peck: see English units of measurement.

Peck, Gregory, 1916-2003, American movie actor, b. La Jolla, Calif., as Eldred Gregory Peck. Peck studied at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse and debuted on Broadway in The Morning Star (1942) and in film in Days of Glory (1944). He achieved stardom in 1944 with his role in The Keys to the Kingdom and went on to become one of the screen's most enduring leading men. Tall and dark with a resonant baritone voice, Peck often portrayed characters who displayed quiet strength and nobility in the face of adversity, as he did most notably in his Academy Award-winning role of Alabama lawyer Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Among the many other movies in which he starred are Spellbound (1945), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), Twelve O'Clock High (1949), The Gunfighter (1950), Roman Holiday (1953), Moby Dick (1956), On the Beach (1959), Cape Fear (1962, 1991), The Omen (1976), The Boys from Brazil (1978), and Old Gringo (1989). He appeared in several television productions in the 1980s and 90s. A prominent Hollywood liberal who was active in many charities, Peck also served as chairman (1967-69) of the American Film Institute and president (1967-70) of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Fort Peck Dam, 21,430 ft (6,531 m) long and 250 ft (76 m) high, on the Missouri River, NE Mont.; one of the world's largest earth-filled dams. The dam was built (1933-40) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a flood-control and navigation-improvement project. In 1944 it became part of the Missouri River basin project and is used for irrigation and the generation of hydroelectricity. Fort Peck Lake, 189 mi (304 km) long, is one of the largest artificial lakes in the United States and an important recreation area of the N Great Plains.

Fletcher v. Peck, case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1810, involving the Yazoo land fraud. The court ruled that an act of the Georgia legislature rescinding a land grant was unconstitutional because it revoked rights previously granted by contract. The decision was the first to declare a state legislative act unconstitutional.

(born April 5, 1916, La Jolla, Calif., U.S.—died June 12, 2003, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. film actor. While a premed student at the University of California at Berkeley, he developed a taste for acting. He appeared on Broadway in The Morning Star (1942) and played several other stage roles before making his film debut in Days of Glory (1944). Known for playing likeable, honest men of high moral quality, he starred in movies such as The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), Spellbound (1945), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), Twelve O'Clock High (1949), Roman Holiday (1953), and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962, Academy Award). His later films include MacArthur (1977), The Old Gringo (1989), and Cape Fear (1991). He also served for three years as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Learn more about Peck, (Eldred) Gregory with a free trial on Britannica.com.