Peter Cushing Thing" (1982). Director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp both said the portrayal of Ichabod Crane in "Sleepy Hollow" was intended to resemble that of Cushing's old horror film performances. In 2008, fourteen years after his death, Cushing's image was used in a set of stamps issued by the Royal Mail honouring Hammer Studios films on the fiftieth anniversary of the release of "Dracula". Peter Cushing was dedicated to his wife Helen, to whom he was married for twenty-eight years until her death in 1971. Cushing often said he felt his life had ended when hers did, and he was
Sleepy Hollow (film) romance with Katrina. His work went uncredited through the WGA screenwriting credit system. While Johnny Depp was Burton's first choice for the role of Ichabod Crane, Paramount required him to consider Brad Pitt, Liam Neeson and Daniel Day-Lewis. Depp was cast in July 1998 for his third collaboration with Burton. The actor wanted Ichabod to parallel Irving's description of the character in the short story. This included a long prosthetic snipe nose, huge ears, and elongated fingers. Paramount turned down his suggestions, and after Depp read Tom Stoppard's rewrite of the script, he was inspired to take the character even