In October 1942 Peck married Finnish-born Greta Kukkonen (1911–2008), with whom he had three sons, Jonathan (1944–75), Stephen (b. 1946), and Carey Paul (b. 1949). They were divorced on December 30, 1955, but maintained a very good relationship.
On December 31, 1955, the day after his divorce was finalized, Peck married Veronique Passani (1932–2012), a Paris news reporter who had interviewed him in 1953 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, and a daughter Cecilia Peck. The couple remained married until Gregory Peck's death.
Peck had grandchildren from both marriages.
Peck owned the thoroughbred steeplechase race horse Different Class, which raced in England. The horse was favored for the 1968 Grand National but finished third. Peck was close friends with French president Jacques Chirac.
On June 12, 2003, Peck died in his sleep at home from bronchopneumonia. His wife, Veronique, was by his side. Gregory Peck is entombed in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels mausoleum in Los Angeles, California. His eulogy was read by Brock Peters, whose character, Tom Robinson, was defended by Peck's Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Video: Gregory Peck winning an Oscar for To Kill a Mockingbird.
I had read somewhere that Peck's first wife, Greta, had some serious mental health issues. Do you know if this is true?
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I know about Greta Peck, is her family emigrated to the United States in 1913 and she later changed her name from Eine Kukkonen to Greta Konen.
ReplyDeleteHer first husband was Charles Rice.
She later owned a beauty salon and an estate agency and was active in charitable causes, raising money for Finnish World War II veterans.
For those activities, she received the Order of the White Rose from the Finnish Government in 1967.
She was also a member of the Finnish-American Chamber of Commerce and received an honorary doctorate from Finlandia University in 1994.