If we may judge by the letters of admiration that arrived in the mailboxes of the big motion-picture companies for the year 1956, we would decide beyond a doubt that the foremost actor, the one who has met with the greatest success and the widest popularity,

is Gregory Peck and no one else. For this brilliant actor of forty springs has now spent thirteen years on the screen, during which he has played the leading roles in 23 films, the most outstanding of which were "The Man in the Gray Suit" and "Moby Dick."

The director of these two films affirms that Greg reached this high standing thanks to his diligence: he never undertook to play any role without laboring over it and giving it its fill of study and scrutiny, and without discussing with those in charge technical details in which the last word was always his..

And this vigilance of Greg's over the course of a film's action goes beyond his own role to the other secondary roles — a thing known of him by everyone who has worked with him, whether actors, directors, or assistants. He is a quiet man, intelligent and sensitive, whose motto is: "silent, earnest work."

Some people trace this application to Greg's slight confidence in his own ability, and to the severity with which he calls himself to account. While the crowds cheer his scenes with "Great! Magnificent!" he contents himself with saying: "Not bad!"

The truth is that the success he won in the film "The Man in the Gray Suit" is owing to the hero's having there the very nature of Greg himself, so that he lived his role as a conservative and strict man. He is paid 107,000 lira per film

and owns, out of his income, an immense fortune; and he always insists on choosing the best directors for his films.

Nor should it be forgotten that

Gregory Peck — the exciting star of the cinema