The American Film Institute named Gregory Peck’s Atticus Finch the greatest movie hero in cinema history. Audiences saw unshakable integrity. What they did not see was the grief, self-doubt, and personal losses that shaped the actor behind the role.

This episode explores Peck’s journey from a lonely childhood through his rise as one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, a failed first marriage, and the devastating loss of his eldest son.

• He was rejected from military service due to a back injury from a college rowing accident
• His Atticus Finch won him the Academy Award in 1963
• He turned down roles in High Noon and Ben-Hur, both of which won Best Picture
• He and President Lyndon Johnson were close friends who spoke regularly by phone