Who played Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird?

Gregory Peck played Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird. He portrayed the principled Alabama lawyer who defends Tom Robinson while raising his children, Scout and Jem.

Directed by Robert Mulligan, the film adapts Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1960 novel. Atticus is seen largely through Scout’s perspective, allowing the story to combine a child’s memories with a serious examination of racism, justice, and moral courage in the Depression-era South.

Peck’s performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 35th Academy Awards. The role became closely associated with his public image, partly because he shared some personal history with Atticus: Peck had grown up in California, while Lee’s novel drew on her own Alabama childhood and observations of local people.

A common mix-up is confusing Peck’s Atticus with later stage and screen portrayals. James Stewart was considered for the part during development but did not take it. The American Film Institute later ranked Peck’s Atticus Finch as the greatest hero in American cinema, reflecting the character’s lasting cultural impact.