Peter Nigel Terry (15 August 1945 – 30 April 2015) was an English stage, film, and television actor, typically in historical and period roles. He played Prince John in Anthony Harvey's film '' The Lion in Winter'' (1968) and

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

in John Boorman's ''

Excalibur Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur that may possess magical powers or be associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. Its first reliably datable appearance is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. E ...

'' (1981).

Early life

Terry was born on 15 August 1945England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005 0atabase online/ref> in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, the son of Frank Albert Terry OBE, DFC,Supplement to The London Gazette, 31 December 1976 a pilot in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, and his wife, Doreen. The family soon moved to

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, where his father worked as a probation officer. Terry attended

Truro School Truro School is a coeducational private boarding and day school located in the city of Truro, Cornwall, England. It is the largest coeducational independent school in Cornwall with over 1050 pupils from pre-prep to sixth form. It is a member s ...

in Truro, where he developed an interest in acting and became skilled at drawing and painting. His parents encouraged him to go on the stage, and after working briefly in forestry and as a petrol pump attendant, he joined the National Youth Theatre. He enrolled at London's

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, commonly shortened to Central, is a drama school founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for ...

in 1963, working both on stage and behind the scenes. He joined the Oxford Meadow Players in 1966, working initially as assistant stage manager.

Career

Theatre

Terry worked mostly in theatre. After training with

repertory A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

companies like the Oxford Meadow Players and

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

, Terry appeared in many productions with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

, the Round House Theatre and the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

. Among his roles was Daniel de Bosola in the 1989 Royal Shakespeare Company production of

John Webster John Webster (c. 1578 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and ''The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and car ...

's ''

The Duchess of Malfi ''The Duchess of Malfi'' (originally published as ''The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy'') is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by English dramatist John Webster in 1612–1613. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theat ...

''. In the same year he played Pericles in David Thacker's production of ''

Pericles, Prince of Tyre ''Pericles, Prince of Tyre'' is a Jacobean play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio. It was p ...

''.

Films

Terry appeared in about 20 films, most notably as

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

in '' The Lion in Winter'' (1968) with

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...

and

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

;

in John Boorman's ''

'' (1981); and the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...

Derek Jarman Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman (31 January 1942 – 19 February 1994) was an English artist, film maker, costume designer, stage designer, writer, poet, gardener, and gay rights activist. Biography Jarman was born at the Royal Victoria Nursing ...

's ''

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

'' (1986). He worked with Jarman on four more films: '' The Last of England'' (1988), '' War Requiem'' (1989), '' Edward II'' (1991) and ''

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

'' (1993). His last film role was in ''

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

'' in 2004, playing the

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * '' Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 18 ...

high priest.

Television

An early television appearance was as the agoraphobic Harry Mandrake in the ''

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' is a British private detective television series, starring Mike Pratt (actor), Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope respectively as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was created by Denn ...

'' episode " Somebody Just Walked Over My Grave" (1970). His main US and British television appearances include '' Covington Cross'', a series set in medieval times. He also appeared in ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' as Denny, as General Cobb in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' episode " The Doctor's Daughter" and as Gabriel Piton in '' Highlander: The Series''. He also played Sam Jacobs in a two-part '' Waking the Dead'' episode titled "

Anger Management Anger management is a psycho-therapeutic program for anger prevention and control. It has been described as deploying anger successfully.Schwarts, Gil. July 2006. Anger Management', July 2006 The Office Politic. Men's Health magazine. Emmaus, PA: ...

". He appeared in '' Pie in the Sky'' series 3 episode 3 "Irish Stew" as Byron de Goris. He also appeared in an episode of '' Foyle's War''.

Personal life and death

In 1993, after 30 years of living in London, Terry moved back to Cornwall.Jarman, Derek. ''Smiling in Slow Motion''. Great Britain: Century, 2000, p. 285 He was a very private person. Terry died of

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

Newquay Newquay ( ; ) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is a civil parishes in England, civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries with an airport and a spaceport, and a fishing port on t ...

, Cornwall, on 30 April 2015, at the age of 69. In the absence of any surviving close family, his memorial service was organised by close friends Maggie Steed and David Horovitch in

on 19 May 2015, attended by fellow actors and friends.

Selected filmography

*'' The Lion in Winter'' (1968) – Prince John *'' Slade in Flame'' (1975) – Assistant Disc Jockey (uncredited) *''

'' (1981) –

*'' Sylvia'' (1985) – Aden Morris *''

Déjà Vu ''Déjà vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is the phenomenon of feeling like one has lived through the present situation in the past.Schnider, Armin. (2008). ''The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality''. Oxford University Press. pp. 167–1 ...

'' (1985) – Michael / Greg *''

'' (1986) – Caravaggio *'' On Wings of Fire'' (1986) –

Zarathustra Zarathushtra Spitama, more commonly known as Zoroaster or Zarathustra, was an Iranian religious reformer who challenged the tenets of the contemporary Ancient Iranian religion, becoming the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism. Variously descr ...

*'' The Last of England'' (1987) – Narrator (voice) *'' War Requiem'' (1989) – Abraham *'' Edward II'' (1991) – Mortimer *'' Christopher Columbus: The Discovery'' (1992) – Roldan *''

'' (1993) – Narrator (voice) *'' Pie In The Sky'' (1996, TV series; episode "Irish Stew") – Byron de Goris/James Jackson *'' The Hunchback'' (1997, TV movie) *'' Far From the Madding Crowd'' (1998, TV movie) – Mr. Boldwood *''On Wings of Fire'' (2001) – Zarathustra *'' The Emperor's New Clothes'' (2001) – Montholon *'' The Search for John Gissing'' (2001) – Alan Jardeen *'' FeardotCom'' (2002) – Turnbull *''The Ride'' (2003) – Mr. Silverstone *'' The Tulse Luper Suitcases'' (2003) – Sesame Esau *''

'' (2004) – Archeptolemus *'' Red Mercury'' (2005) – Lindsey *''

Blackbeard Edward Teach (or Thatch; – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. Little is known about his early life, but he ma ...

'' (2006, TV mini-series) – Calico Billy *''Genghis Khan: The Story of a Lifetime'' (2010) – Mulwick

References

External links

*
Profile
filmreference.com; accessed 26 January 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Terry, Nigel 1945 births 2015 deaths Deaths from emphysema English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors People educated at Truro School Male actors from Bristol National Youth Theatre members Entertainers from Truro Male actors from Cornwall