Peter Jeffrey

See also: Peter Jeffrey (disambiguation)

Peter Jeffrey
Jeffrey in an episode of Adam Adamant Lives!
Born	(1929-04-18)18 April 1929 Bristol, England
Died	25 December 1999(1999-12-25) (aged 70) Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1944–1999
Spouses	Yvonne Bonnamy ​ ​ (m. 1955, divorced)​ Jill Jowett ​ (m. 1990)​
Children	5

Peter Jeffrey (18 April 1929 – 25 December 1999) was an English character actor. Starting his performing career on stage, he later portrayed many roles in television and film.

Early life

Jeffrey was born in Bristol, the son of Florence Alice (née Weight) and Arthur Winfred Gilbert Jeffrey. He was educated at Harrow School and Pembroke College, Cambridge, but had no formal training as an actor.

Career

Theatre

Jeffrey spent many years on stage with the Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Shakespeare Company. From 25 May 1966 he appeared in Tango, a play by Sławomir Mrożek at the Aldwych Theatre alongside Patience Collier, Mike Pratt, Ursula Mohan and Dudley Sutton, under director Trevor Nunn.

Television

Numerous television roles include two guest appearances in Doctor Who: as the Colony Pilot in The Macra Terror (1967) and as Count Grendel in The Androids of Tara (1978). In Granada Television's daytime legal drama series Crown Court, Jeffrey played Barrister Peter Edgar QC having made a previous appearance as William Askwith Vennings in the case involving Regina v Vennings & Vennings.

He played King Philip II of Spain in the BBC serial Elizabeth R (1971) and Oliver Cromwell in By the Sword Divided (1985). He also appeared in Special Branch (1973), Thriller (1974), Porridge (1975), Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1975), Quiller (1975), Rising Damp (1978), Minder (1980), Nanny (1981), Juliet Bravo (1982), Yes Minister (1984), and Dennis Potter's Lipstick on Your Collar (1993). He played the villainous Sultan in the fantasy epic The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) and appeared as Police Commissioner Blamire in Our Friends in the North (1996).

He made three appearances in The Avengers; the episodes were "Room Without A View" (1966), "The Joker" (1967) and "The Game" (1968). He featured in The New Avengers episode "House of Cards" (1976)

Movies

He played the role of Headmaster in Lindsay Anderson's If..... In 1971, he played Inspector Trout in The Abominable Dr. Phibes, a role he reprised in 1972 in Dr. Phibes Rises Again. He later starred as disgraced Oxford don and psychiatric hospital inmate Ahmet in Midnight Express (1978).

Death

Jeffrey died on Christmas Day in 1999 from prostate cancer.

Selected Filmography

Films

• Never Look Back (1952) – Court reporter (uncredited)
• Becket (1964) – Baron
• The Early Bird (1965) – Fire Chief
• That Riviera Touch (1966) – Mauron
• A Choice of Kings (1966) – Bishop Odo
• The Fighting Prince of Donegal (1966) – Sergeant
• The Fixer (1968) – Berezhinsky
• If.... (1968) – Headmaster: Staff
• Ring of Bright Water (1969) – Colin Wilcox
• The Best House in London (1969) – Sherlock Holmes (uncredited)
• Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) – Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
• Goodbye Gemini (1970) – Detective Inspector Kingsley
• Countess Dracula (1971) – Captain Balogh – Chief Bailiff
• The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) – Inspector Trout
• The Horsemen (1971) – Hayatal
• Kidnapped (1973) – Riach
• What Became of Jack and Jill? (1972) – Dr. Graham
• Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) – Inspector Trout
• O Lucky Man! (1973) – Factory chairman / Prison Governor
• The Odessa File (1974) – David Porath
• Deadly Strangers (1975) – Belle's Uncle
• The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) – General Wadafi
• Midnight Express (1978) – Ahmet
• Britannia Hospital (1982) – Sir Geoffrey
• The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) – Sultan
• Hands of a Murderer (1990) – Mycroft Holmes
• A Village Affair (1995) - Peter Morris
• Rasputin (1996) - Bishop Hermogones
• The Treasure Seekers (1996) - Wentworth
• Breakout (1997) - Prof. Bannerman
• The Tale of Sweeney Todd (1997) - Dr. Maxwell

Television

• The Castiglioni Brothers (1958) - Camillio
• Saturday Playhouse: Conflict at Kalandi (1960) - Major Verreker
• The Spread of the Eagle (1963) - Sicinius Velutus (3 episodes)
• First Night: Sticks (1963) - Lieutenant
• No Hiding Place (1964) - Horatio (1 episode)
• The Plane Makers (1964-5) - James Cameron-Grant MP (8 episodes)
• The Saint (1964-5) - George Marring, Quincy (2 episodes)
• ITV Play of the Week: Acquit or Hang (1964) - Muspratt
• Public Eye (1965) - Harry Lawford (1 episode)
• Armchair Theatre: The Mandarins (1965) - Marsden
• The Wednesday Play: Moving On (1965) - Staff Tucker
• Armchair Mystery Theatre - Time and Mr Madingley (1965) - Prescott
• Cluff (1965) - Reader (1 episode)
• ITV Play of the Week: Two Blue Birds (1965) - Cameron Gee
• The Wednesday Play: The Seven O'Clock Crunch (1965) - Martin
• The Liars (1966) - Cadi (1 episode)
• Adam Adamant Lives! (1966) - Sinoda (1 episode)
• The Wednesday Play: A Tale of Two Wives (1966) - Raoul
• ITV Play of the Week: A Choice of Kings (1966) - Odo, Bishop of Bayeuz
• The Avengers (1966-8) - Various (3 episodes)
• BBC Play of the Month: The Making of Jericho (1966) - O' Reilly
• Dixon of Dock Green (1966) - Det. Insp. Carter (2 episodes)
• Drama 61-67' - Mr Irtin (1967) - Mr Irtin
• Doctor Who: The Macra Terror (1967) - Pilot (4 episodes)
• Theatre 625: The Cupboard (1967) - Thompson
• Softly, Softly (1967) - Duke (1 episode)
• ITV Play of the Week: The Sleeping Partner (1967) - Inspector Baker
• The Wednesday Play: Wanted, Single Gentleman (1967) - Charles
• The Revenue Men (1967) - Milo Benedict
• Mogul (1967-71) - Mallin, Heritage (2 episodes)
• Dr Finlay's Casebook (1968) - Craig (1 episode)
• BBC Play of the Month: Cyrano de Bergerac (1968) - Comte de Guiche)
• ITV Playhouse: Inventory for the Summer (1968) - Mervyn
• Theatre 625: The Pistol Shot (1968) - The Baron
• ITV Playhouse: Beast in the Jungle (1968) - John Marcher
• Out of the Unknown: Get Off My Cloud (1969) - Masham Cresswell
• Strange Report (1969) - Supt. Shaw (1 episode)
• The Canterbury Tales: The Friar's Tale (1969) - The Friar's Tale Yeoman
• W. Somerset Maughan: The Closed Shop (1970) - El Presidente 2
• Villette (1970) - Paul Emmanuel (5 episodes)
• Fraud Squad (1970) - Henry Cornwallis (1 episode)
• The Main Chance (1970-5) - Hugh Neville, Kenneth Manmer (2 episodes)
• Play for Today: The Rainbirds (1971) - Doctor
• The Expert (1971) - Cedric Lambert (1 episode)
• Elizabeth R (1971) - King Philip II of Spain (2 episodes)
• Play for Today: O Fat White Woman (1971) - Major Digby-Hunter
• The Onedin Line (1972) - McPherson (1 episode)
• The Shadow of the Tower (1972) - The Prisoner (1 episode)
• Dead of Night: Two in the Morning (1972) - Wisbech
• Crown Court (1972-8) - Various (15 episodes)
• The Adventurer (1973) - Rymans (1 episode)
• Barlow at Large (1973) - Det. Sgt. Miller (1 episode)
• Special Branch (1973) - Pettiford (1 episode)
• BBC Play of the Month: The Common (1973) - Edward Noble
• Harriet's Back in Town (1973) - Ronnie Graham (2 episodes)
• New Scotland Yard (1973) - Chief Supt. Piggott (1 episode)
• The Protectors (1974) - Police Inspector (1 episode)
• Napoleon and Love (1974) - Tallyrand (7 episodes)
• Thriller (1974) - Dexter (1 episode)
• Marked Personel (1974) - Harry Baker (2 episodes)
• King Lear (1974) - Cornwall (6 episodes)
• Cakes and Me (1974) - Alroy Kear (3 episodes)
• The Sweeney (1975) - Det. Supt. Pringle (1 episode)
• Jackanory Playhouse: The Jo-Jo Tree (1975) - Atticus the Bandit Chief
• Survivors (1975) - Knox (1 episode)
• Quiller (1975) - Colonel Hythe (1 episode)
• Porridge (1975) - Mr. Wainwright (1 episode)
• Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1975) - Hayes (1 episode)
• Jackanory: In the Grip of the Lemon Fever (1976) - Storyteller (5 episodes)
• Bill Band (1976) - Maidstone (1 episode)
• The New Avengers (1976) - Ivan Perov (1 episode)
• London Belongs to Me (1977) - Henry Squales (1 episode)
• Play for Today: Destiny (1978) - Frank Kershaw
• Rumpole of the Bailey (1978) - Sam Dogherty (1 episode)
• Rising Damp (1978) - Ambrose (1 episode)
• Play for Today: Victims of Apartheid (1978) - Canon Capper
• Doctor Who: The Androids of Tara (1978) - Count Grendel (4 episodes)
• ITV Playhouse: Children of Gods (1979) - John Vine
• Omnibus: Words Fail Me (1979) - Father
• ITV Playhouse: The Quiz Kid (1979) - Rugby
• Spy! (1980) - Ambassador Ott (1 episode)
• Minder (1980) - Clive (1 episode)
• All's Well That Ends Well (1981) - Parolles
• Nanny (1981) - Capt. Robert Charlesworth (1 episode)
• Bognor (1981) - Milburn Port (7 episodes)
• Tales of the Unexpected: The Skelton Key (1982) - Mr. Stewart
• Juliet Bravo (1982) - Det. Sgt. Nuttall (1 episode)
• The Jewel in the Crown (1984) - Mr. Peabody (1 episode)
• Freud (1984) - Federn (1 episode)
• Yes Minister (1984) - Eric (1 episode)
• One by One (1984-5) - Maurice Webb (12 episodes)
• By the Sword Divided (1985) - Oliver Cromwell (6 episodes)
• Lace II (1985) - Nicholas Cliff Sr.
• The Last Place on Earth (1985) - Lord Curzon (3 episodes)
• Screen Two: Quartermaine's Terms (1987) - Henry Windscape
• Bergerac (1987) - Rockwell (1 episode)
• You Must Be the Husband (1988) - Clifford Unsworth (1 episode)
• ScreenPlay: The Night of Simhat Torah (1989) - Rev. Mendel of Riminov
• Chelworth (1989) - Michael Hincham (8 episodes)
• The Nightmare Years (1989) - Norman Ebbutt (4 episodes)
• Theatre Night: Bingo: Scenes of Money and Death (1990) - William Combe
• Lovejoy (1993) - Geoffrey Connaught (1 episode)
• The Detectives (1993) - Derek (1 episode)
• Lipstick on Your Collar (1993) - Col. Bernwood (6 episodes)
• Middlemarch (1994) - Nicholas Bulstrode (6 episodes)
• Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's... (1996) - Judge (1 episode)
• The Bill (1996) - Harry Hedges (1 episode)
• Our Friends in the North (1996) - Colin Blamire (3 episodes)
• The Prince and the Pauper (1996) - The Duke of Norfolk (6 episodes)
• The Moonstone (1996) - Mr. Bruff (2 episodes)
• Knight School (1997-8) - Sir Hubert Grindcobbe (3 episodes)
• Heartbeat (1998) - Mr. Ryle (1 episode)
• Kavanagh QC (1999) - Sir Ronald Tibbitt QC (1 episode)
• Where the Heart Is (1999) - Ronnie Lyons (1 episode)
• The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999) - Marquis de Rochambeau

External links

• Peter Jeffrey at IMDb
• Obituary in The Independent