Peter Wynn Barkworth (14 January 1929 – 21 October 2006) was an English actor. He twice won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor; for ''

Crown Matrimonial In Scots law, the Crown Matrimonial was the right of a queen regnant's male consort to reign equally with his wife, as king consort. The Crown Matrimonial of Scotland was sought by King Francis II of France, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, by th ...

'' in 1975 and for '' Professional Foul'' and ''The Country Party'' in 1978. He also starred in the ITV series '' Manhunt'' (1970) and the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

series '' Telford's Change'' (1979). His film appearances included ''

Where Eagles Dare ''Where Eagles Dare'' is a 1968 action adventure war film directed by Brian G. Hutton and starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. Set during World War II, it follows a Special Operations Executive team charged with saving a ca ...

'' (1968), '' Patton'' (1970), '' International Velvet'' (1978) and '' Champions'' (1984).

Early life

Peter Barkworth was born 14 January 1929 in

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. Soon after his birth, the family moved to Bramhall in

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

and Barkworth was educated at Stockport School. His headmaster wanted him to go to university but Barkworth had set his heart on a career in acting. In 1946 he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). He spent the next few years in

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 ...

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...

, with the

Arthur Brough Arthur Brough (born Frederick Arthur Baker; 26 February 1905 – 28 May 1978) was a British actor, theatre founder, producer, and director. He is best known for portraying the bumbling senior menswear salesman Ernest Grainger on the BBC TV sitc ...

company, and also in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

. From the mid-1950s to the early 1960s he taught acting technique at RADA.

Acting career

Television and film appearances followed over four decades. He is perhaps best remembered for playing Mark Telford in the TV series '' Telford's Change'' (1979), watched every week by seven million viewers. This series followed the life of a senior banking executive as he downsized to

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

to start his life over again, leaving his wife in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Barkworth co-starred with

Hannah Gordon Hannah Campbell Grant Gordon
Film reference website (born 9 April 1941) is a Scottish actress and presenter ...

, with Keith Barron as her seducer.

Television

Barkworth twice won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor, in 1975 for ''Crown Matrimonial'' (1974) and in 1978 for his roles in '' Professional Foul'' and ''The Country Party'' (both 1977). His character in the 1965 boardroom drama '' The Power Game'' was a recurring role. He also appeared in the 1970s series ''The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes'' as Martin Hewitt. In 1967 he appeared in various episodes of '' The Avengers'' and also had a part 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 ...

'' serial '' The Ice Warriors'' as Leader Clent. From January until June 1970, he appeared in a leading role as Vincent in the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

drama series '' Manhunt'' on LWT. He featured in an episode of sci-fi drama '' Undermind'' (1965), and the dystopian '' The Guardians'' (1971), and starred in the mystery mini-series ''Melissa'' (1974) as an out of work writer whose wife goes missing. Barkworth also played the expatriate British novelist Hugh Neville in the episodes ''Guilt'' and ''Lost Sheep'' of Secret Army (1977). Later TV included the part of

Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley (3 August 186714 December 1947), was a British statesman and Conservative politician who was prominent in the political leadership of the United Kingdom between the world wars. He was prime ministe ...

in '' Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years'' (1981), and the serials '' The Price'' (1985) and '' Late Starter'' (also 1985) in both of which he played angst-filled, middle-aged, middle class characters beset by marital problems in the context respectively of a kidnapping and the early retirement of an academic. Both these series and ''Telford's Change'' were based on Barkworth's original ideas. In 1988 Barkworth had a leading guest role in the fourth season ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

'' adaptation of the Arthur Conan Doyle story " Silver Blaze." In one of his last roles, he starred opposite his former RADA student

Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon (; 19 October 1940 – 27 September 2023) was an Irish-English actor. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivier as one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre. Over his six-decade-long career ...

in the 1993 episode "Maigret and the Minister" of ITV's Maigret'' series.

Theatre

Back on the stage, Barkworth appeared in numerous plays in the West End, notably as

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

in Royce Ryton's ''

'' starring alongside Wendy Hiller at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

in 1972, a role which he repeated on TV two years later. He also played this role in 1975, being nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance in 1976. He also devised a one-man show based on the work of

Siegfried Sassoon Siegfried Loraine Sassoon (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) was an English war poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World ...

Film

His film career began in 1959 with '' A Touch of Larceny''. He had subsequent roles in '' No Love for Johnnie'' (1961), ''

Two a Penny ''Two a Penny'' is a 1967 British film, released nationally in 1968, directed by James F. Collier and starring Cliff Richard. It was produced by Frank R. Jacobson for Billy Graham's film distribution and production company World Wide Pictures T ...

'' (1967), ''

'' (1968), '' Patton'' (1970), '' Escape from the Dark'' (1976), '' International Velvet'' (1978) and '' Champions'' (1983). His last appearance was in the film ''

Wilde Wilde is a surname. Notable people with the name include: In arts and entertainment In film, television, and theatre * Andrew Wilde (actor), English actor * Barbie Wilde (born 1960), Canadian actress * Brian Wilde (1927–2008), British actor * ...

'' in 1997. He then retired from acting.

The arts

Barkworth was a member of the Council at

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

for 16 years during the 1980s and 1990s. His book ''About Acting'' – formerly titled ''The Complete About Acting'' – is often recommended reading for students and professional actors alike. He also edited ''For All Occasions: A Selection of Poems, Prose and Party Pieces'' (1997). He was an avid collector of mainly British art. He left his collection of paintings to the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

and they are displayed at Fenton House in Hampstead. The works include two small Constables, several paintings by artists from the Camden Town Group, and many watercolours.

Personal life

Barkworth lived in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

for many years, and died at the Royal Free Hospital in

bronchopneumonia Bronchopneumonia is a subtype of pneumonia. It is the acute inflammation of the Bronchus, bronchi, accompanied by inflamed patches in the nearby lobules of the lungs. citing: Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition, Copyright 2014 ...

10 days after suffering a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

. He was survived by his partner, David Wyn Jones.

Testimonials

In ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'', John Peter wrote: Stockport College has a theatre named after him.Stockport College website
stockport.ac.uk; accessed 12 December 2015.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*

Loose Cannon's Hall Of Fame
Brit actor Peter Barkworth dies
BBC News, 25 October 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Barkworth, Peter 1929 births 2006 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners Deaths from pneumonia in England English male film actors English male television actors Male actors from Margate People from Bramhall Male actors from London People from Hampstead Male actors from Cheshire Actors from the London Borough of Camden Actors from the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport