Peter Wyngarde

About Peter Wyngarde

Who is it?: Actor
Birth Day: August 23, 1927
Birth Place:  Marseille, France, France
Occupation: Actor (film, TV and theatre)

Peter Wyngarde

Peter Wyngarde was born on August 23, 1927 in  Marseille, France, France, is Actor. Peter Paul Wyngarde was born at the home of an aunt in Marseille, Southern France, and is the son of an English father and French mother. Owing to his father's work as a member of the British Diplomatic Service, Peter spent much of his early childhood moving from one country to another, and was educated in a number of different schools.One city which left a lasting impression on him was Shanghai, where he had been temporarily left in the care of a Swiss family whilst his father was away in India on business. The year was 1941, and amidst a mass of turmoil and confusion, news broke that the Japanese had captured the city, and before long, Peter and his surrogate family found themselves in Lung Hau concentration camp.Confined in these desperately brutal conditions for four years, Peter struggled to prevent his family and friends from dying at the hands of the cruel and barbaric soldiers who governed the camp, and on one occasion while running errands between accommodation huts, he was discovered and punished by having both his feet broken with a rifle butt, and then put into solitary confinement for two weeks.During better times however, the young Mr Wyngarde worked in the camp laundry and gardens, and began to write and appear in plays staged by, and for, his fellow inmates, making his acting debut in his own production of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. When the camp was finally liberated in 1945 Peter, who was then suffering from malnutrition, beriberi and malaria, was taken to a sanatorium in the Swiss mountains where he remained for the next two years.After completing his education in Switzerland, France and England, Peter reluctantly honoured his parents' wishes, and entered university, where he began studying law, but soon dropped the idea in favour of a career in advertising. After a brief spell with an agency in London, he walked into an audition, read the part, and was cast as the understudy for the lead in a play in Brighton.His first role on the London stage, however, was with the Nottingham Repertory Company at the Embassy Theatre as Cassio in Othello. From there, he moved to the world famous Old Vic in Bristol, where he not only took the lead role in such classics as Cyrano de Bergerac and Taming of the Shrew, but also tried his hand at directing, most notably with Long Day's Journey Into Night.In 1956, Peter was invited over to the United States to take a screen test for the part of Pausanius in Robert Rosen's epic feature film, Alexander the Great opposite Richard Burton and Fredric March, but after almost a year's work on location in Spain, he watched in horror as his role was cut almost out of existence. Disillusioned with Hollywood, Peter returned to his first love - the British stage, where he took the role of Yang Sun, a Chinese fighter pilot, in Bertold Brecht's, The Good Woman of Setzuan, at the Royal Court Theatre in London's West End. It was here that he first made the acquaintance of the Oliviers - Lawrence and his wife, Vivien Leigh, the latter of whom he later played opposite in the critically acclaimed Duel of Angels.Following the plays hugely successful run at the Apollo Theatre in London in 1958 Ms Leigh, who had since become a close friend of Peter's, begged her leading man to join her in the New York production of the play. Although reluctant at first, Peter was at last persuaded to reprise his role as Count Marcellus, and he made his Broadway debut at the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1959, taking the coveted award for Best Actor in a Foreign Play.On his triumphant return to Britain in 1960, he was almost immediately cast as the enigmatic Peter the Painter in Monty Barman's production of The Siege of Sidney Street - a film which was based on the true story of the British Governments legendary battle with a notorious gang of Slavonic anarchist, whose reputation throughout Europe for robbery and murder lead to one of the bloodiest confrontations in British criminal history.Between numerous starring roles in television productions such as Independent Televisions popular Armchair Theatre and Play of the Week, Peter made two more big screen appearances - both Albert Fennell productions.The first, in 1961, was The Innocents - a feature-length adaptation of the Henry James book, Turn of the Screw, which was followed in 1962 by the classic supernatural thriller, Night of the Eagle (aka Burn, Witch, Burn) which was once again based on a novel - this time Fritz Leiber's Conjure Wife.Between July of 1960 and March of 1969, Peter appeared in no less than thirty television plays, and guest starred in such classic series as The Avengers, I Love Lucy, The Baron, The Saint, The Champions and The Prisoner. In 1969, Peter was cast in what was undoubtedly his most famous role as the legendary author-cum-investigator, Jason King, in the ITC action series, Department S, and soon became the idol of thousands of women the world over. So overwhelming was his effect on television viewers that in 1971, a brand new series - Jason King - was devised, which allowed the handsome novelist to go adventuring without restriction.Following the cancellation of the series at the end of 1972, Peter decided to return to the theatre, and after being greeted at Melbourne Airport by more than 30,000 screaming fans, he took the city by storm in the world premiere of Butley before packed houses every night. Once back in London, Peter took the lead role in Charles Dyers Mother Adam at the Hampstead Theatre, and then went on to tour Britain in the lead role of the King in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I opposite Sally Anne Howes. The following year, he once again took up the mantle of actor/director with Present Laughter, stopping off along the way to host the 1974 Miss Television Contest.In 1975, Peter headed out to Austria to work at the English Theatre in Vienna, to both act in and direct productions of The Merchant of Venice and Big Toys, before returning to the big screen in an Austrian film (Himmel, Scheich Und Wolkenbrunch) in the role of a latter-day Rudolph Valentino. The following year, he returned to the British stage in the Lawrence Parnes' production of Anastasia, and then on to the big screen courtesy of Dino De Laurentiis' lavish 1980s sci-fi blockbuster, Flash Gordon, in which he was cast in the role of General Klytus. It was then back to the stage for a nine-month's tour of South Africa in Deathtrap.In 1984, after an absence of almost 12 years, Peter returned to the small screen with a rare television appearance in the four-part Doctor Who installment, Planet of Fire, which was followed in short succession by the Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense story, And The Wall Came Tumbling Down, and a memorable guest-starring role in Granada Television's Bulman.Having been cast as the somewhat unsavoury character of Sir Robert Knights in the stylish, yet overtly violent British thriller, Tank Malling in 1989 Peter, who scarcely ever agrees to be interviewed, consented to appear on SKY TV's Jameson Show, plus a hearing on Channel 4s Right To Reply and the BBC's daytime magazine, Pebble Mill. More recently, Peter made a welcomed return to our screens in 1994 in Granada Televisions popular Sherlock Holmes series opposite Jeremy Brett, playing the newspaper gossip-columnist, Langdale Pike, in The Three Gables.The long-overdue release of both Department S and Jason King on video in 1993 helped rekindle huge interest in the debonair Mr Wyngarde, with repeats of the series being shown on satellite and cable channels, and public pressure resulting in the re-release of his infamous 1970 album on CD.In recent years, Peter has made numerous TV appearances, which include Astleys Way, Dee Time, 100 Greatest TV Characters, Don't Knock Yourself Out and narrated the acclaimed Timeshift documentary, The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes in 2014.Peter remains one of the most popular British actors of the past 50 years, with a thriving fan club and devoted worldwide following. His appearances at TV and Sci-Fi conventions have drawn thousands of attendees, eager to meet him and to shake the hand of a true acting legend.
Peter Wyngarde is a member of Actor

Does Peter Wyngarde Dead or Alive?

As per our current Database, Peter Wyngarde has been died on 15 January 2018(2018-01-15) (aged 90)\nLondon, England.

🎂 Peter Wyngarde - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday

When Peter Wyngarde die, Peter Wyngarde was 90 years old.

Popular As Peter Wyngarde
Occupation Actor
Age 90 years old
Zodiac Sign Virgo
Born August 23, 1927 ( Marseille, France, France)
Birthday August 23
Town/City  Marseille, France, France
Nationality France

🌙 Zodiac

Peter Wyngarde’s zodiac sign is Virgo. According to astrologers, Virgos are always paying attention to the smallest details and their deep sense of humanity makes them one of the most careful signs of the zodiac. Their methodical approach to life ensures that nothing is left to chance, and although they are often tender, their heart might be closed for the outer world. This is a sign often misunderstood, not because they lack the ability to express, but because they won’t accept their feelings as valid, true, or even relevant when opposed to reason. The symbolism behind the name speaks well of their nature, born with a feeling they are experiencing everything for the first time.

🌙 Chinese Zodiac Signs

Peter Wyngarde was born in the Year of the Rabbit. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rabbit enjoy being surrounded by family and friends. They’re popular, compassionate, sincere, and they like to avoid conflict and are sometimes seen as pushovers. Rabbits enjoy home and entertaining at home. Compatible with Goat or Pig.

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Biography/Timeline

1933

Peter Wyngarde's date and place of birth, his birth name, and his parents' nationalities and occupations are all disputed. According to his own account, he was born Peter Paul Wyngarde on 23 August 1933 to a French mother and a British father named Wyngarde at an aunt's home in Marseille, France. He claimed that his father worked for the British Diplomatic Service in Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore and India, before becoming an importer-exporter living in Eaton Square, London. He also claimed to be the nephew of French actor and Director Louis Jouvet.

1940

Other evidence suggests that Wyngarde's original name was Cyril Louis Goldbert and that he changed his name after arriving in the UK in the mid-1940s. Author J. G. Ballard, with whom he endured the Japanese internment camp Lunghua, said that he and his family knew Wyngarde as Cyril Goldbert in Shanghai during the Second World War, but in interviews Wyngarde denied knowing Ballard. Peter Wyngarde's mother was Marcheritta "Madge" Goldbert, née Ahin, later Macauley. The Ahins were a Eurasian family living in Singapore in the 1890s. Records indicate that she was a Swiss national and that she re-married in 1947 and moved to Malaysia.

1941

In Wyngarde's own accounts of his life he said that he was living in Shanghai when the Japanese Army took over the Shanghai International Settlement on 8 December 1941, and began acting during his internment when he played all the characters in a version of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In April 1943 Cyril Goldbert was interned in the Lunghua civilian internment camp.

1942

Correspondence held in the UK's National Archives shows that in 1942/43 the 15-year-old son of merchant seaman Henry Goldbert, and his two younger siblings, were living in Shanghai. Efforts were made by the UK's Ministry of War Transport, the Prisoners of War Department and various boarding schools to facilitate the children's repatriation from Shanghai to the UK, but the older boy could not be accommodated because of his age.

1945

Following liberation, Cyril Goldbert sailed from Shanghai to Southampton on the Cunard White Star line ship Arawa. He is listed as an 18-year-old Passenger travelling alone, and his next of kin in the UK is named as Mr H. Goldbert. After arrival in the UK on 14 December 1945, Cyril Goldbert is not found in any further UK public records.

1946

In 1946, Wyngarde took his first professional roles in theatre productions, first appearing at the Buxton Playhouse, and the following year in a production of Noël Coward's Present Laughter at the Theatre Royal, Birmingham. He appeared with Alec Guinness in Hamlet in London in 1951 and with Siobhán McKenna in Saint Joan in 1954. His theatre appearances included playing opposite Vivien Leigh in 1958, and as Cyrano De Bergerac at the Bristol Old Vic in 1959, which he considered a highlight of his career.

1950

Wyngarde said he had been married to the Actress Dorinda Stevens for several years in the 1950s, and a Dorinda and Peter Wyngarde are shown living together on the 1953 electoral roll for Holland Park. From 1956 to 1958 he was living with Ruby Talbot in London. In the 1960s, he shared a flat with fellow actor Alan Bates; according to some sources this was a sexual relationship. It was well known within the acting community that Wyngarde was gay – reputedly he acquired the nickname Petunia Winegum, though this was disputed by others who said that the name had merely been invented for a comedy Sketch.

1956

Wyngarde's film work was not extensive, but gained attention. He took the role of Pausanias opposite Richard Burton in the film Alexander the Great (1956), and appeared in the film The Siege of Sidney Street (1960). In Jack Clayton's The Innocents (1961), he had brief unspeaking scenes as the leering Peter Quint with Deborah Kerr and Pamela Franklin. He followed this appearance as the lead in the occult thriller Night of the Eagle (US title: Burn Witch Burn, 1962), his only film appearance in a lead role.

1960

By the late 1960s, Wyngarde was guest starring in television series of the time, many of which were shown internationally, including The Avengers, The Saint, The Baron, The Champions and I Spy. He also appeared in The Prisoner ("Checkmate", 1967) as the authority figure called Number Two. Wyngarde was also a guest star, playing himself as a Shakespearean actor in the 1966 prime-time TV special, Lucy in London starring Lucille Ball.

1969

Wyngarde became a British household name through his starring role in the espionage series Department S (1969). His Jason King character, a Novelist turned sleuth, was reputedly based on the author Ian Fleming. King led a hedonistic lifestyle; he often got the girl but as she is about to kiss him manages to avoid it, much to the annoyance of co-actor Joel Fabiani. After that series ended, his character, the suave womaniser Jason King, was spun off into a new action espionage series entitled Jason King (1971), which ran for one season of 26 fifty-minute episodes.

1970

In 1970, Wyngarde recorded an album released by RCA Victor entitled simply Peter Wyngarde, featuring a single, "La Ronde De L'Amour"/"The Way I Cry Over You". The album is a collection of spoken-word musical arrangements produced by Vic Smith and Hubert Thomas Valverde. Wyngarde claimed that: "It sold out in next to no time... but RCA point-blankly refused to press any more. I was fuming, as I’d been given a three-album contract with the company, who promised to release one LP every 12 months. The excuse was that production was being moved... They told me that everything would have to go on the back burner, but I just believe that they got cold feet". A promo single of the track "Rape" (entitled "Peter Wyngarde Commits Rape") was also issued in 1970.

1973

A revival in October 1973 of The King and I, featuring Wyngarde in the male lead role, and initially with Sally Ann Howes as Anna, ran for 260 performances at the Adelphi Theatre in London. In the late 1970s he performed in the theatre in South Africa and Austria. Also on stage he appeared in the thriller Underground with Raymond Burr at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto, and at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London in 1983.

1975

Public attention was drawn to his behaviour in September 1975 when he was fined £75 (under his probable real name, Cyril Louis Goldbert) for gross indecency with a crane driver in public toilets in Gloucester bus station. This followed an arrest and caution for similar acts in the toilets at Kennedy Gardens in Birmingham the previous year.

1980

Wyngarde played the masked character Klytus in the film Flash Gordon (1980) and Sir Robert Knight in the film Tank Malling (1989) with Ray Winstone. On TV he appeared in The Two Ronnies 1984 Christmas Special as Sir Guy. Other TV appearances include Doctor Who (in the four-episode-story Planet of Fire, 1984), Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense (1984), Bulman (1985), The Lenny Henry Show (1994) and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994).

1992

A Peter Wyngarde appreciation society, The Hellfire Club, was founded in 1992 with Wyngarde's support, with members receiving its quarterly magazine by post. It went online in 2000, and maintains a regularly updated blog and Facebook page.

1993

Wyngarde was an alcoholic at the height of his career, telling an interviewer in 1993 "I drank myself to a standstill ... I am amazed I am still here", but that he stopped drinking in the early 1980s. After regular acting work dried up in the 1980s, he was declared bankrupt and was reported as living on social security benefits.

1995

After leaving a 1995 stage production of The Cabinet of Dr Caligari due to a throat infection while still in previews Wyngarde mostly stopped acting but did occasional voice work.

1998

In 1998, the album was reissued on CD by RPM Records, re-titled When Sex Leers Its Inquisitive Head. The album is now usually treated as a curiosity because of its unusual spoken-word style and the controversial subject matter of some of the tracks.

2003

He appeared as a guest of Simon Dee in the Channel Four one-off revival of his chat show Dee Time in 2003. In 2007, he participated in recording extras for a box-set of The Prisoner, including a mock interview segment titled "The Pink Prisoner".

2014

In January 2014, he narrated an episode of the BBC 4 Timeshift documentary strand, How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective. In the 2015 documentary series for Channel Four, It was Alright in the 1960s, Wyngarde expressed his unease at having to don blackface to play a Turk in The Saint, but said that he had done it only in the hope that a theatre Director might pick him to play Othello.

2018

His agent and manager reported that Wyngarde was admitted to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London in October 2017 with an unspecified illness. He died on 15 January 2018.

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