Peter Cecil Bull, (21 March 1912 – 20 May 1984) was a British

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

who appeared in supporting roles in such films as '' The African Queen'', ''

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

'', and ''

Dr. Strangelove ''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'', known simply and more commonly as ''Dr. Strangelove'', is a 1964 black comedy film that satirizes the Cold War fears of a nuclear conflict between the Soviet Union and ...

''.

Biography

He was the fourth and youngest son of William Bull, later Sir William Bull, 1st Baronet,

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London ...

. Bull was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

. His first professional stage appearance was in '' If I Were You'' at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue. History The theatre was ...

in 1933. He was a friend of

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including '' Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (1 ...

, whom he first met at during training in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, and later ; he served as an officer in the

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

, later commanding Landing Craft (Flak) 16 in the Mediterranean. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Commander and was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

. Returning to acting after the war, he both narrated and had a small on-screen role in '' Scrooge'' (1951); and portrayed the captain of the ship that

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

's and

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

's characters set out to destroy, whom they persuade to marry them just before they are to be executed, in '' The African Queen'' (1951). Bull was the first actor to portray Pozzo in the English-language version of

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and Tragicomedy, tr ...

's '' Waiting For Godot'' when it opened on 3 August 1955. Bull's performance as the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

Ambassador, Alexi de Sadesky, in '' Dr Strangelove'' (1964) is probably the best known of his many film and TV appearances. He was cast as Thwackum, one of Blifil's two tutors, in the 1963 film ''

''. (The other tutor, Square, of contrasting build and character, was played by John Moffatt.) In the 1970s, he ran a small shop just off Notting Hill Gate, selling zodiac-related items. Bull published a number of books on the subject of

teddy bear A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy b ...

s, including ''Bear With Me'', as well as a book on his adventures on the Greek islands of

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

and Paxos, where he owned a house, ''It isn't all Greek to me'', illustrated by Oscar winner

Roger Furse Roger Kemble Furse (11 September 1903 – 19 August 1972) was an English painter who worked as a costume designer and production designer for both stage and film. Career Roger Furse was the son of Lieutenant General Sir William Furse and J ...

. He was also the author of a non-fiction book about his experiences during the Second World War as commander of a Tank Landing Craft (LCT), ''To Sea in a Sieve'' and several memoirs and collections of his letters. Peter Bull died of a heart attack in London on 20 May 1984 at 72 years of age.

Partial filmography

Published Works

*''To Sea in a Sieve'' (1956) *''Bulls in the Meadow'' (1957) *''I Know the Face But...'' (1959) *''Not on Your Telly'' (1961) *''I Say Look Here'' (1965) *''It Isn't All Greek to Me'' (1967) *''Bear with me'' (1969) *''The Teddy Bear Book'' (1970) *''Life Is a Cucumber'' (1973) *''Peter Bull's Book of Teddy Bears'' (1977) *''A Hug of Teddy Bears'' (1984) *''Bull's Eyes: The Selected Memoirs of Peter Bull'' (1986)

Notes

External links

* *
Peter Bull at Find-A-Grave
1912 births 1984 deaths Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Navy officers of World War II English male film actors Male actors from London People educated at Winchester College 20th-century English male actors Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Younger sons of baronets {{UK-film-actor-stub