One of the great movie actors, Gregory Peck, has died.

I heard the proclamation on NPR yesterday and couldn't help but think of the man leaning back in a chair against a jailhouse in the deep south waiting for the lynch mob.

To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my favorite pieces of film (and not a bad book, to boot :-) ). The 1962 classic pits local lawyer Atticus Finch against a crazed town in a tale of shame, courage, the troubling nature of appearances, and the hopes and realities of justice. If you haven't seen it, then it is time to get out the DVD and watch it in honor of this man's passing.

Although To Kill A Mockingbird is certainly my favorite of his films, his 50+ year career included many classic and enjoyable films. Here are just a few of my favorites to remember him by:

• To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
• Cape Fear (also 1962)
• The Guns of Navarone (1961)
• Moby Dick (1956)
• Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
• The Yearling (1946)
• How the West Was Won (1962)
• Marooned (1969)
• The Omen (1976)
• The Boys From Brazil (1978)
• Cape Fear (1991 - same movie, different character, and in color)

Mr. Peck, you will be sorely missed, but well remembered.