"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb inside his skin and walk around in it," said Atticus Finch -- played by Gregory Peck -- in the 1962 screen adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer-winning novel To Kill A Mockingbird.

The same can be said about Peck's approach to the characters he essayed in films. Whether it was conveying complex emotions or playing the gallant hero, Peck got into the skin of his role and connected with his audience.

His inherent classy looks -- a chiselled bone structure, deeply penetrating eyes, and regal smile -- made Peck the original lady-killer. Bollywood heartthrob Madhuri Dixit too nursed a secret crush on this 6'3" Arian in her adolescent years.

In a career that spanned more than four decades, Peck worked in romances like Gentleman's Agreement, Roman Holiday, war epics like Twelve O'Clock High, The Guns of Navarone, and edge-of-the-seat thrillers like Spellbound, Cape Fear, The Omen.

Nominated for the Academy Awards four times for the films The Keys of The Kingdom, The Yearling, Gentleman's Agreement and Twelve O'Clock High, Peck finally won the prestigious Oscar for his convincing portrayal of righteous lawyer Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird.

Recently, the American Film Institute announced Atticus Finch as the top hero of all times in 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains.

Peck passed away quietly on June 12 leaving behind a plethora of memories and a legacy of rich cinema. We recall some of Peck's memorable films as we bid adieu to a star from Hollywood's golden era:

* Gregory Peck played a priest in John M Stahl's The Keys of the Kingdom (1944). His effective performance fetched him his first Oscar nomination.

* Peck suffered from amnesia in Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound. The 1945 noir classic also featured Ingrid Bergman.

* Playing the loving father in The Yearling (1946) won Peck an Oscar nomination. The film starred Jane Wyman as Peck's wife and Claude Jarman as his 11-year-old son Jody.

* Another Oscar nomination came up with Peck's portrayal of an undercover reporter in a Jewish society. Although Peck didn't win, the film -- Gentleman's Agreement (1947) -- was adjudged the best film.

* In Twelve O'Clock High, Peck strives to get his troops' act together as Brigadier General Frank Savage. Directed by Henry King, the film was released in 1949.

*Although Roman Holiday (1953) centred on Audrey Hepburn, the classic romance wouldn't have been complete without Peck's charming presence.

* Peck essayed Captain Ahab, who is obsessed with a huge whale, Moby Dick. John Huston adapted Herman Melville's novel for the big screen in 1956.

* One of Peck's biggest box-office hits was the epic war film The Guns of Navarone (1961).

* In the dark thriller Cape Fear (1962), Peck played a lawyer stalked by a psycho (Robert Mitchum). Twenty-nine years later, Martin Scorsese remade the movie with Nick Nolte and Robert De Niro. Peck made a brief appearance in this release also.

* Peck's performance as an upright lawyer defending a black man in To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) brought him critical and mass acclaim as well his first Oscar.

* Mackenna's Gold teamed Peck with Omar Shariff in 1969. Though this Western flick had engaging performances, it didn't click at the box office. Interestingly, the film did great business in India.

* In Richard Donner's The Omen, Peck played a helpless father who learns that his son Damien is Satan's avatar. The Omen was a smashing success and resurrected Peck's position considerably.