<P> In his autobiography, Cushing implies that he attempted suicide on the night of his wife's death by running up and down stairs in the vain hope that it would induce a heart attack . He later stated that this had simply been a hysterical response borne out of grief, and that he had not purposely attempted to end his life; a poem left by Helen had implored him not to die until he had lived his life to the full, and he had resolved that to commit suicide would have meant letting her down . Although not conventionally religious, Cushing maintained a belief both in God and an afterlife . Cushing's colleagues of that period commented on his deeply Christian faith and his conviction that his separation from his wife was only temporary . </P> <P> The effects of his wife's death proved to be as much physical as mental . For his role in Dracula A.D. 1972, Cushing had originally been cast as the father of Stephanie Beacham's character, but had aged so visibly and lost so much weight that the script was hastily re-written to make him her grandfather: it was done again in the last Dracula film from Hammer, The Satanic Rites of Dracula . In a silent tribute to Helen, a shot of Van Helsing's desk includes a photograph of her . He repeated the role of the man who lost family in other horror films, including Asylum (1972), The Creeping Flesh (1973), and The Ghoul (1975). In 1986, Cushing appeared on the BBC TV show Jim'll Fix It, his wish being to have a strain of rose named after Helen; the "Helen Cushing Rose" was the result . </P> <P> In 1976, Cushing was cast in Star Wars in the supporting part of Grand Moff Tarkin . Like all of the other actors portraying Galactic Imperial officers, he was presented with ill - fitting riding boots, which pinched his feet so much that he was given permission by director George Lucas to play the role wearing his slippers . As a result, the camera operators filmed him throughout the film only from the knees up, or else standing behind the table of the Death Star conference room set . This costuming discomfort aside, Cushing contrasted sharply with co-star Alec Guinness in that he enjoyed his experience on the film, appreciated the renewed interest in his work from young fans and only regretted that he could not appear in the sequels . </P> <P> For the 2016 film Rogue One, CGI and digitally - repurposed - archive footage were used to insert Peter Cushing's likeness from the original movie over the body of actor Guy Henry . Henry provided the on - set capture and voice work with the reference material augmented and mapped over his performance like a digital body - mask . Cushing's estate owners were heavily involved with the creation which took place over twenty years after his death . This extensive use of CGI to "resurrect" an actor who had died decades ago created a great deal of controversy about the ethics of using a deceased actor's likeness . Joyce Broughton, Cushing's former secretary, had approved recreating Cushing in the film . After attending the London premiere, she was reportedly "taken aback" and "dazzled" with the effect of seeing Cushing on screen again . </P>

Who played tarkin in the original star wars