Actor Gregory Peck

has died at the age of 87.

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He gave many memorable performances over his long career. He starred in Spellbound, Gentlemen's Agreement, Cape Fear, and To Kill a Mockingbird. He was also known as one of Hollywood's best known liberals.

But Peck didn't always strike gold in his performances. One performance I can think of ranks among the all-time worst: his performance as the lecherous, lewd Lewt McCanles in the camp classic Duel in the Sun (1946) . He was horribly miscast in a repellent role as the young outlaw who competes with milquetoast lawyer Joseph Cotten for the love and affection of half-breed Jennifer Jones (complete with dark makeup and gleaming white teeth). Jones didn't think she was good enough for either man: "Trash! Trash, trash, trash, trash, trash!" So was the movie, but it was and is fun because it is trash.

True, Peck wasn't as wretched as Lionel Barrymore in the role of Peck's father, but Peck was bad enough.

Who could ever forget the end of that movie when both Peck and Jones mortally wound each other in a gunfight at the godforsaken Squaw's Head Rock and they spend about the last ten minutes of the film crawling towards each other to the final embrace and fade out (for them and the movie). Gads. Peck had nowhere to go but up after this.

In any case, one legendary clunker in a pretty stellar career ain't bad.