Gregory Peck with his daughter Cecilia and son Anthony attend the 42nd Cannes Film Festival.Photo:Jean-Claude Deutsch/Jacques Lange/Paris Match via Getty
Jean-Claude Deutsch/Jacques Lange/Paris Match via Getty
Gregory Peckplayed beloved father Atticus Finch inTo Kill a Mockingbird, and according to his children, the Oscar-winning actor wasn’t too far off the mark in real life.
“Of all the children in the world who wish they had Atticus as their father, I got to grow up with him. He really was that kind of dad,” daughter Cecilia Peck toldCravein 2012. “He was so kind and so loving. So… strict and firm with us as children, but he was very much like the dad in the book as a person as well as a father.”
She added: “I got to grow up with the best and most loving dad in the world.”
TheCape Fearactor, who died in June 2003 at age 87, first became a dad in 1944 with the birth of his son Jonathan, whom he shared with his then-wife Greta Kukkonen. The couple went on to welcome two more children together, sons Stephen in 1946 and Carey in 1949, before separating in January 1953 and divorcing in 1954, per theSan Bernardino County Sun.
Gregory married French journalist Veronique Peck in 1955, and the couple welcomed two children: son Anthony in 1956 and daughter Cecilia in 1958.
TheSpellboundstar still proved to be a rock for his children after the devastating loss. As Anthony toldHuffpostin 2016, “My father never let me down. Not once."
He also opened up about his relationship with his dad in a 2017 Father’s Day video for clothing companyHuntsman, saying, “There’s not a decision I make, or a choice that I make, without thinking of what my father would do. No matter what is in front of me, I, without question think of what Greg would do. And if I can follow it, everything turns out just fine.”
Here is everything to know about Gregory Peck’s five children: Jonathan, Stephen, Carey, Anthony and Cecilia.
Jonathan Peck
Johnathan Peck shown in a recent photo, circa 1975.Getty
Getty
Gregory and his then-wife Greta Kukkonen welcomed their first son, Jonathan, in 1944. The couple split when he was around 8 years old.
According to theDetroit Free Press, Gregory’s oldest son was a track star in school. He was also ambitious, spending two years in Tanzania and serving six years in the Marine Corps Reserves.
Actor Gregory Peck and his son Jonathan at the airport of London on December 11, 1953.Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty
Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty
Jonathan’s former colleague Bob Read spoke to theDetroit Free Pressin August 1975 about his relationship with Gregory. “He and his father were very close and confided in one another regularly,” Read said of the pair.
Gregory, who reportedly took two years off from acting in the wake of his son’s death, expressed his great sadness that he wasn’t present for Jonathan’s last days. “My regret, that I’ll live with for the rest of my life, is that I was in France instead of California,” he once said, perThe Telegraph.
TheRoman Holidaystar also opened up about the tragedy in a 1987 interview with PEOPLE, citing overwork, arteriosclerosis and a breakup among his son’s troubles.
Stephen Peck, 78
Gregory Peck, son Stephen Peck and his son Ethan Peck attend the 60th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade on December 1, 1991 at KTLA Studios in Hollywood, California.Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Gregory and Kukkonen welcomed their second son, Stephen, on Aug. 16, 1946.
While Gregory publicly protested the U.S.’s involvement in Vietnam, his daughter Cecilia told HuffPost in 2016, that he was “tremendously proud” of his son, who rose through the ranks to become a marine lieutenant.
Stephen returned home in 1970 to complete his graduate film education at the University of Southern California. He later went back to the school to earn a master’s degree in social work.
His time in the war affected him deeply, however, and he turned his attention to directing and co-producing several films on the topic, includingHeart of the Warriorin 1990 and 1991’sFar from Home.
Gregory Peck and son Stephen Peck on the set of the1958 film ‘Big Country’.SNAP
SNAP
Stephen also became involved in veteran affairs, taking on a role as an outreach worker at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, according toNorthwesternMagazine, and later became a community development director for the United States Veterans Initiative, a nonprofit that works to provide temporary housing to veterans experiencing homelessness. As of 2021, he was the company’s president and CEO.
Stephen is also a father. On March 2, 1986, he welcomedactor Ethan Peckwith his then-wife Francine Matarazzo. He is nowmarried to Kristine Kidd, with whom he shares two dogs: Atticus Finch, named for Gregory’s most famous character, and Tango.
Carey Paul Peck, 75
Carey Peck and Lita Albuquerque attend the 12th Distinguished Women in the Arts Luncheon at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on January 11, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.Kyle Goldberg/BFA.com/Shutterstock
Kyle Goldberg/BFA.com/Shutterstock
Gregory and Kukkonen welcomed their third son, Carey Paul, on June 17, 1949.
As a young man, he attended Georgetown University and served as a member of the Peace Corps, perThe Washington Post.
While many of his father’s famous friends contributed to his campaign, includingKirk Douglas, James Stewart andLiza Minnelli, who headlined some of Carey’s fundraisers, Carey toldTheWashington Postthat his father wasn’t the driving force behind his race. “We worked this out as a partnership to make sure he wouldn’t carry it for me,” he said. “I campaign and politic and he does not. This, after all, is my race.”
As Carey told the newspaper, the ultimately unsuccessful campaign took a toll on his personal life. “[Cathy and I] spend a lot of time talking about what’s happening to our marriage as a result of this campaign,” he said at the time, adding, “People demand so much of you.”
Gregory Peck And his son Carey Peck, circa 1976.Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch
Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch
Carey ran for Congress a second time and after losing, started working as a bank officer. TheLos Angeles Timeslater reported that he was set to marry artist Lita Albuquerque, whom he had met at an art reception 15 months prior, on Dec. 31, 1989. The pair now share a son named Chris.
According toGregory’s website, Carey serves as a principal analyst and grant administrator for the Los Angeles Unified School District and focuses on after-school programs.
Anthony “Tony” Peck, 68
Anthony Peck attends the Huntsman Celebrates Gregory Peck on June 2, 2016 in Los Angeles, CA.Owen Kolasinski/BFA/Shutterstock
Owen Kolasinski/BFA/Shutterstock
Gregory and his second wife, Veronique Peck, welcomed their first child, son Anthony “Tony,” on Oct. 24, 1956.
Growing up in California, Anthony was exposed to the arts through his father’s famous friends. “I thought it was normal thatFrank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Jimmy Stewart,Ava Gardner,Audrey HepburnandSophia Lorenwould come for dinner, until I was about 16,” he told HuffPost in 2016. “As a basis for what to look for in life, it gave me something to aim for.”
When Anthony was old enough, he went to boarding school and, later, Amherst College and The Juilliard School. According to Gregory’s youngest son, he was mischievous, despite receiving hand-written letters from his dad urging him to succeed. “I pushed the Peck’s bad boy role for quite some time,” he admitted to the outlet.
Anthony added, “A lot of fathers would have gotten pretty nervous. It wasn’t easy on my dad.”
Actor Gregory Peck with his son Anthony Peck while in the set of the film “To Kill A Mockingbird” in Alabama, 1961.Leo Fuchs/Getty
Leo Fuchs/Getty
Having spent his summers on set with his father, including a stint in Rome for the filming ofThe Scarlet and the Black, Anthony got a taste for the movie industry.
He followed in Gregory’s footsteps, acting oppositeBrooke ShieldsinBrenda Starr(1989) and starring as Barkley Nunn onHollywood Detective(1991). Anthony most recently appeared in 2008’sThe Conspiracy.
In 1991, Anthony became a father for the first time with the birth of his son Zack Peck, whom he shares with his ex-wife, model Cheryl Tiegs. Anthony later remarried, to a woman named Paula.
In 2016, he attended an event commemorating what would have been his father’s 100th birthday at the Spanish Steps in Rome with his little sister Cecilia.
Cecilia Peck, 66
Leon Bennett/Getty
Gregory and Veronique welcomed his only daughter, Cecilia, on May 1, 1958.
“I was the youngest of his five children and his only daughter. He had been hoping for a girl, and I think we had a very special relationship that only fathers and daughters can have,” Cecilia told Huffpost in 2016.
Like Anthony, the youngest Peck spent a lot of time on her father’s film sets in her youth, includingTo Kill a Mockingbird. “I know that I was there, but I don’t remember it. I do have an image of being at the wrap party on the Universal backlot, being in my dad’s arms and dancing with him,” she toldMoviewebin 2012.
Cecilia also spent time with her father at their home in Los Angeles. “He always drove us to school in the mornings on his way to the studio, and he would have dinner with us at home,” Cecilia toldGeorgian Journalin 2022. “On Sundays, we went to the beach in a station wagon loaded up with the dogs, frisbees, footballs, and a picnic.”
When Gregory traveled for work, the family came along, with Cecilia spending her whole third-grade year in London. “We traveled a lot!” she told the publication. “We … would move to different states or countries for weeks or months at a time.”
As a “rebellious teenager,” Cecilia said she butted heads with her father. “There were many times when he would ask me to have lunch, but I would be too busy. He never acted let down, but there was a wistful look in his eye when I would brush past him,” she recalled to Huffpost.
Gregory Peck, his wife Veronique and daughter Cecilia attend Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2000.Pool BENAINOUS/DUCLOS/Gamma-Rapho via Getty
Pool BENAINOUS/DUCLOS/Gamma-Rapho via Getty
They grew much closer in her mid-20s, however, bonding over her chosen craft of acting. According to Cecilia, Gregory’s advice was to study theater at Princeton and “really learn” the industry, which she took to heart, graduating from the university in 1980.
Seven years later, she starred in her first movieMy Best Friend Is a Vampire. Cecilia followed it up with roles inWall Street(1987) andThe Portrait(1993), in which she played Gregory’s daughter on-screen. “I learned so much from working with him, in particular seeing how much he appreciated every single person on the set, from the director to crew members to caterers,” she toldGeorgian Journal.
The role earned Cecilia aGolden Globe nod, but she was ready to shift her focus, making the move into documentary filmmaking. “I am interested in people who stand up for what they believe in,” she explained toCravein 2012. “I think my dad was one. He did all these groundbreaking films that were considered controversial … So those kinds of subjects are what I’m interested in.”
In addition to Gregory, who became the subject of Cecilia’s 1999 filmA Conversation With Gregory Peck, she has made movies about The Chicks (2006’sShut Up & Sing) and Linor Abargil (2013’sBrave Miss World), a survivor of rape who represented her country of Italy in the Miss World competition six weeks after her attack. The film earned Cecilia anEmmy nomination.
In 1999, Cecilia began a family of her own, welcoming son Harper with husband Daniel Voll. Harper was named after the author ofTo Kill a Mockingbird,Harper Lee. The couple welcomed a daughter named Ondine three years later, in 2002.
source: people.com
