyofDecisonReviews|Bosley Crowther wrote, "Peck's performance is "quietly commanding".<ref name="auto11"/> ''Variety'' said the tale "is movingly dealt with" and that "Peck has the personality and ability to command attention in any scene."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1944/film/reviews/the-valley-of-decision-1200414422/|title=The Valley of Decision|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1945}}</ref>}} It was North America's biggest grossing movie of 1945.<ref name="auto19"/>

Peck's next film was the first of two collaborations with director [[Alfred Hitchcock]], the suspense-romance ''[[Spellbound (1945 film)|Spellbound]]'' (1945), opposite [[Ingrid Bergman]]. Peck plays a man who is thought to be the new director of the psychiatric facility where Bergman's character works as a psychoanalyst, while his amnesia and disturbing visions suggest he may be a murderer.<ref name="auto16">Fox, Ken, Ed Grant, Jo Imeson, Andrew Joseph and Maitland McDonaugh, Eds. (New York, 1998) "The Movie Guide", Berkley Publishing Group, pg. 645.</ref> Peck and Hitchcock were described as having a cordial but cool relationship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/86212/The-Paradine-Case/articles.html|title=The Paradine Case (1948)|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Hitchock initially hoped that [[Cary Grant]] would play the male lead.{{sfn|McGilligan 2004, p. 360}} Peck later stated that he thought he was too young when he first worked with Hitchcock, and that the director's on-set indifference to his character's motivation, important to Peck's acting style, shook his confidence.<ref name="Turner, Adrian"/> Peck's chemistry clicked with his screen partner Bergman; the actors were romantically linked at the time.{{sfn|Haney|2005|p=23}}
[[File:Spellbound-1945.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Peck and co-star [[Ingrid Bergman]] in the film ''Spellbound'' (1945)]]
Released at the end of 1945, ''Spellbound'' was a hit, ranking as the third-most successful film of 1946.<ref name="auto19" /> ''Spellbound'' was well received by critics at the time, as was Peck's performance.{{efn|name=SpellboundReviews|Bosley Crowther of ''The New York Times'' said it is a "moving love story" and "a rare film," that "the manner and quality of story-telling is extraordinarily fine", "the firm texture of narration, the flow of continuity and dialogue, the shock of the unexpected, the scope of the image – all are happily here"<ref name="Crowther, Bosley 1945">{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |work=The New York Times |date=November 2, 1945 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/11/02/archives/tide-screen-in-review-spellbound-a-psychological-hit-starring.html |title=Tide Screen In Review; 'Spellbound,' a Psychological Hit Starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck, Opens at Astor--Hitchcock Director Dangerous Partners,' a Surprise Package Featuring Craig and Hasso, Is Intriguing Film by M-G-M Now at Loew's State |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref> and, ''Variety'' said "Alfred Hitchcock handles his players and action in a suspenseful manner, and except for a few episodes of much scientific dialogue, maintains a steady pace in keeping the camera moving" adding that Peck "handles the suspense scenes with great skill".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1944/film/reviews/spellbound-1200414466/|title=Spellbound|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1945}}</ref>}}<ref>McGilligan, Patrick (New York: 2004), "Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light", HarperCollins Publishers Inc., pg. 379. quoting Newsweek</ref> Bosley Crowther of ''The New York Times'' praised the film, stating that Peck's performance "restrained and refined, is precisely the proper counter to Bergman's exquisite role;"<ref name="Crowther, Bosley 1945"/>  Frank Miller of [[Turner Classic Movies]] has written that the movie continued the rise of Peck into a Hollywood star and even "a major [[sex symbol]]".<ref name="tcm.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/91049/Spellbound/articles.html|title=Spellbound (1945)|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Producer [[David O. Selznick]] noted that during preview tests of the movie, the women in the audiences had substantive reactions to the appearance of Peck's name during the opening credits, stating that during his first few scenes the audience had to be shushed to quiet down.<ref name="tcm.com"/> ''Spellbound'' was nominated for six [[Academy Awards]] including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], although it was not in the [[National Board of Review]]'s top ten films of the year.<ref name="Kinn, Gail 2000 pg. 92"/><ref name="autogenerated143">Gebert, Michael (New York, 1996) "The Encyclopedia of Movie Awards", St. Martin's Press, pg. 143.</ref>

In ''[[The Yearling (1946 film)|The Yearling]]'' (1946),<ref name="Thomson, David 1994 pg. 576"/> Peck portrays a kind-hearted father, opposite onscreen wife, [[Jane Wyman]], whose son finds and insists on raising a three-day-old fawn in 1870s Florida.<ref name="auto16"/> Reviews upon release were very positive{{efn|name=TheYearlingReviews|A.E. Wilson of ''The Star'' (England) wrote, "the film is acted with rare perfection".<ref>Tookey, Christopher (London, 1994), "The Film Critics' Film Guide", Boxtree Limited. pg. 950. quoting A.E. Wilson, The Star, England.</ref> Bosley Crowther also wrote, "The strong bond of trust and wistful longing which exists between the boy and his "Pa" required the most sensitive tuning in order to ring sharp and true" and "the love of the lad for a pet lawn, which his father understands, had to be tenderly developed to appear wholly genuine."}} with Bosley Crowther evaluating it as a film that "provides a wealth of satisfaction that few films ever attain".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/01/24/archives/the-yearling-based-on-novel-by-marjorie-rawlings-opens-at-radio.html|title='The Yearling', Based on Novel by Marjorie Rawlings, Opens at Radio City, with Claude Jarman Jr. in Role of Jody|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=January 24, 1947|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> ''The Yearling'' was a box office success finishing with the ninth highest box office gross for 1947<ref name="auto19"/> and landed six [[Academy Award]] nominations, including Best Actor. Peck won the [[Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe]] for Best Actor for performance.<ref name="EMAp143">Gebert, Michael (New York, 1996), "The Encyclopedia of Movie Awards", St. Martin's Press, pg. 143.</ref> In recent decades, it has continued to receive critical praise{{efn|name=TheYearlingModern|It's been described as "exquisitely filmed...with memorable performances" by Leonard Maltin;<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/> by Dan Jardine of ''AllMovie'' as, "teetering on the brink of sentimentality at times" but "the honesty of the performances and the beauty of the photography procure a place for ''The Yearling'' in cinematic history.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-yearling-v55729/review |first=Dan |last=Jardine |title=The Yearling (1946) |website=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref> by Tom Hutchinson of ''RadioTimes'' as a "lovely and loving story (which) takes its strength from an understatement of dramatic events and the underplaying of the actors. Veteran director Clarence Brown shapes it into a tale that touches the heart while never patronizing the mind. Sentiment without sentimentality."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/nbvds/the-yearling/|title=The Yearling – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref>}} with Barry Monush writing, it is "one of the best-made and most-loved family films of its day,".<ref name="Monush, Barry"/>

Peck took his first "against type" role, as a cruel, amoral cowboy in the western soap opera ''[[Duel in the Sun (film)|Duel in the Sun]]'' (1946) with top-billed [[Jennifer Jones]] as the provocative, temptress object of Peck's love, anger and desire.<ref name="auto39">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/73733/Duel-in-the-Sun/articles.html|title=Duel in the Sun (1947) – Articles – TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref><ref name="tvguide.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/duel-in-the-sun/review/113631|title=Duel In The Sun &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Their chemistry is described by film historian David Thomson as "a constant knife fight of sensuality".<ref name="auto9">Thomson, David (London, 1994) "A Biographical Dictionary of Film", Martin Secker and Warburg Ltd., pg. 577.</ref> Also starring [[Joseph Cotten]] as Peck's righteous half brother and competitor for the affections of the "steamy, sexpot" character of Jones,<ref name="auto58">{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/duel-in-the-sun|title=Duel in the Sun|website=Time Out London}}</ref> the movie was resoundingly criticized, and even banned in some cities, due to its lurid nature.<ref name="auto20">Bergen, Ronald (London: 2004) in "501 Must-See Movies", Bounty Books.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/13/movies/gregory-peck-is-dead-at-87-film-roles-had-moral-fiber.html |first=William |last=Grimes |title=Gregory Peck Is Dead at 87; Film Roles Had Moral Fiber |work=The New York Times |date=June 13, 2003 |access-date=July 29, 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The publicity around the eroticism of ''Duel in the Sun'',<ref name="auto21">Fox, Ken, Ed Grant, Jo Imeson, Andrew Joseph and Maitland McDonaugh, Eds. (New York, 1998) "The Movie Guide", Berkley Publishing Group, pg. 183.</ref> one of the biggest movie advertising campaigns in history,<ref name="auto14">Tookey, Christopher (London, 1994), "The Film Critics' Film Guide", Boxtree Limited. pg. 214.</ref><ref name="tvguide.com"/> used a new tactic of opening in hundreds of theaters across the U.S. at once,<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/73733/Duel-in-the-Sun/articles.html|title=Duel in the Sun (1947) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> saturating the theaters in cities where it opened,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/73733/Duel-in-the-Sun/notes.html|title=Duel in the Sun (1947) - Notes - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> resulting in the film being the second highest-grossing movie of both 1947 and the 1940s.<ref>Kay, Eddie Dorman (New York, 1990). "Box Office Champs: The Most Popular Movies from the Last 50 Years", M & M Books, pg. 39.</ref> Nicknamed "Lust in the Dust", the film received mostly negative reviews upon release,{{efn|name=DuelintheSunReviews|Frank Miller of Turner Class Movies says it had "pretty awful reviews",<ref name="auto39"/> and Stephen Watts of ''The Sunday Times'' said it "fluctuates between the repellent and the ridiculous".<ref>Tookey, Christopher (London, 1994), "The Film Critics' Film Guide", Boxtree Limited. pg. 215. quoting Stephen Watts, Sunday Times.</ref> ''Variety'' wrote, "The familiar western formula reaches its highest commercialization ... (the movie) is raw, sex-laden pulp fiction ... The vastness of western locale is splendidly displayed in color...too much at times considering the movie's length" and Jones and Peck overact in some scenes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1945/film/reviews/duel-in-the-sun-1117790601/|title=Duel in the Sun|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1946}}</ref>}} such as Bosley Crowther writing that "performances are strangely uneven",<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/05/08/archives/duel-in-the-sun-selznicks-lavish-western-that-stars-jennifer-jones.html|title=' Duel in the Sun,' Selznick's Lavish Western That Stars Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Opens at Loew's Theatres|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=May 8, 1947|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> although Jones received a nomination for the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]]. The opinions of Peck's performance have been polarized.{{efn|name=DuelintheSunModernPeck|David Parkinson of the BFI says, Peck "credibly holds his own against the scene-stealing veterans" in the movie;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/lists/gregory-peck-10-essential-films|title=Gregory Peck: 10 essential films|website=British Film Institute}}</ref> Bosley Crowther says Peck makes "the renegade brother a credibly vicious and lawless character;"<ref name="nytimes.com"/> but Christopher Tookey says "Peck is as lively as the average coffee table;"<ref name="auto14"/> and ''Variety'' wrote that Peck overacted in some scenes.<ref name="tvguide.com"/>}}

=== Critical successes and commercial lows (1947–1949) ===
In 1947, Peck co-founded [[The La Jolla Playhouse]], at his birthplace, with [[Mel Ferrer]] and [[Dorothy McGuire]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lajollaplayhouse.org/about-the-playhouse/playhouse-highlights |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115204055/http://www.lajollaplayhouse.org/about-the-playhouse/playhouse-highlights |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 15, 2011 |title=Playhouse Highlights |publisher=La Jolla Playhouse |access-date=March 19, 2013 }}</ref> This summer stock company presented productions in the La Jolla High School Auditorium from 1947 until 1964. In 1983, the La Jolla Playhouse re-opened in a new home at the [[University of California, San Diego]], where it operates today. It has attracted [[Hollywood (film industry)|Hollywood]] film stars on hiatus, both as performers and enthusiastic supporters, since its inception.

Peck's next release was the modest-budget, serious adult drama, ''[[The Macomber Affair]]'' (1947), in which he portrays an African hunting trip guide assisting a visiting couple. During the trip, the wife, played by [[Joan Bennett]], becomes enamored with Peck, and the husband gets shot.<ref name="variety Macomber">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1946/film/reviews/the-macomber-affair-1117792833/|title=The Macomber Affair|date=January 1, 1947}}</ref> Peck was very active in the development of the film, including recommending director [[Zoltan Korda]].<ref name="auto15">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/82250/The-Macomber-Affair/articles.html|title=The Macomber Affair (1947) – Articles – TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> The film received positive reviews{{efn|name=MacomberAffairReviews|Bosley Crowther wrote, "[The movie is] a tight and absorbing study of character," and "the hunting scenes, incidentally, are visual knockouts" but, it has a "contrived conclusion...(that is) completely stupid and false;"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/04/21/archives/the-macomber-affair-a-film-with-joan-bennett-gregory-peck-and.html|title=' The Macomber Affair,' a Film With Joan Bennett, Gregory Peck and Robert Preston, Has Premiere at Globe Theatre|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=April 21, 1947|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>}} but was mostly overlooked by the public upon its release, which Peck would later say disappointed him.<ref name="auto15"/> 
[[File:Gentleman's Agreement Publicity Photo.jpg|thumb|left|Peck with actors [[Dorothy McGuire]] and [[Sam Jaffe]] in ''[[Gentleman's Agreement]]'' (1947)]]
In November 1947, Peck's next film, the landmark ''[[Gentleman's Agreement]]'', directed by [[Elia Kazan]], was released and was immediately proclaimed as "Hollywood's first major attack on anti-Semitism".<ref name="Fox, Ken 1998 pg. 241">Fox, Ken, Ed Grant, Jo Imeson, Andrew Joseph and Maitland McDonaugh, Eds. (New York, 1998) "The Movie Guide", Berkley Publishing Group. pg. 241.</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/gentlemans-agreement/review/124290|title=Gentleman's Agreement &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Based on a novel, the film has Peck portraying a New York magazine writer who pretends to be Jewish so he can experience personally the hostility of bigots.<ref name="Fox, Ken 1998">Fox, Ken, Ed Grant, Jo Imeson, Andrew Joseph and Maitland McDonaugh, Eds. (New York, 1998) "The Movie Guide", Berkley Publishing Group.</ref> It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Peck for Best Actor, winning in the Best Film and Best Director categories. It was the second-highest top-grossing film of 1948.<ref name="EMAp127">Gebert, Michael (New York, 1996), "The Encyclopedia of Movie Awards", St. Martin's Press.</ref>  Peck would indicate in his later years that the film was one of his proudest works.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/gregory-peck-conveyed-courage-of-his-convictions-as-he-bravely-tackled-challenging-roles|title=Gregory Peck conveyed courage of his convictions as he bravely tackled challenging roles &#124; Interviews &#124; Roger Ebert|first=Roger|last=Ebert|website=rogerebert.com}}</ref> Upon release, ''[[Gentleman's Agreement]]'' was widely praised for both its courageousness and its quality,{{efn|name=Gentleman'sAgreementReviews| ''Variety'' wrote, the movie "provides an almost overwhelming emotional experience", is "memorable for numerous vivid impelling passages", has "great dramatic depth and force", "is a credit to the screen" and that the screenplay, direction and cinematography are all excellent, but acknowledged it has "some disappointing or confusing scenes".<ref name="ReferenceD">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1947/film/reviews/gentleman-s-agreement-2-1200415194/|title=Gentleman's Agreement|first1=Hobe|last1=Morrison|date=November 12, 1947}}</ref>}}<ref name="ReferenceC">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/11/12/archives/gentlemans-agreement-study-of-antisemitism-is-feature-at-mayfair.html|title=' Gentleman's Agreement,' Study of Anti-Semitism, Is Feature at Mayfair -- Gregory Peck Plays Writer Acting as Jew|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=November 12, 1947|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> Peck's performance has been described as very convincing by many critics, both upon release and in recent years.{{efn|name=Gentleman'sAgreementPeck|Bosley Crowther wrote, "the role is crisply and agreeably played by Gregory Peck;"<ref name="ReferenceC"/> ''Variety'' said, Peck "is quiet, almost gentle, progressively intense and resolute, with just the right suggestion of inner vitality and turbulence."<ref name="ReferenceD"/> ''TV Guide'' says Peck gives "a convincing portrayal" and refers to "the excellence of Peck;"<ref name="ReferenceB"/> Richard Gilliam of ''AllMovie'' says, "the performances...are quite good, especially (that) of Peck;"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/gentlemans-agreement-v19402/review|title=Gentleman's Agreement (1947) - Elia Kazan &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref> Tom Hutchinson of ''RadioTimes'' says "it's one of Peck's finest performances."<ref name="auto28">{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/rm94/gentlemans-agreement/|title=Gentleman's Agreement – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref>}} In recent decades, critics have expressed differing opinions regarding Peck's portrayal, the quality of the film by modern standard, and the film's effectiveness at addressing anti-semitism,{{efn|name=Gentleman'sAgreementReviewsNegative|Christopher Tookey says "Once considered courageous and powerful, now it looks terribly slow, preachy and melodramatic. More evidence...the socially important film of today is the deservedly forgotten film of tomorrow;"<ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994">Tookey, Christopher (London, 1994), "The Film Critics' Film Guide", Boxtree Limited.</ref> Michael Gebert writes, "In retrospect, rarely has so much praise been lavished on such an inconsequential film...Coming on the heels of the Holocaust, it seems almost obscene to lavish so much attention on such a minor, upper-class aspect of anti-Semitism"<ref name="EMAp127"/> ''TimeOut'' says "sentimental and muddled...it wears its heart on its sleeve rather than offers any analysis of the problem...looks remarkedly dated in places. Good performances, however, particularly from Garfield and Holm."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/gentlemans-agreement|title=Gentleman's Agreement|website=Time Out London}}</ref>}} with film writer Matt Bailey writing "''[[Gentleman's Agreement]]'' may have been an important film at one time, but was never a good film,"<ref name="notcoming.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.notcoming.com/reviews/gents_agreement/ |title=Gentlemen's Agreement |last=Walsh |first=Matt |website=notcoming.com |date=July 11, 2004 |access-date=July 29, 2021 |quote=Peck "is a little too earnest..." and "...this film is interesting as a historical curiosity...but holds little appeal for most.}}</ref>{{efn|name=Gentleman'sAgreementPeckNegative|George Aachen commented "Peck's amateurishly mannered performance with its wearisome trick of delivery and inflection, makes (the movie) seem even more unrealistic," and John Howard Reid wrote, "The glum humorless Peck is in every scene bar one-though he does not hold the monopoly on strained acting."<ref>Tookey, Christopher (London, 1994), "The Film Critics' Film Guide", Boxtree Limited. pg. 294. quoting George Aachen and John Howard Reid.</ref><ref name="notcoming.com"/>}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/gentlemans-agreement-v19402/review |title=Gentleman's Agreement (1947) |last=Gilliam |first=Richard |website=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 |quote=most likely because it was breaking new ground with small and deliberate steps, ''Gentleman's Agreement'' does not play well today. The characters are one-dimensional and do the sorts of thing you could easily predict they would do.}}</ref>{{efn|name=Gentleman'sAgreementModernPro|Barry Monush observes it is "a film looked upon as very mild dramatic fare by modern audiences, but one that much good in its day."<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> ''TV Guide'' writes, "today it looks like heart on a sleeve, but the film is a landmark film" and "remains a classic crusading film".<ref name="ReferenceB"/> David Sterritt, of TCM, says the film "ranks with the best of the "problem pictures" made by Hollywood in the wake of WWII...it comes across as smart, incisive and engrossing drama, and although times have changed since 1947, the subject it so boldly tackles remains timely and relevant to this day."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/76108/Gentleman-s-Agreement/articles.html|title=Gentleman's Agreement (1948) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Tom Hutchinson of ''RadioTimes'' asserts "An eye-opener in its day...(it) still has the power to compel...is successful in showing that subtle malaise is barely recognized as such by the people who sustain it...members of the cast produce work of...high quality."<ref name="auto28"/> In 2017, [[Peter Bradshaw]] of ''The Guardian'' wrote, "Gentleman's Agreement is still a riveting movie, intriguing, a little exasperating, alternately naive and very sharp."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/15/best-picture-oscar-winners-gentlemans-agreement-1947|title=My favorite best picture Oscar winner: Gentleman's Agreement|first=Peter|last=Bradshaw|date=February 15, 2017|work=The Guardian}}</ref>}}

Peck's next three releases were each commercial disappointments. ''[[The Paradine Case]]'' (1947), was his second and last film with  Hitchcock. When producer [[David O. Selznick]] insisted on casting Peck for the movie, Hitchcock was apprehensive, questioning whether Peck could properly portray an English lawyer.{{sfn|McGilligan 2004, p. 394}} In later years, Peck did not speak fondly of the making of the movie{{sfn|McGilligan 2004, p. 396}} Released in 1947,''[[The Paradine Case]]'' was a British-set courtroom drama about a defense lawyer in love with his client.<ref name="auto9"/> It had an international cast including [[Charles Laughton]], [[Ethel Barrymore]] and [[Alida Valli]] as the accused.<ref name="auto12">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1946/film/reviews/the-paradine-case-1200414964/|title=The Paradine Case|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1947}}</ref> The movie received positive reviews, many complimenting Peck's performance,{{efn|name=ThePardineCaseReviews|Bosley Crowther wrote, the movie is "one fitfully intriguing tale, smoothly told through a cultivated camera. It isn't a too-well-written story...it goes into Old Bailey Courtroom and stays there for most of the film. Courtroom action tends to get weary...Hitchcock has made the most of a difficult script and has got as much tension in a courtroom as most directors could get in a frontier fort. Gregory Peck is impressively impassioned as the famous young London barrister who lets his heart, cruelly captured by his client, rule his head."<ref>Crowther, Bosley. ''The New York Times'' film review, "Selznick and Hitchcock Join Forces on Paradine Case", January 8, 1948.</ref> ''Variety'' wrote, "Peck's statue as a performer of ability stands him in good stead among extremely tough competition."<ref name="auto12"/>}} but was panned by the public, only recouping half of the $4.2&nbsp;million production costs.<ref name="auto7">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/86212/The-Paradine-Case/articles.html|title=The Paradine Case (1947) – Articles – TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> In recent decades, the film was criticized by most prominent writers, although critic's praised Peck's acting.{{efn|name=TheParadineCaseModernReviews|Patrick Legare of ''AllMovie'' commented, it is "talky, slow-moving...with a lack of any sustained action" and "Peck gives respectable performance;"<ref name="ReferenceF">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-paradine-case-v37223/review|title=The Paradine Case (1947) - Alfred Hitchcock &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref> Jay S. Steinberg of TCM, laments it has "a rather verbose narrative that never quite builds dramatically...but with instances that reveal the director's visual flair" and as featuring "earnest and engaging performances".<ref name="auto7"/> ''TV Guide'' says "Hitchcock tried mightily but didn't quite overcome the rambling, overlong script."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-paradine-case/review/108797|title=The Paradine Case &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref>}} Writers Paul Condon and Jim Sangster stated that "Peck is vulnerable yet believable in a role that requires significant delicacy of touch to maintain viewer's loyalty and interest."<ref name="auto13">Condon, Paul, and Jim Sangster (London, 1999), "The Complete Hitchcock", Virgin Publishing Ltd. Pg.136.</ref>
[[File:Peck Yellow Sky Still Photo 1948.jpg|190px|thumb|Peck in the film ''[[Yellow Sky]]'' (1949)]]
Peck shared top billing with [[Anne Baxter]] in the western ''[[Yellow Sky]]'' (1948), the namesake setting as the [[ghost town]] Peck's group of bank robbers seek refuge in, encountering the spunky tomboy, Baxter, her grandfather, alongside their gold.<ref name="ReferenceG">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/yellow-sky/110024|title=Yellow Sky &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Peck gradually develops an interest in Baxter's character, who in turn seems to rediscover her femininity and develops an interest in him.<ref name="auto59">{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/yellow-sky|title=Yellow Sky|website=Time Out London}}</ref>{{efn|name=YellowSkyReviewsModern| Craig Butler of ''AllMovie'' writes, "crackling good screenplay...with memorable dialogue and clearly drawn characters...beautifully detailed direction that doesn't skimp on suspense or action and that even makes the love angle work...aided by stark, almost expressionistic cinematography, a feast of black-and-white images that carry on their own considerable emotional weight" and "a marvelous cast".<ref name="auto42">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/yellow-sky-v117905/review|title=Yellow Sky (1948) - John Schlesinger, William A. Wellman &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref> ''TimeOut'' says, "A fine Western, harshly shot...(the) screenplay develops WR Burnett's source story with the ''Tempest'' in mind, the subtler analogies serving to provide resonances...the conflict similarly resolves strangely, at its violent climax, into a sense of conciliation.  Beautifully cast and characterized."<ref name="auto59"/> Leonard Maltin states, "Exciting western...Similar in atmosphere to Wellman's classic ''The Ox-Bow Incident''."<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/>}} Critics which commented on Peck's performance felt it to be solid.{{efn|name=yellowSkyPeck|''TV Guide'' writes, "Peck is thoroughly believable in a part which contrasts greatly with many of his others."<ref name="ReferenceG"/><ref name="auto42"/>}}<ref>Tookey, Christopher (London, 1994), "The Film Critics' Film Guide", Boxtree Limited. quoting A.E. Wilson</ref> as being slightly unbelievable,{{efn|name=YellowSkyReviewsEnding|''TV Guide'' refers to "the unlikely ending".<ref name="ReferenceG"/> ''TimeOut'' says "the conflict similarly resolves strangely...into a sense of conciliation."<ref name="auto59"/> Christopher Tookey says "The film is better at the beginning than later on...when Peck becomes too much of a goodie-goodie to be credible."<ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994">Tookey, Christopher (London, 1994), "The Film Critics' Film Guide", Boxtree Limited.</ref>}}<ref name="auto42"/> The film was only moderately commercially successful.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/variety177-1950-01#page/n58/mode/1up |title=Top-Grossers of 1949 |work=Variety |date=January 1950 |access-date=July 29, 2021 |via=Webarchive.org}}</ref> A year later, Peck was paired with [[Ava Gardner]] for their first of three films together in ''[[The Great Sinner]]'' (1949), a period drama-romance where a Russian writer, Peck, becomes addicted to gambling while helping Gardner and her father pay back their debts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v93810|title=The Great Sinner (1949) - Robert Siodmak &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref> Peck ended up becoming great friends with Gardner, and would later declare her his favorite co-star.<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> Their friendship lasted the rest of Gardner's life, and upon her death in 1990, Peck took in both her housekeeper and her dog.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/2003/12/26/farewell-we-pay-tribute-gregory-peck/|title=Farewell: We pay tribute to Gregory Peck|website=EW.com}}</ref> The film received unfavorable reviews usually describing it as dull,{{efn|name=TheGreatSinnerReviews|Bosley Crowther labeled it "as a dreary picture" with "the actors entrapped by a weak script and fustian direction".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/06/30/archives/the-screen-in-review-the-great-sinner-metro-film-with-gregory-peck.html|title=THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; 'The Great Sinner,' Metro Film With Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner, at Loew's State|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=June 30, 1949|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>}} and the public was not interested, rendering it a commercial disappointment.<ref name="ReferenceK">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3465/The-Great-Sinner/articles.html|title=The Great Sinner (1949) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> In modern times, the film has received mixed reviews{{efn|name=TheGreatSinnerModernReviews|Margarita Landazuri of TCM says "''The Great Sinner"'' may not be faithful to Dostoevsky (the author of the sourcebook), but it is high-gloss MGM, with some excellent performances that make it well worth watching."<ref name="ReferenceK"/>}}<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005">Maltin, Leonard. "Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide", 2005.</ref> but ''TV Guide'' says "this often gripping film" has strong performances, that "Peck is powerful" in his portrayal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-great-sinner/review/125127|title=The Great Sinner &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Peck initially rejected the film, his last movie under his [[MGM]] contract, eventually agreeing to do it as a favor to the studio's production head.<ref name="ReferenceJ">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3465/The-Great-Sinner/notes.html|title=The Great Sinner (1949) - Notes - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref>

His second 1949 release, ''[[Twelve O'Clock High]]'' (1949), was released, the first of many films in which Peck embodied the brave, effective, yet human, "fighting man". Based on true events, Peck portrays the new commander of a U.S. World War II bomber squadron tasked with whipping the crew into shape, but then breaks down emotionally under the stress of the job.<ref name="Fox, Ken 1998"/>  The [[National Board of Review]] ranked it in their top ten films of the year<ref name="autogenerated143"/> and it received four [[Academy Awards]] nominations, Best Actor for Peck.<ref name="Kinn, Gail 2000 pg. 92"/> Peck was later recognized in the [[New York Film Critics Circle]] for the role.<ref name="EMAp143"/> ''Twelve O'Clock High'' was a commercial success finishing tenth in the 1950 box office rankings.<ref name="Kay, Eddie Dorman 1990.">Kay, Eddie Dorman (New York, 1990), "Box Office Champs: The Most Popular Movies from the Last 50 Years", M & M Books.</ref> The film received strong reviews upon release.{{efn|name=TwelveO'ClochHighReviews|Bob Thomas of the Associated Press wrote, "It is one of the best treatments of WWII but not without its defects. These include its length and some old war picture cliches. But the acting (especially Peck) and direction approach greatness."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SPNP19491227.2.24&srpos=3&e=------194-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22capsule+review%22----1949---1|title=San Pedro News Pilot 27 December 1949 — California Digital Newspaper Collection|website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>}}<ref name="ReferenceL">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/01/28/archives/the-screen-in-review-twelve-oclock-high-realistic-saga-of-the.html |title=The "Screen in Review; 'Twelve O'Clock High,' Realistic Saga of the Eighth Air Force, Arrives at Roxy Theatre |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |work=The New York Times |date=January 28, 1950 |quote=Also lauded it for its "rugged realism and punch"}}</ref><ref name="Twelve O'Clock High">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1948/film/reviews/twelve-o-clock-high-1200416085/|title=Twelve O'Clock High|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1949}}</ref> Recent critics maintain positive opinions.{{efn|name=TwelveO'ClochHighModernReviews|Aubry D. Arminio of ''AllMovie'' says, "The story of Peck's General Savage remains one of the most fair and celebrated accounts of leadership...''Twelve O'Clock High'' is a sincere and realistic war film."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/twelve-oclock-high-v51292/ |title=Twelve O'Clock High (1949) |first=Aubry Anne |last=D'Arminio |website=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref> ''TV Guide'' says "Firm film, peak Peck...in addition to fine acting, ''Twelve O'Clock High'' features some gorgeous camerawork and one of the most horrifying aerial attack sequences ever put on film...the subsequent devaluation of King's work is a gross injustice."<ref name="auto25">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/twelve-oclock-high/review/121383|title=Twelve O'Clock High &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Leonard Maltin says "Taut story...Peck has never been better."<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/> Tom Hutchinson of ''RadioTimes'' says "To watch Gregory Peck crack under the strain of high command...is as alarming as the collapse of the Statue of Liberty: he's such a monument to liberal integrity...It's all a wonderful example of ensemble acting."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/nbv8h/twelve-oclock-high/|title=Twelve o'Clock High – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/madrid/film/twelve-oclock-high|title=Twelve O'Clock High|website=Time Out Madrid}}</ref> Evaluations of Peck's performance were positive,{{efn|name=TwelveO'ClochHighPeckReviews|see also modern reviews; ''Variety'' wrote, "Peck gives the character much credence as he suffers and sweats with his men."<ref name="Twelve O'Clock High"/> David Thomson says Peck is "quite riveting".<ref name="auto9"/> ''TV Guide'' says "Peck gives a flawless performance."<ref name="auto25"/> Barry Monush says "Peck does his best work yet to date."<ref name="Monush, Barry"/>}} with ''The New York Times'' describing "High and particular praise for Gregory Peck...Peck does an extraordinarily able job in revealing the hardness and the softness of a general exposed to peril."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/01/28/archives/the-screen-in-review-twelve-oclock-high-realistic-saga-of-the.html|title=The "Screen in Review"; 'Twelve O'Clock High,' Realistic Saga of the Eighth Air Force, Arrives at Roxy Theatre|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=January 28, 1950|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Film historian [[Peter von Bagh]] considers Peck's performance "as Brigadier General Frank Savage to be the most enduring of his life".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/henry-king-beyond-the-american-dream|title=Henry King: Beyond the American Dream|website=MUBI}}</ref>

===Worldwide fame (1950–1953)===
Peck began the 1950s with two westerns, the first being ''[[The Gunfighter]]'' (1950), directed by [[Henry King (director)|Henry King]], who had worked with him previously on ''Twelve O'Clock High''. Peck plays an aging "Top Gun of the West" who is now weary of killing and wishes to retire with his alluring but pragmatic wife and his seven-year-old son, both of whom he has not seen for many years.<ref>Tookey, Christopher (London, 1994), "The Film Critics' Film Guide", Boxtree Limited. pg. 337.</ref><ref name="ReferenceM">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-gunfighter-v21150|title=The Gunfighter (1950) - Henry King &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref> Peck and King did much photographic research about the Wild West Era, discovering that most cowboys had facial hair, "bowl" haircuts and wore beat-up clothing; Peck subsequently wore a mustache while filming.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/articles/oral-history-gregory-peck-and-million-dollar-mustache|title=Oral History: Gregory Peck and the Million Dollar Mustache|website=goldenglobes.com}}</ref><ref name="auto17">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/77118/The-Gunfighter/articles.html|title=The Gunfighter (1950) – Articles – TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> The studio's president called for re-shoots upon seeing the initial footage due to the mustache, but backed out due to costs inflated by the production manager at King and Peck's persuasion.<ref name="auto17"/><ref name="ew.com">{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/1998/03/20/gregory-peck-revisits-his-career-peaks/|title=Gregory Peck revisits his career peaks|website=EW.com}}</ref> ''The Gunfighter'' did fair but disappointing business at the box office,<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-King-American-director|title=Henry King &#124; American director|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> earning $5.6&nbsp;million in receipts, the 47th most for 1951.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/1950-top-box-office-movies/|title=1950 Top Box Office Movies &#124; Ultimate Movie Rankings|first=B. O. B.|last=says|date=September 10, 2017}}</ref> [[20th Century Fox]]'s studio chief [[Darryl Zanuck]] blamed Peck's mustache for the lukewarm reaction from Peck's typical fans, stating that wanted to see usual handsome, clean-shaven Peck, not the authentic-cowboy Peck.<ref name="auto17"/> ''The Gunfighter'', received "solid reviews" upon release, with particular enthusiasm from some critics,<ref name="ReferenceN">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/77118/The-Gunfighter/articles.html|title=The Gunfighter (1950) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref>{{efn|name=GunfighterEarlyReviews|''Variety's'' website review says "Gregory Peck perfectly portrays the title role, a man doomed to live out his span killing to keep from being killed. He gives it great sympathy and a type of rugged individualism that makes it real"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1949/film/reviews/the-gunfighter-1200416553/|title=The Gunfighter|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1950}}</ref> and TCM's Jeremy Arnold says ''Variety's'' original review also called it "dynamic potent drama{{nbsp}}... Packs a terrific dramatic wallop that has seldom been equaled in any type of picture."<ref name="ReferenceN"/> TCM also says another ''The New York Times'' reviewer wrote, it has "rare suspense and a tingling accumulation of good, pungent western atmosphere".<ref name="ReferenceN"/>}} and Peck's performance "bringing him some of his best notices".<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> ''The New York Times'' wrote, "..through Mr. Peck's fine performance, a fair comprehension is conveyed of the loneliness and the isolation of a man with a lurid name ... an arresting and quite exciting film."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/06/24/archives/the-screen-three-features-have-premieres-the-ganfighter-with.html|title=The Screen: Three Features Have Premieres; 'The Gunfighter,' With Gregory Peck in Leading Role, New Bill at the Roxy Theatre Lex Barker Plays Tarzan at the Criterion--Swedish Import Presented at Squire At the Criterion|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=June 24, 1950|work=The New York Times}}</ref> The movie has grown in critical appreciation over the years and "is now considered one of the all-time classic westerns"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/77118/The-Gunfighter/articles.html|title=TCM says it has "melancholy realism, gritty suspense and period authenticity".}}</ref>{{efn|name=GunfighterGainedAppreciation|Christopher Tookey says "It's gained in critical respectability over the years."<ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994"/> Brian Whitener of ''AllMovie'' says, "often imitated by other Westerns, its morally difficult, and compelling tale make it one of the most important films produced in the 1950s."<ref name="ReferenceM"/>}} Critics of recent decades uniformly praise Peck's performance,{{efn|name=TheGunfighterPeck|''TV Guide'' says "Peck is dazzling."<ref name="auto51"/> Leonard Malton says "Peck is most effective."<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/> Christopher Tookey says "Peck underacts effectively".<ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994"/> Ronald Bergen says "Peck brings gravitas to the role of a man who cannot escape his past."<ref name="auto20"/> Luccia Bozzola of ''AllMovie'' says, Peck's performance is "laconic yet deeply felt".<ref name="auto68">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-gunfighter-v21150/review|title=The Gunfighter (1950) - Henry King &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref> ''Time Out''says his role was "flawlessly acted by Peck".<ref name="auto53">{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-gunfighter|title=The Gunfighter|website=Time Out London}}</ref>}} with David Parkinson of ''RadioTimes'' saying "Peck gives a performance of characteristic dignity and grit."<ref name="auto46">{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/fkhr65/the-gunfighter/|title=The Gunfighter – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref><ref name="auto51">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-gunfighter/125297|title=The Gunfighter &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref>{{efn|name=TheGunfighterSeminal|Lucia Bozzola of ''AllMovie'' says, it is "a notable predecessor to the revisionist emphasis on the end of the Westerner (and the West) in the 1960s and 1970s ... [it is] lauded for ... its adept psychological examination of the unwanted results of myth-making violence."<ref name="ReferenceM"/> Leonard Malton says "classic psychological Western. Catch this one!"<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/> Jeremy Arnold of TCM says it is "seen as a key forerunner to the dark psychological westerns of the later 1950s".<ref name="ReferenceN"/>}}
[[File:Only the Valiant (1951) 2.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Peck and [[Barbara Payton]] in ''[[Only the Valiant]]'' (1951)]]
Peck's next western was ''[[Only the Valiant]]'' (1951), a low-budget movie, for which Peck disliked the script and would later label as the low point of his career.<ref name="auto22">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/only-the-valiant/108318|title=Only The Valiant &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Peck's non-exclusive contract with David O. Selznick permitted Selznick to sell his services to other studios, and Selznick sold his services to Warner Bros for this movie after he ran into financial difficulties.<ref name="auto22"/> The plot of the film is listed as "an unpopular, strict leader gathers together a rag-tag group of men and leads them on an extremely dangerous mission, turning them into a well-oiled fighting machine by the end and earning respect along the way."<ref name="auto18">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/only-the-valiant-v36497/review|title=Only the Valiant (1951) – Gordon Douglas &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref> Peck portrays a U.S. army captain and the mission is to protect an undermanned army fort against the attacking Apache.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/85792/Only-the-Valiant/|title=Only the Valiant (1951) – Overview – TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Peck's romantic interest was played by [[Barbara Payton]].{{sfn|Haney|2005|p=23}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/only-the-valiant-v36497|title=Only the Valiant (1951) – Gordon Douglas &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref> ''Variety's'' review said "In this cavalry yarn ... great pains have been exerted to provide interesting characters. Peck makes the most of a colorful role."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1950/film/reviews/only-the-valiant-1200416921/|title=Only the Valiant|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1951}}</ref> It earned a moderate $5.7&nbsp;million, ranking at 35th for the year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/1951-top-box-office-movies/|title=1951 Top Box Office Movies &#124; Ultimate Movie Rankings|date=September 20, 2017}}</ref> This little-remembered picture, today receives mixed reviews, although Peck's acting is praised.{{efn|name=OnlytheValiantReviews|''Time Out'' says "a sinewy, unsympathetic Peck impresses".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/only-the-valiant-1951|title=Only the Valiant|website=Time Out London}}</ref> ''TV Guide'' writes "Though a disappointing Western with a routine plot, it is somewhat redeemed by its star and a solid supporting cast. The script never rises about the intelligence of a B western and the production design is obviously artificial, but the cast makes all the difference ... Peck turned in a decent performance and pulled the film out of the doldrums."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/only-the-valiant/review/108318|title=Only The Valiant &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Craig Butler of ''AllMovie'' asserts, it "is a fairly routine Western, but it does boast a fine cast that makes it quite watchable ...  [the] script is much too familiar and written with far too little imagination ... [it has] a by-the-numbers plot. Gordon M. Douglas' direction doesn't overcome the deficiencies in the screenplay; his work is efficient and competent, but rather more is needed here .... Peck is in great "cards to the vest" form here, and he holds the film together with his sheer star power."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/only-the-valiant-v36497/review|title=Only the Valiant (1951) - Gordon Douglas &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref>}}

Peck's second 1951 release was the book-to-film adaptation ''[[Captain Horatio Hornblower]]'', featuring Peck as the commander of a warship in the British fleet during the [[Napoleonic Wars]] who finds romance with [[Virginia Mayo]]'s character. Peck was attracted to the character, saying, "I thought Hornblower was an interesting character. I never believe in heroes who are unmitigated and unadulterated heroes, who never know the meaning of fear."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16657/Captain-Horatio-Hornblower/articles.html|title=Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> The role had been originally intended for [[Errol Flynn]], but he was felt to be too old by the time the project came to fruition.<ref name="ReferenceO">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/captain-horatio-hornblower-v8093|title=Captain Horatio Hornblower (1950) - Raoul Walsh &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref> ''Captain Horatio Hornblower'' was a box office success, finishing ninth for the year in the UK<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63397098|title=Vivien Leigh Actress Of The Year.|date=December 29, 1951|page=1|via=Trove}}</ref> and seventh in the North America.<ref name="the-numbers.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/market/1951/top-grossing-movies|title=The Numbers - Top-Grossing Movies of 1951|website=the-numbers.com}}</ref> Peck's role in the film was largely praised by reviewers. The ''Associated Press'' stated that Peck provided "the proper dash and authenticity as the remarkable nineteenth-century skipper"<ref name="cdnc.ucr.edu">{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SBS19510715.1.4&srpos=7&e=------195-en--20-SBS-1--txt-txIN-%22capsule+review%22----1951---1 |title=Capsule Review |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=San Bernardino Sun |volume=5 |number=14 |date=July 15, 1951 |access-date=July 29, 2021 |via=California Digital Newspaper Collection}}</ref> and ''Variety'' later wrote "Peck stands out as a skilled artist, capturing the spirit of the character and atmosphere of the period."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1950/film/reviews/captain-horatio-hornblower-r-n-1200416996/|title=Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1951}}</ref> Modern reviews have given mixed reactions toward Peck's performance.{{efn|name=CaptainHoratioPeckModern|Mark Bourne of the DVD Journal asserts "Gregory Peck would be nobody's first choice for the role{{nbsp}}... but he looks so comfortable barking orders ... providing leadership ... or lovingly ministering Virginia Mayo back to health{{nbsp}}... that we ease into the characterization with him."<ref name="dvdjournal.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdjournal.com/quickreviews/c/captainhoratiohornblow.q.shtml|title=The DVD Journal &#124; Quick Reviews: Captain Horatio Hornblower|website=dvdjournal.com}}</ref> ''TV Guide'' says "Peck's a touch sober for a credible swashbuckler ...[but is] full of valiant guff" in the role.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/captain-horatio-hornblower/review/123355|title=Captain Horatio Hornblower &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref>}} Richard Gilliam of ''AllMovie'' argues, it is "an excellent performance from Gregory Peck" stating that "Peck brings his customary aura of intelligence and moral authority to the role,"<ref name="auto10">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/captain-horatio-hornblower-v8093/review|title=Captain Horatio Hornblower (1950) - Raoul Walsh &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref> while the ''Radio Times'' asserts "Gregory Peck plays Hornblower as a high-principle stuff shirt and thus confounds director Raoul Walsh's efforts to inject some pace."<ref name="auto64">{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/cnk7c/captain-horatio-hornblower-rn/|title=Captain Horatio Hornblower RN – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref>{{efn|name=CaptainHoratioModernModernReviews|Mark Bourne of DVD Journal says the film has "excellent cinematography and ship-battles effects ... The film looks terrific and moves with strong winds in the sails. Peck gets the necessary support from a fine ensemble crew of character actors ... that the script kindly remembers to need entertaining things to do and say. The often lush cinematography..includes striking work [that] captures Peck and Mayo in golden-toned shots that are warm and romantic without being 'romancy' or trite."<ref name="dvdjournal.com"/> Leonard Maltin assesses it as an "Exciting, well-produced sea epic."<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/> Richard Gilliam of ''AllMovie'' argues it "features several nicely staged battle sequences{{nbsp}}... If the film has a flaw. it's that it spends too much time on Hornblower's uninteresting relationship with Barbara Wellesley (Virginia Mayo); the scenes seem tacked-on, detracting from the naval drama."<ref name="auto10"/> ''Time Out'' says it "is as much a study of the heroic spirit as an action romp. Director Raoul Walsh seems more interested in their inner life and emotional vulnerability, which makes for an oddly limpid (but often quite beautiful) and non-dynamic work."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/captain-horatio-hornblower-r-n|title=Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.|website=Time Out London|access-date=November 14, 2019|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801065203/https://www.timeout.com/london/film/captain-horatio-hornblower-r-n|url-status=dead}}</ref> David Parkinson of the ''RadioTimes'' observes "this sprawling, handsome but flat feature suffers from too many shifts in emphasis between action-adventure and psychological study. What should have been stirring spends too much time becalmed."<ref name="auto64"/>}}

[[File:Peck Haywyard David and Bathsheba.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Peck alongside co-star [[Susan Hayward]] in ''[[David and Bathsheba (film)|David and Bathsheba]]'']]
His third film with [[Henry King (director)|Henry King]]'s direction, ''[[David and Bathsheba (film)|David and Bathsheba]]'', a Biblical epic, was the top-grossing movie of 1951.<ref name="Kay, Eddie Dorman 1990."/> The two-hit-movie of ''Horatio'' and ''David'' elevated Peck to the status of Hollywood mega-star.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/72381/David-and-Bathsheba/articles.html|title=David and Bathsheba (1951) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> ''David and Bathsheba'' tells the story of [[David]] (Peck), who slew [[Goliath]] as a teenager; and, later, as beloved King, becomes infatuated with the married [[Bathsheba]], played by [[Susan Hayward]].<ref name="ReferenceP">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/david-and-bathsheba-v12519|title=David and Bathsheba (1951) - Henry King &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref> Peck's performance in ''[[David and Bathsheba (film)|David and Bathsheba]]'' was evaluated upon release by the ''New York Times'' "as an authoritative performance,"<ref name="ReferenceR">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/08/15/archives/the-screen-a-biblical-tale-is-unfolded-david-and-bathsheba-starring.html|title=The Screen: A Biblical Tale Is Unfolded; 'David and Bathsheba,' Starring Gregory Peck and Susan Haymard, at the Rivoli Raymond Massey and Kieron Moore in Secondary Roles in Zanuck Production|date=August 15, 1951|work=The New York Times}}</ref> and ''Variety'' stated "Peck is a commanding personality...he shades his character expertly,",<ref name="ReferenceQ">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1950/film/reviews/david-and-bathsheba-1200416988/|title=David and Bathsheba|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1951}}</ref> In recent years, critics have argued that his "stiff" performance is made up for in charisma, but overall praised his strength in the role<ref name="ReferenceS">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/david-and-bathsheba-v12519/review |title=David and Bathsheba (1951) |website=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 28, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/j89gr/david-and-bathsheba-1951/while/|title=David and Bathsheba – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceT">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/david-and-bathsheba/112258|title=David And Bathsheba &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> and Leonard Maltin says the movie has "only fair performances".<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/>  ''David and Bathsheba'' opened with positive reviews, praising it for avoided excessive spectacle{{efn|name=DavidandBaathsheba|Bosley Crowther asserted the film "avoids pageantry and overwhelming concocted spectacle...the rest of the cast is entirely overshadowed by (Peck's) role...Having been mounted artistically, an age-old tale now takes on colorful dimensions...for all its verbosity and occasional slickness and sensuality (it) makes its points with feeling and respect."<ref name="ReferenceR"/> ''Variety'' said "This is a big picture in every respect...Expert casting throughout focuses on each characterization" with each performer doing strong work except for Hayward.<ref name="ReferenceQ"/>}} while remaining an epic with "dignified restraint".<ref name=19Aug>{{Cite news|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SBS19510819.1.4&srpos=11&e=------195-en--20-SBS-1--txt-txIN-%22capsule+review%22----1951---1|newspaper=San Bernardino Sun|date=August 19, 1951|title=Capsule Review|via=California Digital Newspaper Collection|access-date=April 5, 2020}}</ref>

Peck returned to [[swashbuckler]]s in ''[[The World in His Arms]]'' (1952), directed by [[Raoul Walsh]], who had also directed ''[[Captain Horatio Hornblower]]''. Peck portrays a seal-hunting ship captain in 1850 San Francisco who romances a Russian countess played by [[Ann Blyth]] and ends up engaging a rival sealer played by [[Anthony Quinn]] in a sailing race to Alaska.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-world-in-his-arms-v117721|title=The World in His Arms (1952) - Raoul Walsh &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1951/film/reviews/the-world-in-his-arms-1200417109/|title=The World in His Arms|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1952}}</ref> The film was given positive reviews by both contemporary and modern critics.{{efn|name=WorldinHisArms|Bosley Crowther wrote, "A couple of handsome down-east schooners, racing furiously through a wind-swept sea...pretty much steal a robust show from Gregory Peck, Ann Blyth and other mortals. And this is no whit of discredit to the mere actors in this lively film; they are faced with uneven competition in this drama...(it's loaded) with muscular and romantic action of the juiciest and easily playable sort...the action spills forth without clear reason...the characters presented make more motion and color than they make sense. Gregory Peck as the venturesome hero is only a shade more restrained than Anthony Quinn who plays a Portuguese captain as though he were animated by hot feet and rum."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/10/10/archives/the-screen-in-review-world-in-his-arms-saga-of-men-and-the-sea.html|title=The Screen In Review; ' World in His Arms,' Saga of Men and the Sea, Arrives at the Mayfair Theatre|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=October 10, 1952|work=The New York Times}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite web |first=Bob |last=Thomas |agency=Associated Press |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19520811.1.9&srpos=9&e=------195-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22capsule+review%22----1952---1 |title=Hollywood |newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel |date=August 11, 1952 |volume=97 |number=191 |access-date=July 29, 2021 |via=California Digital Newspaper Collection}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-world-in-his-arms/review/123161|title=The World In His Arms &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> ''All Movie'' commented that Peck is "a superb actor, who brings enormous skill to the part, but who simply lacks the overt derring-do and danger that is part of the role."<ref name="ReferenceU">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-world-in-his-arms-v117721/reviewy |first=Craig |last=Butler |title=The World in His Arms (1952) |work=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The film was moderately successful, moreso in the UK than in North America.<ref>"Comedian Tops Film Poll". The Sunday Herald. Sydney. December 28, 1952. – 8th most popular in UK for year.</ref><ref>'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953. – grossed $3 million</ref>

He reunited with previous collaborators King, Hayward, and Gardner in ''[[The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952 film)|The Snows of Kilimanjaro]]'' (1952), an adaptation of a short story by [[Ernest Hemingway]].<ref name="auto57">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-snows-of-kilimanjaro-v45397/review|title=The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) - Henry King &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref> The film stars Peck as a self-concerned writer looking back on his life, particularly his romance with his  first wife (Gardner), while he slowly dies from an accidental wound while on an African hunting expedition with his current wife (Hayward) nursing him.<ref name="ReferenceV">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1951/film/reviews/the-snows-of-kilimanjaro-2-1200417125/|title=The Snows of Kilimanjaro|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1952}}</ref> The film was praised for its cinematography and direction.{{efn|name=SnowsofKilimanjaroReviews|Bosley Crowther wrote, "Thanks to a skillful combination of some sensational African hunting scenes, a musical score of rich suggestion and a vivid performance by Gregory Peck (it is) a handsome and generally absorbing film (and) a taut, eye-filling film. The flow of romances...is exquisitely colorful, alluring and loaded with heavy sentiment. But a stubbornly analytic viewer will still be moved to inquire what all this chasing about with women demonstrates or proves?...(the filmmakers) have not made a clearly convincing film. However, they have made a picture that constantly fascinates the eyes and stimulates the emotions...the overall production in wonderful color is full of brilliant detail and surprise and the mood of nostalgia and wistful sadness that is built up in the story has its spell...Peck, by the force and vigor of his physical attitudes, suggests a man of burning temper and melancholy moods."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/09/19/archives/the-screen-in-review-snow-of-kiliminjaro-based-on-hemingways-story.html|title=The Screen In Review; 'Snow of Kiliminjaro,' Based on Hemingway's Story, Is New Feature at Rivoli|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=September 19, 1952|work=The New York Times}}</ref> ''Variety'' commented "Ava Gardner makes the part of Cynthia a warm, appealing, alluring standout. Peck delivers with gusto the character of the writer...Susan Hayward is splendid. The location-lensed footage...add(s) an important dress to the varied sequences. The African lensed backgrounds are brilliant, as are those on the Riviera and in Spain."<ref name="ReferenceV"/>}}{{efn|name=SnowsofKilimanjaroReviewsModern|Craig Butler of ''AllMovie'' opines, "Gardner and Peck create the appropriate romantic chemistry...the direction is uneven...there's still enough here to engage most fans of romance movies."<ref name="auto57"/> ''TV Guide'' wrote, "this story works splendidly under King's sure directorial hand and is enacted with power and conviction by Peck...This beautifully photographed film...features a magnificent score by Herman that captures all the exotic locales profiled. Gardner is excellent...the script is a seamless blend of the screenwriter's and Hemingway's styles."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-snows-of-kilimanjaro/118177|title=The Snows Of Kilimanjaro &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> ''TimeOut'' says "the film tends to ramble and seems particularly uneven in its mixture of back-project wildlife footage, studio and location work."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-snows-of-kilimanjaro|title=The Snows of Kilimanjaro|website=Time Out London}}</ref> Leonard Maltin says "Peck finds his forte."<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/> Dave Kehr of the ''Chicago Reader'' says "overstuffed. There is some exquisite Technicolor photography, but director Henry King never moves the action beyond respectful superficiality."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-snows-of-kilimanjaro/Film?oid=1062228|title=The Snows of Kilimanjaro|first=Dave|last=Kehr|website=Chicago Reader|date=October 26, 1985}}</ref>}} Most reviews praise Peck's performance, with ''TV Guide'' saying the story is "enacted with power and conviction by Peck," although some criticized his "bland" expressions.<ref name="Shipman, David 1984 pg. 757">Shipman, David (London, 1984) "The Story of Cinema: Volume Two – From Citizen Kane to the Present Day," Thedford Press Limited. pg. 757.</ref> ''The Snows of Kilimanjaro'' was a box office hit and ranked as the fourth highest-grossing movie of 1952.<ref name="auto19"/>
 
[[File:Hepburn Peck Promo.jpg|220px|thumb|right|Peck and [[Audrey Hepburn]] in a promotional still for ''[[Roman Holiday]]'' (1953)]]
Peck's "first real foray into comedy" was ''[[Roman Holiday]]'' (1953), directed by [[William Wyler]].<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> He portrayed American journalist Joe Bradley opposite [[Audrey Hepburn]] as a European princess in her first significant film role.<ref name="ReferenceW">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/4096/Roman-Holiday/articles.html|title=Roman Holiday (1953) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref><ref name="Monush, Barry"/><ref name="auto36">{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/roman-holiday|title=Roman Holiday|website=Time Out London}}</ref><ref name="Maitland McDonaugh 1998">Andrew Joseph and Maitland McDonaugh, Eds. (New York, 1998) "The Movie Guide", Berkley Publishing Group.</ref><ref name="ReferenceX">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/08/28/archives/roman-holiday-at-music-hall-is-modern-fairy-tale-starring-peck-and.html|title=' Roman Holiday' at Music Hall Is Modern Fairy Tale Starring Peck and Audrey Hepburn|first=A.|last=W|date=August 28, 1953|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Peck's role in ''Roman Holiday'' had originally been offered to [[Cary Grant]], who turned it down because the part appeared to be more of a supporting role to the princess.<ref name="ReferenceW"/> Peck had the same concern, but was persuaded by Wyler that the on-site filming in Rome would be an exceptional experience, and accepted the part, even eventually insisting that Hepburn's name be above the title of the film (just beneath his) in the opening credits.<ref name="ReferenceW"/> Peck later stated that he had told his agent "I'm smart enough to know this girl's going to win the Oscar in her first picture, and I'm going to look like a damned fool if her name is not up there on top with mine."<ref name="ew.com"/>

''Roman Holiday'' was a commercial success, finishing 22nd in the box office in 1953.<ref name="Kay, Eddie Dorman 1990."/> The film continued to garner money after its release, with "modern sources noting it earned $10 million total at the box office".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/4096/Roman-Holiday/notes.html|title=Roman Holiday (1953) - Notes - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Critics praised Peck's performance; [[Bosley Crowther]] stated that "Peck makes a stalwart and manly escort...whose eyes belie his restrained exterior,"<ref name="ReferenceX"/> while the ''Hollywood Reporter'' commented that "Peck turns in another of his outstanding performances playing the love-smitten reporter with intelligence and good-humored conviction;"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/roman-holiday-review-movie-1953-1234508 |first=Milton |last=Luban |work=The Hollywood Reporter |title='Roman Holiday': THR's 1953 Review |date=June 30, 1953 |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="auto4">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/roman-holiday-2-1200417429/|title=Film Review: 'Roman Holiday' (1953)|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1953}}</ref> The film was met with critical acclaim.{{efn|name=RomanHolidayReviews|Milton Luban of the ''Hollywood Reporter'' said, "With Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn turning in superb performances, ''Roman Holiday'' is 118 minutes of sheer entertainment" elaborating that it has a "delightful screenplay that sparkles with wit and outrageous humor that at times comes close to slapstick" and that the "cinematographers do a fine job of incorporating Roman landmarks into the storyline."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/roman-holiday-review-movie-1953-1234508|title='Roman Holiday': THR's 1953 Review|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 27, 2019}}</ref>}}<ref name="auto4"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/roman-holiday/Film?oid=2040003|title=Roman Holiday|first=Dave|last=Kehr|website=Chicago Reader|date=January 17, 1986}}</ref><ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994"/>{{efn|name=RomanHolidayPositive|Leonard Maltin labels it "Utterly charming".<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/> ''TV Guide'' praises it as "Charming, wistful and frothy" and says it "has enough adventure and excitement to satisfy, and the faintly bittersweet note of the ending is made deliciously palatable by its artistic rightness."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/roman-holiday/review/116250|title=Roman Holiday &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Joshua Klein says "Peck and Hepburn are excellent...Rome's landmarks help enhance the already magical story. Just as essential is the enjoyable script."<ref>Klein, Joshua in "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" (London: 2003), Schneider, Steven Jay, ed. Quintessence Editions Limited.</ref> ''TimeOut'' succinctly states "near-perfect rom-com."<ref name="auto36"/>}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/zwtx/roman-holiday-(1953/|title=Roman Holiday – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/roman-holiday-v41976/ |title=Roman Holiday (1953) |website=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 |quote=Rome at its most photogenic, ''Roman Holiday'' remains one of the most popular romances that has ever skipped across the screen...an enormously enjoyable romp...Director William Wyler's use of Rome is one of the best examples of how a location can become a leading character in a film. The effect of using the actual city in the film was eye-popping.}}</ref> It was nominated for multiple accolades, including 8 [[Academy Awards]], with Hepburn winning for [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]; Peck also scored a [[BAFTA]] nomination for Foreign Actor.<ref name="auto19"/> At the 1955  [[Golden Globe]] awards, Peck and Hepburn were named the World Film Favorite Award winners for their respective genders.<ref name="auto19">Gebert, Michael (New York, 1996) "The Encyclopedia of Movie Awards", St. Martin's Press.</ref>

===Overseas and New York (1954–1957)===

With his acclaimed performance in ''The Gunfighter'', Peck was offered the lead role in ''[[High Noon]]'' (1952) but turned it down because he did not want to become typecast as a Westerns actor.<ref name="ReferenceN"/> Peck was based in the [[United Kingdom]] for about eighteen months between 1953 and 1955; new tax laws had drastically raised the tax rate on high-income earners, but the tax amount due would be reduced if the payer worked outside the country for extended periods.<ref name="ReferenceY">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/87388/The-Purple-Plain/articles.html|title=The Purple Plain (1955) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Proceeding ''Roman Holiday''{{'}}s production in Italy, his three subsequent films were shot and set in [[London]], [[Germany]] and [[Southeast Asia]], respectively. Peck starred in ''[[The Million Pound Note]]'' (1954), based on a [[Mark Twain]] short story.<ref name="tcm.turner.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/19290/Man-with-a-Million/articles.html|title=Man with a Million (1954) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Peck enjoyed the films production as "it was a good comedy opportunity" and "was given probably the most elegant wardrobe he had ever worn in film".<ref name="tcm.turner.com"/> He plays a penniless American seaman in 1903 London who is given a one&nbsp;million pound bank note by two rich, eccentric brothers who wish to ascertain if he can survive for one month without spending any of it.<ref name="ReferenceZ">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/06/29/archives/the-screen-a-mark-twain-story-man-with-a-million-opens-at-sutton.html|title=The Screen: A Mark Twain Story; Man With a Million' Opens at Sutton Gregory Peck Stars in British Import|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=June 29, 1954|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name="tcm.turner.com"/> The film performed modestly at the box office and received mixed reviews for its production.<ref name="tcm.turner.com"/><ref name="ReferenceZ"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1953/film/reviews/the-million-pound-note-1200417595/|title=The Million Pound Note|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1954}}</ref>{{efn|name=TheMillionPoundNote|''TV Guide'' enthuses "This delightful comedy is convincingly acted by Peck...the direction is full of vitality and the movie provides consistent humor and delightful situations...is beautifully photographed and the Victorian-era sets are impressive...a rewarding satire on human greed and British traditions."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/man-with-a-million/review/105538|title=Man With A Million &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref>}} Adrian Turner of the ''Radio Times'' praised it as a "lovely comedy" which "has a lot of charm and gentle humor, owing to Peck's evident delight in the role and the unobtrusive direction" adding it has a "witty script".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/fm7fsj/the-million-pound-note/|title=The Million Pound Note – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref>

He portrayed  a US army colonel investigating the kidnapping of a young soldier in ''[[Night People (1954 film)|Night People]]'' (1954).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/03/13/archives/gregory-peck-stars-in-night-people-at-roxy-story-was-shot-in-berlin.html|title=Gregory Peck Stars in 'Night People' at Roxy -- Story Was Shot in Berlin|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=March 13, 1954|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> Peck later stated that the role of was one of his favorites as his lines were "tough and crisp and full of wisecracks, and more aggressive than other roles" he'd played.{{sfn|Fishgall|2002|p=178}}  The film received praise for its production and direction, but did poorly at the box office.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/03/13/archives/gregory-peck-stars-in-night-people-at-roxy-story-was-shot-in-berlin.html |title=Gregory Peck Stars in 'Night People' at Roxy - Story Was Shot in Berlin - The New York Times |work=Nytimes.com |date=March 13, 1954 |access-date=May 10, 2020}}</ref>{{sfn|Fishgall|2002|p=178}} Peck flew to Sri Lanka to film ''[[The Purple Plain]]'' (1954), playing a Canadian bomber pilot with strong emotional problems during the Second World War.<ref name="ReferenceY"/><ref name="radiotimes.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/f5k568/the-purple-plain/|title=The Purple Plain – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref><ref name="auto41">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-purple-plain/115152|title=The Purple Plain &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> ''The Purple Plain'' was panned in the United States but became a hit in the United Kingdom, ranking tenth at the box office in 1954,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47622304|title=U.S. STAR HEADS FILM POLL|date=December 31, 1954|page=11|via=Trove}}</ref> and was nominated for a [[BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film]].<ref name="auto19"/><ref name="ReferenceY"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-purple-plain-v106909/review|title=The Purple Plain (1954) - Robert Parrish &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref> Of his performance, Crowther wrote, "the extent of Peck's agony is impressively transmitted...in vivid and unrelenting scenes."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/04/11/archives/purple-plain-and-four-other-films-bow-gregory-peck-stars-in-drama.html|title='Purple Plain' and Four Other Films Bow; Gregory Peck Stars in Drama at Capitol Orson Welles Seen in 'Trouble in the Glen' 'Wife' Has Premiere at Globe|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=April 11, 1955|work=The New York Times}}</ref> In recent years, the movie "has become one of Peck's most respected works,"<ref name="ReferenceY"/><ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/><ref name="radiotimes.com"/> with critic David Thomson rating Peck's performance as excellent.<ref name="Thomson, David 1994 pg. 576"/> Craig Butler of ''All Movie'' describes "Peck is astonishing, giving the sort of layered, intense yet nuanced performance that deserves major awards".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-purple-plain-v106909/review |first=Craig |last=Butler |title=The Purple Plain (1954) |work=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref>

[[File:Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Peck with [[Jennifer Jones]] in a film still for ''[[The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit]]'' (1956)]]

In 1954, Peck was named the third most popular non-British film star in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/47622304 |title=31 Dec 1954 - U.S. Star Heads Film Poll - Trove |publisher=Trove.nla.gov.au |date=December 31, 1954 |access-date=May 10, 2020}}</ref> Peck did not have a film released in 1955. Peck made a [[Comeback (publicity)|comeback]] in the US. with '' [[The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit]]'' (1956), in which he portrays a married, ex-soldier father of three who is increasingly haunted by his deeds in Italy during the Second World War.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v31177|title=The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) - Nunnally Johnson &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref><ref name="auto8">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-man-in-the-gray-flannel-suit/review/105505|title=The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> The film saw Peck reunited with ''Duel in the Sun'' co-star [[Jennifer Jones]]; during the filming of a scene where their characters argue, Jones clawed his face with her fingernails, prompting Peck to say to the director "I don't call that acting. I call it personal."<ref name="auto26">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/82643/The-Man-in-the-Gray-Flannel-Suit/articles.html|title=The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> The movie was successful, finishing eighth in box office gross for the year<ref>[https://www.the-numbers.com/market/1956/top-grossing]{{dead link|date=July 2021}} grossed $10.8 million but rentals were below 4.8 million as by rentals it was not in the top ten according to Kay, Eddie Dorman (New York, 1990). "Box Office Champs: The Most Popular Movies from the Last 50 Years", M & M Books.</ref> despite contemporary and modern reviews being mixed.<ref name="auto26"/>{{efn|name=TheManintheGrayFlannelSuit|Bosley Crowther also wrote, the main character "possesses the humble, stoic valor one associates with Gregory Peck, who – by most fortunate coincidence – is present to play the role;" the director has arranged events "in a seemingly scattered yet clear and forceful way...he has, in short, a full, well-rounded film. To do this he had to take his sweet time;"  the director "has wisely paced his film at a tempo that gives them plausible time to deliberate;" "the expensive production gives proper setting to this intelligent film;" and, "The critical scene in which the hero tells his wife of his Italian child is also a long mordant passage that strikes sparks every second of the way."<ref name="auto63">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/04/13/archives/screen-mature-tender-and-touching-man-in-gray-flannel-suit-is-at.html|title=Screen: Mature, Tender and Touching; 'Man in Gray Flannel Suit' Is at Roxy|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=April 13, 1956|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Harrison's Reports called it "one of the most absorbing pictures of the year," with "exceptionally fine" acting.<ref>'The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit' with Gregory Peck, Jennifer Jones and Fredric March". Harrison's Reports: 50. March 31, 1956</ref>  ''Variety'' indicated "Peck is handsome and appealing, if not always convincing. It is only really in the romantic sequences with Marisa Pavan, who plays his Italian love, that he takes on warmth and becomes believable...Playing opposite Peck as his wife is Jennifer Jones, and her concept of the role is faulty to a serious degree. Jones allows almost no feeling of any real relationship between her and Peck...Frederick March is excellent, and the scenes between him and Peck lift the picture high above the ordinary."<ref name="auto44">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1955/film/reviews/the-man-in-the-gray-flannel-suit-1200417991/|title=The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit|date=January 1, 1956|work=Variety}}</ref>}}<ref name="auto63"/><ref>McCarten, John (April 21, 1956). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker: 75–76.</ref><ref name="auto44"/>{{efn|name=TheManintheGrayFlannelSuitModern|''TV Guide'' calls it "surprisingly engrossing, if shallow and overlong" and "Totally hollow trash with a hysteria-prone Jennifer Jones...So slickly dished up, though, you can feel yourself sliding around on the sofa."<ref name="auto8"/> Jonathan Rosenbaum of the ''Chicago Reader'' describes it as "lush" adding "The film may seem mediocre now (it did back then) but it probably speaks volumes about the period."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-man-in-the-gray-flannel-suit/Film?oid=1055872|title=The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit|first=Jonathan|last=Rosenbaum|website=Chicago Reader|date=October 26, 1985}}</ref>}}<ref name="auto5">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-man-in-the-gray-flannel-suit-v31177/review|title=The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) - Nunnally Johnson &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/rm97/the-man-in-the-gray-flannel-suit/|title=The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref> Butler of ''AllMovie'' declared that "the role fits (Gregory Peck) as if it had been tailor-made for him. Peck's particular brilliance lies in the quiet strength that is so much a part of him and the way in which he uses subtle changes in that quietness to signal mammoth emotions. He's given ample opportunity to do so here and the results are enthralling...an exceptional performance".<ref name="auto5"/> ''Radio Times'' refers to "the excellent Peck" and states Peck plays "the appealing flawed hero".

Peck next starred [[Captain Ahab]] in the [[Moby Dick (1956 film)|1956 film adaptation of]] [[Herman Melville]]'s [[Moby Dick]]; he was unsure about his suitability for the part but was persuaded by director [[John Huston]] to take the role.<ref name="auto67">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17660/Moby-Dick/articles.html|title=Moby Dick (1956) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref><ref name="auto62">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/07/05/archives/screen-john-huston-and-melvilles-white-whale-moby-dick-opens-at.html|title=Screen: John Huston and Melville's White Whale; 'Moby Dick' Opens at Sutton and Criterion Gregory Peck Starred as Captain Ahab|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=July 5, 1956|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Peck almost drowned twice during filming in stormy weather off the sea coasts of Ireland and several other performers and crew members suffered injuries.<ref name="auto1"/> John Huston was named best director of the year by the [[New York Film Critics Circle]] and the [[National Board of Review]] for ''Moby Dick'', but did not receive a nomination for the [[Academy Award for Best Director]]. The movie had the ninth highest box office of the year in North America,<ref name="auto19"/> but cost $4.5&nbsp;million to make, more than double the original budget, and was considered a commercial disappointment.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17660/Moby-Dick/notes.html|title=Moby Dick (1956) - Notes - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> In 2003, editor Barry Monush wrote, "There was, and continues to be, controversy over his casting as Ahab in ''Moby Dick.''"<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> Upon opening, ''Variety'' said: "Peck often seems understated and much too gentlemanly for a man supposedly consumed by insane fury."<ref name="auto32">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1955/film/reviews/moby-dick-2-1200418047/|title=Moby Dick|date=January 1, 1956|work=Variety}}</ref><ref name="auto62"/>''The Hollywood Reporter'' argued "Peck plays it...in a brooding, smoldering vein, but none the less intensely and dynamically."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17660/Moby-Dick/notes.html|title=quoting Hollywood Reporter.}}</ref> In modern times, critics have said Peck is: "often mesmerizing";<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> "stoic" and "more than adequate"; "<ref name="auto66">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/moby-dick-v32987/review|title=Moby Dick (1956) - John Huston, Franc Roddam &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref> and "lending a deranged dignity" to the role.<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/><ref name="Thomson, David 1994 pg. 576"/><ref name="timeout.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/moby-dick|title=Moby Dick|website=Time Out London}}</ref><ref name="Shipman, David 1984 pg. 757"/><ref name="auto33">{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/fp8srj/moby-dick/|title=Moby Dick – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref><ref name="auto29">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/moby-dick/review/106533|title=Moby Dick &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Peck himself later said "I wasn't mad enough, not crazy enough, not obsessive enough – I should have done more. At the time, I didn't have more in me."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/13/movies/gregory-peck-is-dead-at-87-film-roles-had-moral-fiber.html|title=Gregory Peck Is Dead at 87; Film Roles Had Moral Fiber|first=William|last=Grimes|date=June 13, 2003|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

[[File:Peck Bacall Designing Woman1 1957.jpg|thumb|220px|left|Peck and [[Lauren Bacall]] in the film ''[[Designing Woman]]'' (1957)]]
For romantic comedy ''[[Designing Woman]]'' (1957), Peck was permitted to choose his leading lady: [[Lauren Bacall]], who was content to be busy with work as her husband was gravely ill at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2105/Designing-Woman/articles.html|title=Designing Woman (1957) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=December 29, 2019|archive-date=February 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212061417/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2105/Designing-Woman/articles.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The film revolves around a fashion designer and a sports writer on vacation, and, although Peck's character already has a partner back home, have a brief affair and hastily get married, only to find out when they are back home that they have vastly different lifestyles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/designing-woman-v149833|title=Designing Woman (1957) - Vincente Minnelli &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related &#124; AllMovie|website=Allmovie.com}}</ref> The film was mildly successful and entered at 35th for annual gross, but did not break even.<ref>The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/1957-top-grossing-movies/|title=Top Grossing Movies of 1957 &#124; Ultimate Movie Rankings|date=December 8, 2017}}</ref> Upon release, ''Variety'' said "Bacall..is excellent...Peck is fine as the confused sportswriter" and added that all the other actors/actresses give top-notch performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1956/film/reviews/designing-woman-1200418351/|title=Designing Woman|date=January 1, 1957|work=Variety}}</ref>{{efn|name=DesigningWomanCrowther|Crowther noted "...some of the verbal exchanges between Peck and Bacall have a nice little splash of wit about them. Good dialogue has been written by George Wells. The direction..keeps things moving tolerably along until the end, when it bursts into a splurge of ostentation that is silly and in somewhat doubtful taste."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/05/17/archives/the-screen-designing-woman-bows-gregory-peck-lauren-bacall-are.html|title=The Screen: 'Designing Woman' Bows; Gregory Peck; Lauren Bacall Are Stars|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=May 17, 1957|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>}} In recent years, the few reviews from prominent critics or websites are generally positive{{efn|name=DesigningWoman|Leonard Malton writes "chic comedy reminiscent of the great Hepburn-Tracy vehicles. Bacall and Peck do their best,"<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/>}} with ''TV Guide'' exclaiming "they've made...the famous stoneface...Peck, somewhat funny. Bacall gives an especially good performance." ''Designing Women'' won the  [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/designing-woman/review/112751|title=Designing Woman &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Some movie review books or websites do not include this movie.

===Reflections on violence (1958–1959)===
[[File:Joan Collins Gregory Peck The Bravados 1958.jpg|right|thumb|Peck and Joan Collins in ''The Bravados'' (1958)]]
[[File:Carroll Peck Big Country Promo.jpg|right|thumb|Peck and co-star [[Carroll Baker]] in ''[[The Big Country]]'' (1958)]]
Peck's next movie, the western ''[[The Bravados]]'' (1958), reunited him with director [[Henry King (director)|Henry King]] after a six-year gap.<ref name="britannica.com"/> King was widely considered to have produced some of Peck's best work; Peck once said "King was like an older brother, even a father figure. We communicated without talking anything to death. It was direction by osmosis."<ref name="ew.com"/><ref name="mubi.com">{{cite web |last=Von Bagh |first=Peter |title=Henry King: Beyond the American Dream |website=Mubi.com |date=June 17, 2019 |url=https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/henry-king-beyond-the-american-dream |access-date=July 27, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="Concentration 1974">{{cite web |title=Circle of Concentration: Gregory Peck in an interview with Gordon Gow |work=[[Films and Filming]] |date=September 1974 |url=https://www.theactorswork.com/2013/04/films-and-filming-gregory-peck.html |via=theactorswork.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref> In ''The Bravados'', Peck's character spends weeks pursuing four outlaws whom he believes raped and murdered his wife while agonizing over his own morals.<ref name="auto30">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-bravados-v6960|title=The Bravados (1958) |last=Erickson |first=Hal |website=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="auto37">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/06/26/archives/the-bravados-at-paramount-gregory-peck-stars-in-adult-western.html|title=The Bravados' at Paramount; Gregory Peck Stars in Adult Western|first=A. H.|last=Weiler|date=June 26, 1958|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/06/26/archives/the-bravados-at-paramount-gregory-peck-stars-in-adult-western.html |title=The Bravados' at Paramount; Gregory Peck Stars in Adult Western |last=Weiler |first=A. H. |work=The New York Times |date=June 26, 1958 |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref> The film was a moderate success, finishing in the top 20 of the box office for 1959.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/market/1958/top-grossing-movies |title=Annual Movie Chart - 1958 |website=the-numbers.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 |quote=gross of 4.4 million, 1.6 million behind the 11th grossing movie but 1.2 million more than Vertigo which was 22nd}}</ref><ref name="auto19"/> In recent years, the film and Peck's performance has received mixed reviews;{{efn|name=TheBravadosReviews| Leonard Maltin says it is "compelling;"<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/> Hal Erickson of ''AllMovie'' labeling it, "as grim and compelling as ''The Gunfighter'';"<ref name="auto30"/> film writer Peter Von Bagh asserts Peck's performance conveys an "ethical and charismatic radiance",<ref name="mubi.com"/> Adrian Turner of the ''RadioTimes'' opines the movie "isn't imbued with the emotional conviction it needs from either Peck or the usually capable director Henry King,"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/8hf5/the-bravados/|title=The Bravados – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref> "TV Guide also says "Outstanding in the film are color shots of gorges and precipitous mountains."A.H. Weiler of ''The New York Times'' had also said "Peck lends conviction to a role that could be a stereotype,"<ref name="auto37"/>}} with ''TimeOut'' asserting that "Peck's "crisis of conscience..is worked out in perfunctory religious terms;"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-bravados|title=The Bravados|website=Time Out London}}</ref> and ''TV Guide'' stating Peck's cowboy's "moment of truth is a powerful one and he gives it all the value it deserves, although much of his acting up to then had been lackluster".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-bravados/review/119264|title=The Bravados &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref>

In 1956, Peck made a foray into the [[film production]] business, organizing Melville Productions and later, Brentwood Productions.<ref name="encyclopedia.com">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/film-and-television-biographies/gregory-peck|title=Gregory Peck |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia.com}}</ref> These companies produced five movies over seven years, all starring Peck,<ref name="encyclopedia.com"/> including ''[[Pork Chop Hill]]'', for which Peck served as the executive producer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17710/Pork-Chop-Hill/|title=Pork Chop Hill (1959) - Overview - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> The films were observed by some as becoming more political,<ref name="Turner, Adrian"/> although Peck said he tried to avoid any "overt preachiness".<ref name="ew.com"/> In 1958, Peck and good friend [[William Wyler]] co-produced the western epic ''[[The Big Country]]'' (1958) separate from Peck's production company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17447/The-Big-Country/articles.html|title=The Big Country (1958) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> The project ran into numerous issues; Wyler and Peck were dissatisfied with the script, which underwent almost daily revisions, causing stress for the performers.<ref name="auto38">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17447/The-Big-Country/notes.html|title=The Big Country (1958) - Notes - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Peck and the screenwriters ended up rewriting the script after each day's shooting, causing stress for the performers, who would arrive the next day and find their lines and even entire scenes different than for what they had prepared.<ref name="gvnews.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.gvnews.com/lifestyle/hollywood-at-home-big-challenges-filming-the-big-country/article_8b29b562-f8af-11e3-a86e-001a4bcf887a.html|title=Hollywood at Home: Big challenges filming 'The Big Country'|first=Victoria|last=Lucas|website=Green Valley News & Sun}}</ref> The stellar cast included [[Jean Simmons]], [[Carrol Baker]], [[Charlton Heston]] and [[Burl Ives]]; Ives won the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] for his intense performance. There were disagreements between director Wyler and the performers, resulting in Peck storming off-set when Wyler refused to re-shoot a close-up scene.<ref name="auto38"/> Peck and Wyler's relationship remained strained for three years after production.<ref name="auto38"/><ref name="gvnews.com"/> Peck said in 1974 that he had tried producing and acting simultaneously and felt "either it can't be done or it's just that I don't do it well".<ref name="Concentration 1974"/>

The film itself was a big hit, finishing fourth at the domestic box office in 1958.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/market/1958/top-grossing-movies|title=The Numbers - Top-Grossing Movies of 1958|website=The Numbers}}</ref> and second in the UK.<ref>Four British Films In 'Top 6': Boulting Comedy Heads Box Office List. ''The Guardian'' (1959–2003) [London (UK)] December 11, 1959.</ref><ref name="Monush, Barry"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-big-country-v5401|title=The Big Country (1958) - Synopsis |last=Erickson |first=Hal |website=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="auto55">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-big-country-v5401/review |title=The Big Country (1958) - Review |first=Michael |last=Betzold |website=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref> At the time of release, reviews for ''The Big Country'' were mixed, regarding the producers' prioritization of characterization versus technical filmmaking; opinions on Peck's performance were also disparate.{{efn|name=TheBigCountryReviews|Bosley Crowther wrote, "''The Big Country'' does not get far beneath the skin of its conventional Western situation and its stock Western characters. It skims across standard complications and ends on a platitude even if the verbal construction and pictorial development of (complications/incidents) are measured, meticulous, robust and ringing with organ tones".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/10/02/archives/war-and-peace-on-range-in-big-country-gregory-peck-stars-in-wylers.html|title=War and Peace on Range in 'Big Country'; Gregory Peck Stars in Wyler's Western Action-Packed Film Scores Violence|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=October 2, 1958|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' argued the efforts to convey a peace message were "superficial and pedestrian" adding that "the pivotal character of McKay, played on a monotonously self-righteous note by Peck, never comes alive. It's mainly due to the power of the climatic canyon battle, and Burl Ives' interesting playing as Rufus, that this remains a not unsympathetic film."<ref>"The Big Country". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 26 (301): 14. February 1959.</ref> ''Variety'' said it is "armed with a serviceable, adult western yarn...The camera has captured a vast section of the southwest with such fidelity that the long stretches of dry country, in juxtaposition to tiny western settlements, and the giant canyon country in the arid area, have been recorded with almost three-dimensional effect" and "As a peace-loving easterner, Peck gives one of his better performances," with the other actors also giving strong performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1957/film/reviews/the-big-country-1200419045/|title=The Big Country|date=January 1, 1958|work=Variety}}</ref> ''Harrison Reports'' declared it was "a first-rate super western, beautifully photographed" and added, "It is a long picture, perhaps too long for what the story has to offer, but there is never a dull moment from start to finish and it holds one's interest tightly throughout."<ref>'The Big Country' with Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker and Charlton Heston". Harrison's Reports: 128. August 9, 1958.</ref>}} In recent decades, critical opinion of ''The Big Country'' has generally risen although there is still disagreement; many prominent critics and publications describe the cinematography as excellent, some laud Peck's performance, and some cite the film as too long.{{efn|name=TheBigCountryModernReviews|Michael Betzold of ''AllMovie'' writes, "Staggering vistas and grandiose story make this an emblematic Western, though its emotions are transparent."<ref name="auto55"/> Leonard Maltin says it is "overblown...the score has become a classic."<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/> Ronald Bergen describes it as "rousing epic" with "both sweep and substance" listing the "exciting opening sequence involving a carriage chase" and several action scenes as being highlights.<ref name="auto20"/> Barry Monush enthuses Peck is "excellent as a man of integrity in a fine western."<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> ''TV Guide'' argues it is "A huge, sprawling western with just about everything: brilliant photography, superb music, an intelligent script and excellent performances. If you hate westerns, you'll still enjoy this picture because the story could have taken place...anywhere...strong personalities clash. It's too long, true. Sharper editing was needed."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-big-country/review/106935|title=The Big Country &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-big-country|title=The Big Country|website=Time Out London|access-date=November 18, 2019|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801052951/https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-big-country|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/fn65yb/the-big-country/|title=The Big Country – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref>

Peck's next feature was ''[[Pork Chop Hill]]'' (1959), based on true events depicted in a book.<ref name="auto45">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/05/30/archives/pork-chop-hill-war-drama-directed-by-lewis-milestone.html|title=Pork Chop Hill'; War Drama Directed by Lewis Milestone|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=May 30, 1959|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Peck portrays a lieutenant during the [[Korean War]] who is ordered to use his infantry company to take the strategically insignificant Pork Chop Hill, as its capture would strengthen the U.S.'s position in the almost-complete armistice negotiations.<ref name="auto24">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1958/film/reviews/pork-chop-hill-1200419342/|title=Pork Chop Hill|date=January 1, 1959|work=Variety}}</ref>
As executive producer, Peck recruited Lewis Milestone of ''[[All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 film)|All Quiet on the Western Front]]'' (1930) to direct. Many critics label it as an anti-war film;<ref name="Monush, Barry"/><ref name="auto27">{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/pork-chop-hill|title=Pork Chop Hill|website=Time Out London}}</ref> it has also been stated that "as shooting progressed it became clear Peck and Milestone had very different artistic visions."<ref name="ISBN pg. 216">Lewis milestone: Life and Films, Harlow Robinson, University of Kentucky Press, 2019. {{ISBN|0813178355}}, 9780813178356 pg. 216.</ref>
Peck later said the movie showed "the futility of settling political arguments by killing young men. We tried not to preach; we let it speak for itself."<ref name="ew.com"/> Despite solid reviews, the film did only fair business at the box office.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/market/1959/top-grossing-movies |title=Annual Movie Chart - 1959 |website=the-numbers.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 |quote=grossed $3.7 million whereas No. 10 film of year grossed $10 million.}}</ref> Most critics, both upon ''Pork Chop Hill''{{'}}s opening{{efn|name=PorkChopHillReviewsAtRelease|Bosley Crowther wrote, the battle scenes "as directed by Lewis Milestone, an old war-film hand, are realistic and effective" and "all represented expertly...but the awesome and lasting impressive feature is that enemy "voice" (from battle speakers) articulating all the resentments and misgivings of the American troops" and "the audacity to produce such a grim and rugged film, which tacitly points to the obsoleteness of ground warfare, merits applause."<ref name="auto45"/> ''Variety'' wrote, "Pork Chop Hill is a grim, utterly realistic story that drives home both the irony of war and the courage men can summon to die in a cause they don't understand for and an objective which they know to be totally irrelevant. The accent on the combat is such that...the other men barely emerge as people. They look real, they sound real."<ref name="auto24"/>}} and in recent years,{{efn|name=PorkChopHillReviewsModern|Leonard Maltin writes "gritty...with an impressive cast."<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/> Scott McGee of TCM says the film is "told with a hard-nosed style of harsh realism and fluid action" and "it was the sure-handed direction of veteran Lewis Milestone that determined the impact of Pork Chop Hill."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17710/Pork-Chop-Hill/articles.html|title=Pork Chop Hill (1959) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Tony Sloman of ''RadioTimes'' writes "This is the definitive Korean War movie...Bleak and glum, it boasts a superb all-male cast headed by Gregory Peck at his glummest...the action sequences are terrific."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/fnft59/pork-chop-hill/ |title=Pork Chop Hill |website=Radio Times |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref> ''TimeOut'' writes "It details (quite brilliantly) the bloody assault on a hill of no particular value...impressive with fine performances."<ref name="auto27"/> Barry Monush writes it "emphasizes gritty action over characterization."<ref name="Monush, Barry"/>}} agree that it is a gritty, grim and realistic rendering of battle action.<ref name="auto61">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/pork-chop-hill/review/109436|title=Pork Chop Hill &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Three critics who comment on Peck's performance are laudatory,{{efn|name=PorkChopHillPeck| ''TV Guide'' writes "Peck is outstanding as the resolute but compassionate commander."<ref name="auto61"/> Bosley Crowther wrote, "Gregory Peck is convincingly stalwart..."<ref name="auto45"/>}} with ''Variety'' saying Peck's performance is "completely believable. He comes through as a born leader, and yet it is quite clear that he has moments of doubt and of uncertainty."<ref name="auto24"/>

Peck's second release of 1959 cast him opposite [[Deborah Kerr]] in ''[[Beloved Infidel]]'' which as based on the memoirs of film columnist [[Sheilah Graham]]. The film portrays the romance between Graham (Kerr) and author [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]] (Peck) during the last three years of his life, towards the end of which Fitzgerald was often drunk and  abusive.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/beloved-infidel-v84780|title=Beloved Infidel (1959) - Synopsis |website=Allmovie.com |last=Deming |first=Mark}}</ref> Crowther assessed it as "generally flat and uninteresting" with a "postured performance of Gregory Peck...his grim-faced, monotony as a washout is relieved in a couple of critical scenes by some staggering and bawling as a drunkard, but that is hardly enough."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/11/18/archives/screen-fitzgerald-on-the-way-down-beloved-infidel-opens-at-the.html|title=Screen: Fitzgerald on the Way Down; 'Beloved Infidel' Opens at the Paramount Gregory Peck, Deborah Kerr Head Cast|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=November 18, 1959|work=The New York Times}}</ref> ''Variety'' said that "the acting, while excellent and persuasive in parts, is shallow and artificial in others. Problem is primarily with Peck who brings to Fitzgerald the kind of clean-cut looks and youthful appearance that conflict with the image of a has-been novelist."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1958/film/reviews/beloved-infidel-1200419417/|title=Beloved Infidel|date=January 1, 1959|work=Variety}}</ref> Reviews from five prominent scribes in recent decades are similar, saying, Peck was blatantly miscast,{{efn|name=BelovedInfidelReviews|Leonard Maltin writes "Ill-conceived casting of Peck makes (the film) more ludicrous than real; lush photography is the only virtue of blunt look at cinema capital."<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/> Barry Monush said that Peck was "blatantly miscast".<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> Tony Sloman of ''RadioTimes'' decrees it is "sunk by the staggering miscasting of Gregory Peck...the CinemaScope photography is stunning but to no avail."<ref>{{cite web|last=Sloman |first=Tony |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/cxg84/beloved-infidel-1959/ |title=Beloved Infidel – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online |publisher=Radiotimes.com |access-date=May 10, 2020}}</ref> Craig Butler of ''AllMovie'' says, "''Beloved Infidel'' is soapy, less than satisfying...it oversimplifies a relationship rather more complex than (what is shown)...Gregory Peck gives a performance that is so far off the mark as to be embarrassing. Peck was an extremely talented actor, but there is nothing in his personality that matches the qualities associated with Fitzgerald. As a result, Peck is totally at sea...incapable of pulling off either of the big drunk scenes the role requires. By contrast, Deborah Kerr is in peak form...there's also some yummy photography...this is not enough to make up for the film's fatal flaws...but it does make the film watchable."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/beloved-infidel-v84780/review|title=Beloved Infidel (1959) - Review|website=Allmovie.com |last=Butler |first=Craig |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref> ''TV Guide'' says "Top production and stars give this one all they're worth but it could have been better...Peck is miscast (he is dark-haired and towers well over six feet, whereas Fitzgerald was 5'7" and fair-haired), but he plays the role nobly...It's a sad, almost wasted film which dwells not on Fitzgerald's courage and magnificent talent, but on his failure..."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/beloved-infidel/review/105961|title=Beloved Infidel &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref>}} with ''TV Guide'' specifying that because of their physical differences Craig Butler saying "Peck was an extremely talented actor, but there is nothing in his personality that matches the qualities associated with Fitzgerald.<ref name="Thomson, David 1994 pg. 576"/>

[[File:Peck On the Beach Publicity Photo.jpg|220px|left|thumb|Peck in a publicity still for ''[[On the Beach (1959 film)|On the Beach]]'' (1959)]]
Peck starred next in ''[[On the Beach (1959 film)|On the Beach]]'' (1959) alongside [[Ava Gardner]] in their third and final film together.<ref name="auto65">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17688/On-the-Beach/articles.html|title=On the Beach (1959) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> The film is considered to be Hollywood's first major movie about the implications of nuclear warfare. Directed by [[Stanley Kramer]] and based on a best-selling book, the film shows the last weeks of several people in Australia as they await the onset of radioactive fallout from nuclear bombs.<ref name="auto56">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/12/18/archives/screen-on-the-beach.html|title=Screen: 'On the Beach'|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=December 18, 1959|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Peck portrays a U.S. submarine commander who has brought his crew to Australia from the North Pacific Ocean after nuclear bombs had been detonated in the northern hemisphere, eventually romancing Gardner's character.<ref name="auto56"/> The film was named to the top ten lists of the [[National Board of Review]] and the [[New York Film Critics Circle]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17688/On-the-Beach/misc-notes.html|title=On the Beach (1959) - Misc Notes - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> It was successful at the North American box office finishing eighth for the year,<ref name="auto19"/> but due to its high production cost it lost $700,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thebulletin.org/2015/08/the-continuing-relevance-of-on-the-beach/|title=The continuing relevance of "On the Beach"|date=August 3, 2015}}</ref> ''On the Beach'' was praised by critics.{{efn|name=OntheBeachPositive|''Variety'' evaluates it as "a solid film of considerable emotional, as well as cerebral, content" but adds "the fact remains that the final impact is as heavy as a leaden shroud...All the personal stories are well-presented. The cast is almost uniformly excellent. Peck and Gardner make a good romantic team."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1958/film/reviews/on-the-beach-1200419354/|title=On the Beach|date=January 1, 1959|work=Variety}}</ref> The ''Hollywood Reporter'' enthused the film was "brilliantly executed".<ref name="auto65"/>}}<ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994"/><ref name="auto56"/>{{efn|name=OntheBeachRealism|Australian film writer Philip Davey says that at the time of release many critics "criticized the perceived "unrealistic" sedate behavior of characters facing certain death...and, in some cases, the absence of a religious element."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2015.acmi.net.au/acmi-channel/2009/film-essay-on-the-beach/|title=When Hollywood Came To Melbourne &#124; ACMI|website=2015.acmi.net.au|access-date=November 5, 2019|archive-date=August 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809135800/https://2015.acmi.net.au/acmi-channel/2009/film-essay-on-the-beach/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''Hollywood Reporter'' enthused the film was "brilliantly executed," but is reported to have "wondered at length why none of the characters showed any interest in religion as the world ends."<ref name="auto65"/> Arthur Knight of ''Saturday Review'' observed "it is...difficult to believe that all [people] would remain as calm and self-possessed as the people have been here...There is no looting, no licentiousness, no desperate last-chance fling."<ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994"/>}} In recent decades, critical opinion of ''On the Beach'' is mixed with some prominent critics asserting the script is poor,{{efn|name=OntheBeachPoorScript|Christopher Tookey says "It is hard to see why this incredibly turgid, cliche-ridden, melodramatic film garnered the critical acclaim it did."<ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994"/> ''TimeOut'' says "Fine photography but the script is a typically numbing affair, and the cast, aside from Peck...seem totally out of their depth."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/on-the-beach|title=On the Beach|website=Time Out London}}</ref>}} but some critics saying the acting, especially Peck, and cinematography are excellent, and that, overall, the film is powerful.{{efn|name=OntheBeachPowerful|''TV Guide'' says it is "Flawed but moving" and "Though it occasionally goes over the top with melodrama and lacks some technical credibility, (it) remains a powerful, well-acted, deftly photographed film."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/on-the-beach/review/108113|title=On The Beach &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Leonard Maltin says "Thoughtful...with fine performances by all."<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/>}} Butler of ''AllMovie'' writes, "...problematic is the clichéd, almost soap-operatic relationship between Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner and the somewhat melodramatic handling of other sections of the film...The cast helps tremendously. Peck has rarely been more stalwart...Even decades after its release, Beach is a harrowing and devastating experience."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/on-the-beach-v36271/review |title=On the Beach (1959) - Review |first=Craig |last=Butler |website=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref>

===Second commercial and critical peak (1960–1964)===
Peck's first release of 1961 was ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]''.<ref name="auto2">{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/1960/film/reviews/the-guns-of-navarone-1200419876/|title=Film Reviews: The Guns of Navarone|date=May 3, 1961 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |page=6|author=Rich.}}</ref> A [[J. Lee Thompson]]-directed World War II drama, it depicts Peck's six-man commando team, which includes [[David Niven]] and [[Anthony Quinn]], undertaking a mission to destroy two seemingly impregnable German-controlled artillery guns on [[Navarone Island]].<ref name="auto20"/> The team of specialists (Peck is the mountain climbing expert) needs to destroy the guns so British ships can evacuate 2,000 trapped British soldiers across the Aegean Sea.<ref name="auto20"/><ref name="auto31">{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-guns-of-navarone|title=The Guns of Navarone|website=Time Out London|access-date=November 6, 2019|archive-date=November 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106143043/https://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-guns-of-navarone|url-status=dead}}</ref> During filming Peck said his team seems to defeat "the entire German army" which approached parody, and he concluded that that cast members had to "play their roles with complete conviction" to make the film convincing.<ref name="auto50"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-may-30-ca-35437-story.html|title=Director Recalls 'Navarone' Had Off-Screen Dangers Too|date=May 30, 2000|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> The film was the top-grossing movie of 1961,<ref name="Kay, Eddie Dorman 1990."/> and became "one of the most popular adventure movies of its day".<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> It landed seven [[Academy Award]] nominations, winning for Best Special Effects; other accolades include the [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best Dramatic Movie and the [[BAFTA]] for Best British Screenplay.<ref name="Kinn, Gail 2000 pg. 92"/><ref name="auto50">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/21984/The-Guns-of-Navarone/articles.html|title=The Guns of Navarone (1961) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref>
[[File:Peck Niven 1961.jpg|thumb|right|Peck and [[David Niven]] in ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]'' (1961)]]
Critics praised ''The Guns of Navarone'', it being named the best picture of the year in ''Film Daily's'' annual poll of critics and industry reporters in 1961.{{efn|name=GunsofNavaroneReviews|''Variety'' said it was a "spectacular drama{{nbsp}}... and even, with its flaws, should have patrons firmly riveted throughout its lengthy narrative" adding that all the actors "turn in worthwhile performances", it has "terrific special effects and several socko situations" and that "a wonderfully directed and lensed storm segment and the final boffo climax nail-biting are just a few of the nail-biting highlights."<ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto50"/> Bosley Crowther opined, "more emphasis is placed on melodrama than on character or credibility," that the characters are "all such predictable people you're likely to get bored with them before the guns are blown up", and "One simply wonders why Foreman{{nbsp}}... didn't aim for more complex human drama." He goes on to write it is a "robust action drama" and "For anyone given to letting himself be entertained by scenes of explosive action and individual heroic display, there should be entertainment in this picture for there is plenty of it{{nbsp}}... Even though the picture runs more than two hours and a half, it moves swiftly and gets where it is going. J.Lee Thompson has directed it with pace."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/06/23/archives/screen-a-robust-dramaguns-of-navarone-is-at-two-theatres.html|title=Screen: A Robust Drama:'Guns of Navarone' Is at Two Theatres|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=June 23, 1961|work=The New York Times}}</ref> ''The New Yorker''{{'}}s film critic declared, it was "one of those great bow-wow{{nbsp}}... movies that are no less thrilling because they are so preposterous" confessing he "was held more or less spellbound all the way through this many-colored rubbish."<ref>[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/21984/The-Guns-of-Navarone/articles ]{{dead link|date=May 2020}}</ref>}} In recent decades, most prominent critics or publications give it positive reviews{{efn|name=GunsofNavaroneModernReviews|''TV Guide'' says it is a "stirring spectacle" and "great adventure{{nbsp}}.... handled well by veteran director J. Lee Thompson, with strong cast support and excellent production values that make it all lavish, rich and often breathtaking" despite its "clichéd story, hackneyed characters and triumph-over-impossible-odds-finale."<ref name="auto6">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-guns-of-navarone/review/125331|title=The Guns Of Navarone &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Jeremy Aspinall of ''RadioTimes'' comments "This classic wartime adventure{{nbsp}}... maintains tension despite the film's epic length" also complimenting the acting.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/fj9bq8/the-guns-of-navarone/|title=The Guns of Navarone – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref> Ronald Bergen describes it as a "rip-roaring adventure" that is "spectacularly filmed" and "one of the best of its type".<ref name="auto20"/> Tony Rayns of ''TimeOut'' assert, "the ongoing debates about the morality of warfare that are scattered through (the movie) only serve to drag out the action climaxes."<ref name="auto31"/> Christopher Tookey describes it as an "Old-fashioned but effective war movie, which would have been improved further by cutting some of the chat."<ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994"/> Mike Mayo in ''Videohound's War Movies'' writes, behind the "... often clunky mechanics of plot lies solid craftsmanship{{nbsp}}... director J. Lee Thompson{{nbsp}}... handles the story with a finer touch{{nbsp}}... the production [has] a realistic, lived-in look that's more associated with "serious" black-and-white World War II movies than with escapism."<ref name="auto50"/>}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-guns-of-navarone-v21177/review |title=The Guns of Navarone (1961) - Review |first=Matthew |last=Doberman |website=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Guns-of-Navarone|title=The Guns of Navarone &#124; film by Thompson [1961]|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> Paul V. Peckly of ''The New York Herald Tribune'' wrote, "Peck may seem at times a trifle wooden and his German accent too obviously American{{nbsp}}.... but his not too introspective, somewhat baffled manner is manly and fitted to the role he plays.<ref name="auto50"/><ref name="auto31"/>

Peck's next film was ''[[Cape Fear (1962 film)|Cape Fear]]'' (1962), produced by Melville Productions. Peck portrays a lawyer whose witness testimony convicted [[Robert Mitchum]]'s character, who upon being released from prison after serving eight years for sexual assault, threatens to get back at Peck through his wife and daughter, and meticulously terrorizes the family.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/cape-fear-v8063|title=Cape Fear (1962) - J. Lee Thompson &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related &#124; AllMovie|via=allmovie.com}}</ref> Peck was anxious to have Mitchum in the role of Cady, but Mitchum declined at first and only relented after Peck and Thompson delivered a case of bourbon to Mitchum's home.<ref name="auto40">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/70207/Cape-Fear/articles.html|title=Cape Fear (1962) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Many cuts were made to the movie to satisfy censorship codes in the US and UK.<ref name="auto40"/> The film grossed only $5&nbsp;million at the North American box office, 47th for the year. 
<ref name="ultimatemovierankings.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/1962-top-box-office-movies/|title=1962 Top Box Office Movies &#124; Ultimate Movie Rankings|date=February 22, 2018}}</ref> Crowther and ''Variety'' gave ''Cape Fear'' solid reviews.{{efn|name=CapeFearReviews|Bosley Crowther wrote "A cold-blooded, calculated build-up of sadistic menace and shivering dread is accomplished with frightening adroitness{{nbsp}}... Technically, it's a good job. Mr. Webb has prepared a tough, tight script and Mr. Thompson has directed in a steady and starkly sinister style. And Mr. Mitchum plays the villain with the cheekiest, wickedest arrogance and the most relentless aura of sadism that he has ever managed to generate. Mr. Peck is taut and tenacious."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/04/19/archives/screen-pitiless-shockermitchum-stalks-peck-in-cape-fear.html|title=Screen: Pitiless Shocker:Mitchum Stalks Peck in 'Cape Fear'|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=April 19, 1962|work=The New York Times}}</ref> ''Variety'' said "As a forthright exercise in cumulative terror Cape Fear is a competent and visually polished entry{{nbsp}}... There is nothing{{nbsp}}... which might provide some insight in Mitchum's behavior. Peck, displaying his typical guarded self, is effective, if perhaps less distraught over the prospect of personal disaster than his character might warrant{{nbsp}}... Mitchum has no trouble being utterly hateful."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1961/film/reviews/cape-fear-2-1200420212/|title=Cape Fear|date=January 1, 1962|work=Variety}}</ref>}} Crowther said, Both expressed satisfaction with Peck's performance, although ''Variety'' noted he could have been a little more stressed by the occurrences. Other reviews were mixed due to the movie's disturbing nature, including ''The New Yorker''.<ref name="auto40"/> In recent decades, reviews have been generally positive.{{efn|name=CapeFearReviewsModern|  Timeout writes "This superbly nasty thrilboasts great credentials{{nbsp}}... Mitchum as the sadistic villain, Peck as the epitome of threatened righteousness{{nbsp}}... whooping music by Bernard Herrmann. If director Thompson isn't quite skilful enough to give the film its final touch of class (many of the shocks are just too planned), the relentlessness of the story and Mitchum's tangibly sordid presence guarantee the viewer's quivering attention."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/cape-fear|title=Cape Fear|website=Time Out London}}</ref> ''TV Guide'' says "Unforgettable villainy. Suspenseful and very frightening, thanks to Robert Mitchum's lethally threatening performance and the frightened reactions of a pro cast{{nbsp}}... J. Lee Thompson directs at a clip, until the drawl toward the bayou climax, where the minutes feel like hours, and your heart sits in your throat. Peck is careful not to act the fear; he's an interesting foe for Mitchum."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/cape-fear/123330|title=Cape Fear &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Jonathan Rosenbaum of ''Chicago Reader'' "…. better than the Scorsese remake – above all for Robert Mitchum's chilling performance{{nbsp}}... though its arguable still some distance from deserving its reputation as a classic."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/cape-fear/Film?oid=1150263|title=Cape Fear|first=Jonathan|last=Rosenbaum|website=Chicago Reader|date=October 26, 1985}}</ref> Brendon Hanley of ''AllMovie'' says Mitchum's role "comes in second in the sinister sweepstakes only to his chilling performance{{nbsp}}... in Night of the Hunter{{nbsp}}... Mitchum's Cad is{{nbsp}}... an untouchable, unstoppable, unrepentant corrupter of innocence{{nbsp}}... all with a sadistic smirk{{nbsp}}... Director J. Lee Thompson{{nbsp}}... significantly scaled back his scope for this drama, and even the fight scenes at the end have a subdued, almost still aspect."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/cape-fear-v8063/review|title=Cape Fear (1962) - J. Lee Thompson &#124; Review &#124; AllMovie|via=allmovie.com}}</ref> Christopher Tookey sums up, "Straightforward, unpretentious yarn with memorable performances (especially from Robert Mitchum) and a fine Bernard Herrmann score."<ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994"/>}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/ft4jhz/cape-fear/|title=Cape Fear – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref> Critics commented on Peck's performance in ''Cape Fear'', with ''TV Guide'' saying "Peck is careful not to act the fear; he's an interesting foe for Mitchum."

After ''Cape Fear'', Peck planned to make his directorial debut with ''[[They're a Weird Mob (film)|They're a Weird Mob]]'' but eventually did not make the film.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=Greg Peck To Direct|page=4|date=June 29, 1960|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety219-1960-06#page/n283/mode/1up|access-date=February 13, 2021|via=[[Archive.org]]}}</ref>

[[File:Gregory Peck Atticus Publicity Photo.jpg|thumb|left|Peck as [[Atticus Finch]] in ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|To Kill a Mockingbird]]'' (1962), for which he won the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]]]]

Peck's next role was in the 1962 [[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|film adaptation]] of [[Harper Lee]]'s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird]]''.;<ref name="auto52">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/to-kill-a-mockingbird-v50165|title=To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - Robert Mulligan &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related &#124; AllMovie|via=allmovie.com}}</ref> Peck plays the part of a kind and scrupulously honest lawyer father, [[Atticus Finch]].<ref name="auto52"/> Peck won the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his performance, which was his fifth and last time nominated. The film received seven other [[Academy Award]] nominations including for Best Picture, Director and Cinematography, also winning Adapted Screenplay and Art Direction. At the [[Golden Globes]], Peck won for Best Actor in a Drama and the film was nominated for Best Film and Director; the film was nominated for Best Film at the [[BAFTAs]].{{efn|name=ToKillaMockingbirdNewYork|There were no [[New York Film Critics Circle]] Awards that year due to a strike}}<ref>O'Neil, Tom (New York: 2003), "Movie Awards: The Ultimate, Unofficial Guide to the Oscars, Golden Globes, Critics, Guild and Indie Honors," Berkley Publishing Group.</ref> The film was a commercial success as the sixth highest-grossing film of the year.<ref name="ultimatemovierankings.com"/> In 2003, Atticus Finch, as portrayed by Peck, was named [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains|the greatest film hero of the past 100 years]] by the [[American Film Institute]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-heroes-villians/|title=AFI's 100 YEARS…100 HEROES & VILLAINS}}</ref> Peck would later say of ''To Kill A Mockingbird'': "My favorite film, without any question."<ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994"/>

When producer Alan J. Pakula and director Robert Mulligan approached Peck about taking the role of Atticus Finch in ''To Kill a Mockingbird'', Peck agreed to read the book. He stated "I got started on it and of course I sat up all night and read straight through it...I called them at about eight o'clock in the morning and said 'When do I start?'"<ref name="auto47">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/20116/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird/articles.html|title=To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref>{{efn|name=ToKillaMockingbirdPeck|Peck was not Universal Studios' first choice to play Atticus Finch in ''To Kill a Mockingbird''; Rock Hudson was slated to play the part until Pakula and Mulligan became involved in the production and immediately thought Peck would be preferable.<ref>"Behind the Camera on To Kill a Mockingbird" [http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/20116/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird/articles.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719024027/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/20116/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird/articles.html |date=July 19, 2019 }}</ref> The three of them traveled to Monroeville, Alabama, to meet Harper Lee's father, and found the basis for the story to be accurate.<ref name="auto47"/>}} Peck did eventually request changes so that film deviated somewhat from the book, mainly showing more scenes of Peck in the courtroom than were in the original rough cut, thus shifting the focus away from the children, who had been the focus of the book, and more towards Atticus Finch.{{efn|name=ToKillaMockingbirdEdits|After viewing a rough cut of the finished film, Peck wrote a memo to Universal, that included a statement "Atticus had no chance to emerge as courageous or strong" and amongst other things, requested that more footage of himself be inserted in place of some footage of Scout and Jem. As Peck's production company was footing a substantial portion of the production costs, most of his requests were fulfilled and the court room scenes cover about 30% of the film's length.<ref name="lithub.com">{{cite web|url=https://lithub.com/how-the-adaptation-of-to-kill-a-mockingbird-failed-scout-finch/|title=How the Adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird Failed Scout Finch|date=June 18, 2019}}</ref>}} {{efn|name=ToKillaMockingbirdProduction|The initial aim was to shoot the film in Monroeville, Alabama; however, the town neighborhoods of the 1930s no longer existed,<ref name="cnn.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/02/03/showbiz/to-kill-a-mockingbird-50/index.html|title='Mockingbird' film at 50: Lessons on tolerance, justice, fatherhood hold true|first=Katie |last=McLaughlin|website=CNN}}</ref> and the Monroeville Courthouse's courtroom had very poor acoustics which would make filming there very difficult.<ref name="auto47"/> Mulligan took hundreds of photographs of homes and gardens in the South to capture its atmosphere.<ref name="cnn.com"/> Production designer Henry Bumstead went to Monroeville for a tour of the town neighborhoods where she grew up from Leer to take in its atmosphere and Leer also provided some photographs of her neighborhood from the 1930s.<ref name="lithub.com"/> Universal had location scouts find clapboard houses from the right time period with the appropriate deteriorating appearance and the homes they found were just about to be demolished for a freeway.<ref name="auto47"/> The Finch house was painstakingly put together with the pieces of several of the homes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.simplemost.com/things-you-didnt-know-about-to-kill-a-mockingbird/|title=Here Are 8 Things You Never Knew About 'To Kill A Mockingbird'|first=Bridget|last=Sharkey|date=February 20, 2019|website=Simplemost}}</ref> Production designers went to Monroeville to take photographs and measurements of the actual courtroom.<ref name="auto47"/>}}<ref name="auto47"/> Peck's performance received universal acclaim from critics. ''Variety'' wrote that the role was especially challenging for Peck but that he "not only succeeds, but makes it appear effortless, etching a portrayal of strength, dignity and intelligence."{{efn|name=ToKillaMockingbirdPeckReviews|''Variety''{{'}}s full analysis was "For Peck, it is an especially challenging role, requiring him to conceal his natural physical attractiveness yet project through a veneer of civilized restraint and resigned, rational compromise the fires of social indignation and humanitarian concern that burn within the character. He not only succeeds, but makes it appear effortless, etching a portrayal of strength, dignity, intelligence. Another distinguished achievement for an actor whose taste and high standards of role selectivity is attested to by the caliber of his films and performances throughout his career."<ref name="auto35">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1962/film/reviews/to-kill-a-mockingbird-1200420238/|title=Review: 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (1962)|first1=Larry|last1=Tubelle|date=December 12, 1962}}</ref> Bosley Crowther stated Atticus Finch was "played superbly by Gregory Peck".<ref name="auto48">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/02/15/archives/screen-to-kill-a-mockingbirdone-adult-omission-in-a-fine-film-2.html|title=Screen: 'To Kill a Mockingbird': One Adult Omission in a Fine Film 2 Superb Discoveries Add to Delight|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=February 15, 1963|work=The New York Times}}</ref>}} The ''Hollywood Reporter'' said "Peck gives probably the finest performance of his career, understated, casual, effective."<ref name="hollywoodreporter.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/kill-a-mockingbird-1962-film-867767|title='To Kill a Mockingbird': THR's 1962 Review|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=February 19, 2016}}</ref> ''Time'' posited "Peck, though he is generally excellent, lays it on a bit thick at times – he seems to imagine himself the Abe Lincoln of Alabama."<ref name="auto43">"Critics Corner on ''To Kill a Mockingbird.'' [http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/20116/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird/articles.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719024027/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/20116/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird/articles.html |date=July 19, 2019 }}</ref><ref name="time.com">{{cite news|url=https://time.com/3948808/review-to-kill-a-mockingbird-movie/|title=Read TIME's Review of the 1963 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Movie|magazine=Time}}</ref> Reviews in recent decades have similarly lauded Peck's performance,{{efn|name=ToKillaMockingbirdPeckModernReviews|''TV Guide'' says "Peck's peak....since its release, this....film has been warmly received by audiences responding to....the heroic image portrayed by Peck, a shining example of citizenship and affectionate fatherhood."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/to-kill-a-mockingbird/review/120735|title=To Kill A Mockingbird &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> Dan Jardine of ''AllMovie'' asserts "Oscar-winner Gregory Peck is ideal casting as Atticus, for his Lincoln-like integrity and intelligence perfectly serve the role. Peck hammers home the film's achingly authentic, timeless, and resonant plea for humanistic tolerance: The best way to understand another's problems is to get into his or her skin and walk around in it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/to-kill-a-mockingbird-v50165/review|title=To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - Robert Mulligan &#124; Review &#124; AllMovie|via=allmovie.com}}</ref> ''Empire Magazine'' says "Peck gives a career-best turn, but true to the source, is understated enough to let the kids shine."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/kill-mockingbird-review/|title=To Kill A Mockingbird|date=January 1, 2000|website=Empire}}</ref> Cara Frost-Sharratt asserts the "....casting of Peck was clearly a stroke of genius."<ref>Frost-Sharratt, Cara in ''501 Must-See Movies'' (London: 2004), Bounty Books.</ref>}} with ''Film Monthly'' observing, "Gregory Peck's performance as lawyer Atticus Finch is just as beautiful, natural, and nuanced as the movie itself."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmmonthly.com/video_and_dvd/to_kill_a_mockingbird_50th_anniversary_edition.html|title=Film Monthly.com – To Kill a Mockingbird: 50th Anniversary Edition (1962)|website=filmmonthly.com}}</ref><ref name="Monush, Barry"/> Both Michael Gebert<ref name="auto19"/> and Andrew Collins of ''Radiotimes''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/j9w4s/to-kill-a-mockingbird/|title=To Kill a Mockingbird – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times}}</ref> refer to Atticus Finch as the role that defined Peck's career.

===Mature years and later work (1965–2000)===
Peck served as the president of the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] in 1967, [[Chairman]] of the Board of Trustees of the [[American Film Institute]] from 1967 to 1969, Chairman of the Motion Picture and Television Relief Fund in 1971, and National Chairman of the [[American Cancer Society]] in 1966. He was a member of the National Council on the Arts from 1964 to 1966.{{sfn|Freedland|1980|pp=191–195}}
[[File:Karlatos Peck 1983.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Peck with [[Olga Karlatos]] in ''[[The Scarlet and the Black]]'' (1983)]]
Peck's rare attempts at villainous roles were not acclaimed. Early on, he played the renegade son in the Western ''[[Duel in the Sun (film)|Duel in the Sun]]'', and, later in his career, the infamous Nazi doctor [[Josef Mengele]] in ''[[The Boys from Brazil (film)|The Boys from Brazil]]''.{{sfn|Freedland|1980|pp=242–243}} In the 1980s, Peck moved to television, where he starred in the mini-series [[The Blue and the Gray (miniseries)|''The Blue and the Gray'']], playing [[Abraham Lincoln]]. He also starred with [[Christopher Plummer]], [[John Gielgud]], and [[Barbara Bouchet]] in the television film ''[[The Scarlet and The Black]]'', about [[Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty]], a real-life Catholic priest in the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] who smuggled Jews and other refugees away from the [[Nazism|Nazis]] during World War II.

Peck, Mitchum, and [[Martin Balsam]] all had roles in the [[Cape Fear (1991 film)|1991 remake of ''Cape Fear'']], directed by [[Martin Scorsese]]. In the remake, Peck played Max Cady's lawyer. His last prominent film role also came in 1991, in ''[[Other People's Money]]'', directed by [[Norman Jewison]] and based on the stage play of that name. Peck played a business owner trying to save his company against a hostile takeover bid by a Wall Street liquidator played by [[Danny DeVito]].

Peck retired from active film-making after the film. Peck spent the last few years of his life touring the world doing speaking engagements in which he would show clips from his movies and take questions from the audience. He came out of retirement for a 1998 [[Moby Dick (1998 miniseries)|mini-series version]] of one of his most famous films, ''[[Moby Dick (1956 film)|Moby Dick]]'', portraying [[Father Mapple]] (played by [[Orson Welles]] in the 1956 version), with [[Patrick Stewart]] as [[Captain Ahab]], the role Peck played in the earlier film. It was his final performance, and it won him the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film]]. Peck had been offered the role of [[Grandpa Joe]] in the 2005 film ''[[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]]'', but died before he could accept it. The Irish actor [[David Kelly (actor)|David Kelly]] was then given the part.<ref>{{cite web|last=Board|first=Josh|title=San Diego Acting Legend Gregory Peck Gets a Stamp|date=May 12, 2011|url=http://www.sandiego.com/articles/2011-05-12/san-diego-acting-legend-gregory-peck-gets-stamp|access-date=June 15, 2015}}</ref>

==Politics==
In 1947, while many Hollywood figures were being [[Hollywood blacklist|blacklist]]ed for similar activities, Peck signed a letter deploring a [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] investigation of alleged communists in the film industry.<ref>{{Cite book |last=U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Un-American Activities. 1945-1969 (Predecessor) |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/25466014 |title=Statement of the Committee for the First Amendment |last2=U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on Internal Security. 1969-1975 |date=c. 1947 |series=File Unit: Organization Files of the Files and Reference Section of the Internal Security Committee During the 79th through 94th Congresses, 1945 - 1976}}</ref> A life-long [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], Peck was suggested in 1970 as a possible Democratic candidate to run against [[Ronald Reagan]] for the office of [[Governor of California|California Governor]]. Although he later admitted that he had no interest in being a candidate himself for public office, Peck encouraged one of his sons, Carey Peck, to run for political office. He was defeated both times by slim margins in races in 1978 and 1980 against Republican U.S. Representative [[Bob Dornan]], another former actor.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
[[File:Actor Gregory Peck with Deputy Mayor Henry Scagnoli (12191659574).jpg|right|thumb|Peck with Deputy [[Mayor of Boston]] [[Henry Scagnoli]] c. 1968]]
Peck revealed that former President [[Lyndon Johnson]] had told him that, had he sought re-election in 1968, he intended to offer Peck the post of U.S. [[ambassador]] to Ireland – a post Peck, owing to his Irish ancestry, said he might well have taken, saying, "[It] would have been a great adventure".<ref>Haggerty, Bridget. [http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/AMisc/GregoryPeck.html "Gregory Peck's Irish Connections"]. IrishCultureAndCustoms.com</ref> The actor's biographer [[Michael Freedland]] substantiates the report, and says that Johnson indicated that his presentation of the Medal of Freedom to Peck would perhaps make up for his inability to confer the ambassadorship.{{sfn|Freedland|1980|p=197}} President [[Richard Nixon]], though, placed Peck on his "[[Master list of Nixon political opponents|enemies list]]", owing to Peck's [[Liberalism|liberal]] activism.<ref>Corliss, Richard. [https://archive.today/20120919124736/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,458777,00.html "The American as Noble Man"]. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''. June 16, 2003</ref>

Peck was outspoken against the [[Vietnam War]], while remaining supportive of his son, Stephen, who fought there. In 1972, Peck produced the film version of [[Daniel Berrigan]]'s play ''The Trial of the [[Catonsville Nine]]'' about the prosecution of a group of Vietnam protesters for civil disobedience. Despite his reservations about American general [[Douglas MacArthur]] as a man, Peck had long wanted to play him on film, and did so in ''[[MacArthur (1977 film)|MacArthur]]'' in 1976.{{sfn|Freedland|1980|pp=231–241}} Peck was a close friend of French president [[Jacques Chirac]].<ref name="Elysée">{{citation|url=http://elysee.fr/elysee/fevrier/salle_de_presse/communiques_de_la_presidence/2003/juin/communique_de_m_jacques_chirac_president_de_la_republique_a_la_suite_de_la_disparition_de_gregory_peck.745.html|type=communiqué de la Présidence|publisher=Champs-Élysées|language=fr|date=June 2003|title=Communiqué de M Jacques Chirac, président de la république, à la suite de la disparition de Gregory Peck|trans-title=Communication from Jacques Chirac, President of the Republic, concerning the death of Gregory Peck|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205110749/http://elysee.fr/elysee/fevrier/salle_de_presse/communiques_de_la_presidence/2003/juin/communique_de_m_jacques_chirac_president_de_la_republique_a_la_suite_de_la_disparition_de_gregory_peck.745.html|archive-date=February 5, 2007}}</ref>

In 1978, Peck traveled to [[Alabama]], the setting of ''To Kill a Mockingbird'', to campaign for Democratic [[U.S. Senate]] nominee [[Donald W. Stewart]] of [[Anniston, Alabama|Anniston]], who defeated the Republican candidate, [[James D. Martin]], a former U.S. representative from [[Gadsden, Alabama|Gadsden]]. In 1987, Peck undertook the voice-overs for television commercials opposing President [[Ronald Reagan]]'s [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] nomination of ultra-conservative judge [[Robert Bork]].<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/NpFe10lkF3Y Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20100513052315/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpFe10lkF3Y Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpFe10lkF3Y|title=1987 Robert Bork TV ad, narrated by Gregory Peck|via=YouTube|access-date=June 20, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Bork's nomination was defeated. Peck was also a vocal supporter of a worldwide ban of [[nuclear weapons]], and a life-long advocate of [[gun control]].<ref>Srteve Profitt [https://articles.latimes.com/2000/nov/05/opinion/op-47269 "Gregory Peck: A Leading Hollywood Liberal Still Can't Put Down a Good Book"], ''Los Angeles Times'', November 5, 2000</ref>{{sfn|Fishgall|2002|p=14|loc=Introduction}}

Documents declassified in 2017 show that the [[National Security Agency]] had created a biographical file on Peck as part of its monitoring of prominent US citizens.<ref>{{cite news |title=National Security Agency Tracking of U.S. Citizens – "Questionable Practices" from 1960s & 1970s |url=https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/cybervault-intelligence-nuclear-vault/2017-09-25/national-security-agency-tracking-us |access-date=January 3, 2020 |publisher=National Security Archive |date=September 25, 2017}}</ref>

== Personal life ==

In October 1942, Peck married [[Finnish-American|Finnish-born]] Greta Kukkonen (1911–2008), with whom he had three sons: Jonathan (1944–1975), Stephen (b. 1946), and Carey Paul (b. 1949). They were divorced on December 31, 1955. Peck's eldest son was found dead in his home on June 26, 1975, in what authorities believed was a suicide.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/06/28/archives/gregory-pecks-son-dead.html|title=Gregory Peck's Son Dead|date=June 28, 1975|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=May 13, 2017|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
[[File:Veronique & Gregory Peck.jpg|right|thumb|Peck with his wife [[Veronique Peck|Veronique]] in 1959]]
During his first marriage, Peck had a brief affair with ''[[Spellbound (1945 film)|Spellbound]]'' co-star [[Ingrid Bergman]].{{sfn|Haney|2005|p=23}} He confessed the affair to [[Brad Darrach]] of ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' in a 1987 interview, saying: "All I can say is that I had a real love for her [Bergman], and I think that's where I ought to stop...I was young. She was young. We were involved for weeks in close and intense work."{{sfn|Fishgall|2002|p=98}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Smit|first=David|year=2012|title=Ingrid Bergman: The Life, Career and Public Image|publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]|pages=29–30|isbn=9780786472260|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cRWgEXLEzFQC&pg=PA29}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Darrach|first=Brad|title=Gregory Peck|date=June 15, 1987|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20096523,00.html|access-date=October 5, 2015|archive-date=October 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006071300/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20096523,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On New Year's Eve in 1955, the day after his divorce was final, Peck married [[Veronique Peck|Véronique Passani]] (1932–2012),<ref>{{cite news|title=Gregory Peck's widow Veronique, an arts supporter, dies at 80|date=August 18, 2012|work=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-us-usa-veroniquepeck-idUSBRE87H09620120819|access-date=July 27, 2015|archive-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916074326/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/19/entertainment-us-usa-veroniquepeck-idUSBRE87H09620120819|url-status=live}}</ref> a Paris news reporter who had interviewed him in 1952 before he went to Italy to film ''[[Roman Holiday]]''. He asked her to lunch six months later, and they became inseparable. They had a son, Anthony Peck (b. 1956),{{sfn|Fishgall|2002|p=196}} and a daughter, [[Cecilia Peck]] (b. 1958).{{sfn|Fishgall|2002|p=203}} The couple remained married until Gregory Peck's death. His son Anthony is a former husband of supermodel [[Cheryl Tiegs]]. Peck had grandchildren from both marriages.<ref>{{Citation | last = Snyder | first = Louis | title = Aiglon College Alumni Eagle Association | type = graduation address | date = July 3, 2010 | url = http://www.afi.com/100years/handv.aspx | access-date = May 23, 2011 | archive-date = October 23, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071023071414/http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/handv.aspx | url-status = dead }}</ref> One of his grandsons from his first marriage is actor [[Ethan Peck]].

Peck was the owner of [[thoroughbred]] [[steeplechase (horse racing)|steeplechase]] [[horse racing|race horses]]. In 1963, Owen's Sedge finished seventh in the [[Grand National]].<ref>{{cite news
|title=[[Illustrated London News]]
|volume= 242| issue = 2
|date=April 6, 1963
}}</ref> Another of his horses, Different Class, raced in the 1968 Grand National<ref name="Pedigree">{{cite web|url= http://www.pedigreequery.com/different+class3|title= Pedigree Query | date= April 30, 2007}}</ref> The horse was favored, but finished third.

Peck was [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]], and once considered entering the [[Priesthood (Catholic Church)|priesthood]]. Later in his career, a journalist asked Peck if he was a practicing Catholic. Peck answered: "I am a Roman Catholic. Not a fanatic, but I practice enough to keep the franchise. I don't always agree with the Pope... There are issues that concern me, like [[Catholic Church and abortion|abortion]], contraception, the [[Catholic Church doctrine on the ordination of women|ordination of women]]...and others."<ref name="The Religion of Gregory Peck">{{cite web|url=http://www.adherents.com/people/pp/Gregory_Peck.html|title=The religion of Gregory Peck, actor|publisher=Adherents.com|access-date=October 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003082115/http://www.adherents.com/people/pp/Gregory_Peck.html|archive-date=October 3, 2018|url-status=usurped}}</ref> His second marriage was performed by a justice of the peace, not by a priest, because [[Christian views on divorce#Roman Catholic Church|the Church prohibits remarriage]] if the first spouse is still living and the first marriage was not [[Annulment (Catholic Church)|annulled]]. Peck was a significant fund-raiser for the missionary work of a priest friend of his (Father Albert O'Hara), and served as co-producer of a [[Compact Cassette|cassette]] recording of the [[New Testament]] with his son Stephen.<ref name="The Religion of Gregory Peck"/>

==Death and legacy==
[[File:PeckTomb.jpg|thumb|Gregory Peck's tomb at [[Los Angeles Cathedral]]]]
On June 12, 2003, Peck died in his sleep from [[bronchopneumonia]] at the age of 87 at his home in [[Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite news|first=William|last=Grimes|title=Gregory Peck Is Dead at 87; Film Roles Had Moral Fiber|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/13/movies/gregory-peck-is-dead-at-87-film-roles-had-moral-fiber.html|quote=Gregory Peck, whose chiseled, slightly melancholy good looks, resonant baritone, and quiet strength made him an unforgettable presence in films like ''To Kill a Mockingbird'', ''Gentleman's Agreement'', and ''Twelve O'Clock High'', died early yesterday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 87.|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 13, 2003}}</ref> His wife, Veronique, was by his side.<ref name="Ronald Bergan"/>

Gregory Peck is entombed in the [[Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels]] [[mausoleum]] in [[Los Angeles]]. His eulogy was read by [[Brock Peters]], whose character, Tom Robinson, was defended by Peck's Atticus Finch in ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|To Kill a Mockingbird]]''.<ref name=last>{{cite news|last2=Hoffman|first2=Alice|last1=Rubin|first1=Joel|title=Peck Memorial Honors Beloved Actor and Man|date=June 17, 2003|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2003/jun/17/local/me-peck17|access-date=June 15, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=McLaughlin|first=Katie|title='Mockingbird' film at 50: Lessons on tolerance, justice, fatherhood hold true|date=February 3, 2012|publisher=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/03/showbiz/to-kill-a-mockingbird-50/|access-date=June 15, 2015}}</ref> The celebrities who attended Peck's funeral included [[Lauren Bacall]], [[Sidney Poitier]], [[Harry Belafonte]], [[Shari Belafonte]], [[Harrison Ford]], [[Calista Flockhart]], [[Mike Farrell]], [[Shelley Fabares]], [[Jimmy Smits]], [[Louis Jourdan]], [[Dyan Cannon]], [[Stephanie Zimbalist]], [[Michael York]], [[Angie Dickinson]], [[Larry Gelbart]], [[Michael Jackson]], [[Anjelica Huston]], [[Lionel Richie]], [[Louise Fletcher]], [[Tony Danza]], and [[Piper Laurie]].<ref name=last/><ref>{{cite web|last=Collins|first=Dan|title=Peck Eulogized As Extraordinary|date=June 17, 2003|work=[[CBS News]]|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/peck-eulogized-as-extraordinary/|access-date=June 15, 2015}}</ref>

The [[Gregory Peck Award|Gregory Peck Award for Cinematic Excellence]] was created by the Peck family in 2008 to commemorate their father by honoring a director, producer or actor's life's work. Originally presented at the Dingle International Film Festival in his ancestral home in [[Dingle|Dingle, Ireland]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dinglefilmfestival.com/gregory_peck/|title=The Gregory Peck Award: For Excellence in the Art of Film. {{!}} Dingle International Film Festival|language=en|access-date=August 19, 2019|archive-date=February 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225202444/https://www.dinglefilmfestival.com/gregory_peck/|url-status=dead}}</ref> since 2014 it has been presented at the [[San Diego International Film Festival]] in the city where he was born and raised. Recipients include [[Gabriel Byrne]], [[Laura Dern]], [[Alan Arkin]], [[Annette Bening]], [[Patrick Stewart]] and [[Laurence Fishburne]].

==Acting credits and awards==
{{Main|Gregory Peck on screen, stage and radio|List of awards and honours received by Gregory Peck|l2=awards and honors}}

According to the [[American Film Institute]], the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]], and the [[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]], Peck's most significant works include ''[[Days of Glory (1944 film)|Days of Glory]]'' (1944), ''[[The Keys of the Kingdom (film)|The Keys of the Kingdom]]'' (1945), ''[[Spellbound (1945 film)|Spellbound]]'' (1945), ''[[The Yearling (film)|The Yearling]]'' (1946), ''[[Gentleman's Agreement]]'' (1947), ''[[Twelve O'Clock High]]'' (1949), ''[[The Gunfighter]]'' (1950), ''[[The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952 film)|The Snows of Kilimanjaro]]'' (1952),  ''[[Roman Holiday]]'' (1953), ''[[The Big Country]]'' (1958), ''[[Moby Dick (1956 film)|Moby Dick]]'' (1956), ''[[Designing Woman]]'' (1957), ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]'' (1961), ''[[Cape Fear (1962 film)|Cape Fear]]'' (1962), ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|To Kill a Mockingbird]]'' (1962), ''[[Arabesque (1966 film)|Arabesque]]'' (1966), ''[[Mackenna's Gold]]'' (1969), ''[[The Omen]]'' (1976) and ''[[Old Gringo]]'' (1989).<ref name="The Academy1">{{cite web |title=GREGORY PECK |url=https://www.oscars.org/collection-highlights/gregory-peck |website=The Academy |date=October 3, 2014 |access-date=February 24, 2021}}</ref><ref name="AFI1">{{cite web |title=Gregory Peck, 17th AFI Life Achievement Award Honoree |url=https://www.afi.com/laa/gregory-peck/ |website=AFI |access-date=February 24, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Gregory Peck Archives |url=https://www.afi.com/news/tag/gregory-peck/ |website=AFI |access-date=February 24, 2021}}</ref><ref name="HPFA">{{cite web |title=Gregory Peck |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/gregory-peck |website=HFPA |access-date=February 24, 2021}}</ref> Among his television projects are ''[[The Blue and the Gray (miniseries)|The Blue and the Gray]]'' (1982) ''[[The Scarlet and the Black]]'' (1983) and ''[[Moby Dick (1998 miniseries)|Moby Dick]]'' (miniseries 1998).<ref>{{cite web |title=Gregory Peck |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/149486%7C63511/Gregory-Peck/#filmography |website=Turner Classic Movies |access-date=February 24, 2021}}</ref> On stage, Peck appeared in ''[[Angel Street (play)|Gas Light]]'' at the [[La Jolla Playhouse]] and ''[[The Will Rogers Follies]]'' at the [[Palace Theatre]].<ref name="Ronald Bergan" /><ref name=IBDB>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/gregory-peck-55817|title=Gregory Peck|publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]]|access-date=February 22, 2020}}</ref>
[[File:Los Angeles (California, USA), Hollywood Boulevard, Gregory Peck -- 2012 -- 4975.jpg|right|thumb|Peck's star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]]]
Peck received five total [[Academy Award]] nominations for ''[[The Keys of the Kingdom (film)|The Keys of the Kingdom]]'' (1945), ''[[The Yearling (film)|The Yearling]]'' (1946), ''[[Gentleman's Agreement]]'' (1947), ''[[Twelve O'Clock High]]'' (1949), winning the [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] for his performance in ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|To Kill a Mockingbird]]'' (1962). In 1967, he received the [[Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award]].<ref name="The Academy1" />  Peck received five nominations for the [[Golden Globe Awards]], recognizing his work in ''[[The Yearling (film)|The Yearling]]'' (1946), ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|To Kill a Mockingbird]]'' (1962), ''[[Captain Newman, M.D.]]'' (1964), ''[[MacArthur (1977 film)|MacArthur]]'' (1977), ''[[The Boys from Brazil (film)|The Boys from Brazil]]'' (1978) and ''[[Moby Dick (1998 miniseries)|Moby Dick]]'' (miniseries 1998). Peck won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Golden Globe for Best Actor]] twice as well as one [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film]], and was honored with the [[Cecil B. DeMille Award]] in 1969.<ref name="HPFA" />

In 1969, President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] honored Peck with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the nation's highest civilian honor. In 1998, Peck received the [[National Medal of Arts]] from President [[Bill Clinton]] for his contributions to acting.<ref>{{cite web |title=BIO |url=https://www.gregorypeck.com/bio/ |website=Gregory Peck |access-date=February 23, 2021}}</ref> During his lifetime, he also was a recipient of the [[AFI Life Achievement Award]], the [[Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award]] and the [[Kennedy Center Honors]].<ref name="AFI1" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Kennedy Center to Honor 7 Artists |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/08/theater/kennedy-center-to-honor-7-artists.html |access-date=February 23, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=August 8, 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=8th – SAG Awards|url=https://www.sagawards.org/awards/life-achievement-award-recipient/8th|website=[[Screen Actors Guild Award]]s|publisher=[[SAG-AFTRA]]|access-date=January 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822044206/http://www.sagawards.org/awards/life-achievement-award-recipient/8th|archive-date=August 22, 2016}}</ref> For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Gregory Peck has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6100 Hollywood Boulevard. In November 2005, the star was stolen, and has since been replaced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=75337|title=Gregory Peck's Hollywood star is reborn|date=December 1, 2005|publisher=[[Nine News]] ([[Australian Associated Press]])|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090112053313/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=75337|archive-date=January 12, 2009}}</ref>

==Archives==
Peck donated his personal collection of home movies and prints of his feature films to the Film Archive of the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] in 1999. The film material at the Academy Film Archive is complemented by printed materials in the Gregory Peck papers at the Academy's Margaret Herrick Library.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gregory Peck Collection|url=http://www.oscars.org/film-archive/collections/gregory-peck-collection|website=Academy Film Archive|date=September 4, 2014}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Gregory Peck on screen, stage and radio|List of Gregory Peck performances]]
* [[List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
<!-- Alpha list; author's last name -->
*{{citation|last=Fishgall|first=Gary|year=2002|title=Gregory Peck: A Biography|location=New York|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn=0-684-85290-X|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NJId3XPaeR0C}}
*{{citation|last=Freedland|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Freedland|year=1980|title=Gregory Peck: A Biography|location=New York|publisher=W. Morrow|isbn=0-688-03619-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TnxZAAAAMAAJ}}
*{{citation|last=Haney|first=Lynn|author-link=Lynn Haney|year=2005|title=Gregory Peck: A Charmed Life|location=New York|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=1-861-05824-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9MbEOmfg4PcC}}

==External links==
{{Commons and category|Gregory Peck|Gregory Peck}}
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.gregorypeck.com Gregory Peck Official Website] – The Gregory Peck Foundation
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{IMDb name|60}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/1432814/Gregory-Peck.html Gregory Peck] ''Daily Telegraph'' obituary
* Gregory Peck in the [https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/M8NP-WW8/p_199593884 1920 US Census] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729022520/https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/M8NP-WW8/p_199593884 |date=July 29, 2013 }}, [https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/1BX8-TYK/p_10435714566 1930 US Census] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729012501/https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/1BX8-TYK/p_10435714566 |date=July 29, 2013 }}, and the [https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/81RN-GMM/p_12935519423 Social Security Death Index] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729015951/https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/81RN-GMM/p_12935519423 |date=July 29, 2013 }}.
* [http://catalog.oscars.org/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=66275 Gregory Peck papers], Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009mw0w Gregory Peck] interview on BBC Radio 4 ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', August 8, 1980
* [http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0002s3d4 Image of Sidney Poitier holding his Oscar alongside Gregory Peck, Annabella and Anne Bancroft backstage at the Academy Awards, Los Angeles, 1964.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806042528/http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198%2Fzz0002s3d4 |date=August 6, 2021 }} [[Los Angeles Times]] Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, [[Charles E. Young Research Library]], [[University of California, Los Angeles]].

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