May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993
Mr. Price was one of the coolest ghouls in film. No doubt about it. One of his last roles was in the film “The Whales of August.” I knew someone that worked on that film, and they told me, “You could smell the death on that set.” His very last film role was in Edward Scissorhands. He deserved every second of that film. Class, all the way.
Vincent was married for many years to Australian born actress, Coral Browne.
Remember their appearance at the infamous Rob Lowe/Snow White (which I loved!) Oscars? They were Hollywood royalty.
Vincent and Coral lived in the Hollywood Hills, on a street called Swallow Drive.
Don’t say it. Their house was located at number 9255.
Here’s the best view of it, I could get on film.
Sadly, Coral died in May of 1991, of breast cancer. Although it is said that their marriage was one of “convenience,” Vincent never really got over Coral’s death. Here’s a note I received from him, when I sent him a condolence card. She was his third wife.
Coral was cremated and scattered in a rose garden, at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Update: July 2001 – I didn’t mention this before, and I really don’t know why. About 6 months after Coral died, I was scrounging through my files on Vincent, and found his phone number. So, one drunken Sunday afternoon (actually it was my friend Bo’s birthday, and she adores Vincent) I called him, and had Bo get on the other phone. He answered the phone (many dogs barking in the background) and I said, “Hello, Mr. Price, my name is Scott Michaels from Chicago. How are you?” Well, he was honest. “Not very well at all.” He went on to talk about how he missed his wife, and I expressed my sympathy again. Really sweet man. He did take a second out of his day to wish Bo a Happy Birthday, and was genuinely not bothered (at least he seemed) about talking. After a couple of minutes I wished him well, and hung up A real nice guy. He died a few months later.
Vincent eventually met his own end in his home, on Monday, October 25th, 1993. Lung cancer claimed the 82-year-old star.
Vincent was cremated, and was scattered at sea.
Findadeath.com friend Lou Carradi sends this in: As almost everyone knows, Vincent did the “rap” session on “Thriller”, the song on the album of the same name. For this work, he was paid a flat fee (probably scale), and thought nothing of it until the album took off like (forgive the pun) a bat out of hell, and became the biggest selling album of all time. Had Vincent and his agent worked out a deal that gave him a percentage of total sales, he would have scored, perhaps, the largest payday of his career. What bothered “The Abominable Doctor Phibes” most, however, was that he thought Michael should have come to his home with another check, just to say “thanks”. Vincent let it be known in Hollywood circles how Jackson had given him the shaft (I resist the temptation to add a Michael Jackson joke here). Lo and behold, one day, two of the Jackson brothers showed up at his home with a gold record plaque for Vincent….but that was it! No check….no Bubbles the Chimp….no Elephant Man skeleton! Vincent accepted it graciously, but later scoffed at the gift, exclaiming, “What am I supposed to do? Build a shrine for it?!” Years later, as child molestation charges surfaced against Jackson, Vincent was asked if he thought they were true. He sarcastically replied, “They must be true….after all…..he fucked me too!”
Thanks, Lou.
I saw Vincent on the Tonight Show shortly after that song was released. When whomever the host was asked him to do his famous laugh, he replied (laughingly), “That one will cost you,” and didn’t do it. Don’t blame him. Funny story tho.
UPDATE December 2004, from Findadeath friend Michael: Hi, A small piece of trivia to add to the Vincent Price page. Vincent Price attended The Country Day School in St. Louis, Missouri. This is a private, non-denominational high school for wealthy students. Currently, the tuition is in the neighborhood of 15K/annum. Everyone who attends is from a well to do family and Vincent was no exception. His father owned a candy company, the name of which escapes me. The father inherited the company from his father. Vincent lived a life of leisure in that he was allowed to travel overseas to Europe and spend summers their and semesters abroad, etc…Given his background and the time he was raised, Vincent was probably a ‘class act’ all the way. Michael
Thanks, Michael!
December 2004 again, from Findadeath friend Mari: Hey Scott, It’s Mari again… still glued to your great site. Re: Your notation that Vincent Price worked on Thriller with Michael Jackson, it may be true, but I NEVER listen to Michael Jackson. I noticed you failed to mention his part on Alice Cooper’s Welcome to my Nightmare…. Price was the veritable spooky voice in The Black Widow. Later! Mari
Thanks, Mari!
Vincent Price’s grandfather invented “Dr. Price’s Cream Baking Powder in the mid-19th Century because his mother loved making biscuits but found they were too hard. Scott I’m sending you an advertisement for this product that was published in 1889, thought you’d find it interesting
I was born and raised is West St. Louis County and my brothers in high school used to play “CODASCO” (St. Louis Country Day School) in basketball and baseball. We were a tiny town and tiny school (52 people in my graduating class in the mid 90s). So it was quite a wake up call walking onto that campus and seeing the wealth. I never thought a high schooler would be driving a new Porsche like Jake Ryan did in Sixteen Candles yet I saw a few of them. It blew my 12 year old mind.
Met him in Beverly Hills just after I appeared with Peter O’Toole at the Old Vic in London. (1980). Told him I’d recently been past his house….he said he’d never lived there…then I stupidly mentioned he was English…he said he wasn’t…I followed this up by mentioning he’d appeared in Hammer Horror Films….he said he hadn’t and that I obviously had the wrong person. Very gracious though.
I was much more cautious when talking to Fred Astaire, and had learnt a valuable lesson from V P…..research first, speak later !
In The Song of Bernadette, Vincent Price’s character (an unbeliever) speaks toward the end of the movie how he is dying of lung cancer…ironic, eh?
may you rest in peace vincent price i saw you on the muppet show i like you in edward scissorhands director tim burton
By all accounts Vincent had an upper class childhood. Can’t find any reference to it now, but think one of his grandfathers invented something like baking soda. Trips to Europe, Yale graduate, you get the idea.
Unfortunately Vincent wasn’t such a great businessman. Shocked at his house shown. A prior (if not the prior) house was an 11,000+ sf, 1.5+ acres 1920’s Spanish at 580 N. Beverly Glen in Holmby Hills! Recall reading him lamenting selling the place just prior to the crazy price hikes which must have been the late ’70s to early ’80s; bet he got less than a million. Last time checked place was listed just shy of $21 million!
Think Coral was ultimately good for Vincent, but she did have her own agenda. When she died Vincent discovered Coral had a substantal income from several trust funds former lovers had left her. Apparently Coral played poor during their marrage & Vincent paid for everything.
One of the few sorry to have never met –
When are you going to add more to your site. I love it!!! On Vincent Price. He was asked to do the intro for Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast back in very early eighties. Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson said they had an English actor, Barry Clayton do it because Mr. Price wouldn’t do it for less than 25,000. Sure sounds like him though. Hope to see more updates to your site. Ray
I thought you might be interested to know that Vincent Price’s wonderful voice lives on at Disneyland Paris. He provided some of the English narration for the Phantom Manor ride, and gives the Phantom his menacing laugh.