Peter James Byrne (29 January 1928 – 14 May 2018) was an English actor and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. He was born in

West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

; his father was a musician. He was educated at grammar school and trained as an actor at the Italia Conti Stage School. He made his name by playing George Dixon's son-in-law Andy Crawford in the long-running

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

serial ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

'' for twenty years from 1955. He was Director of Productions for the

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

Theatre Company (1965–66). Stage appearances included '' Boeing Boeing'', ''

There's a Girl in My Soup ''There's a Girl in My Soup'' is a 1970 British romantic comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn. Terence Frisby wrote the screenplay based on his 1966 stage play of the same name. Plot Robert Danve ...

'', '' Double Edge'', ''The Unexpected Guest''. Films include ''

Reach for the Sky ''Reach for the Sky'' is a 1956 British biographical film about aviator Douglas Bader, based on the 1954 biography of the same name by Paul Brickhill. The film stars Kenneth More and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. It won the BAFTA Award fo ...

'' and ''

Carry On Cabby ''Carry On Cabby'' is a 1963 British comedy film, the seventh in the series of thirty-one ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Released on 7 November 1963, it was the first to have a screenplay written by Talbot Rothwell (although the first scre ...

''. TV appearances included ''Mutiny at Spithead'', ''The New Canadians'' and more than 300 appearances in ''

''. He also made many appearances in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

, typically as the villain. In 2005, the Dixon series was revived for

BBC Radio Four BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at B ...

, but without Byrne, though he commented, "Various people have said the series was a bit cosy and the BBC seemed to be a little ashamed of it," adding that he believed it to be very underrated.

Family

Byrne was married to Renée Helen. He died at the

Denville Hall Denville Hall is a historic building in Northwood, a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, which is used as a retirement home for professional actors, actresses and members of other theatrical professions. The present building in ...

nursing home on 14 May 2018, aged 90.

Cinema appearances

* ''

The Large Rope ''The Large Rope'' (also known as ''The Long Rope'') is a 1953 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Donald Houston, Susan Shaw and Robert Brown. It was written by Ted Willis. Plot Tom Penney returns to ...

'' (1953) – Jeff Stribling * ''

'' (1956) – Civilian Pilot Witnessing Bader's Crash (uncredited) * '' Watch Your Stern'' (1960) – Sailor * '' Raising the Wind'' (1961) – 1st Horn * ''

The Iron Maiden ''The Iron Maiden'' is a 1963 British comedy film. The film was directed by Gerald Thomas, and stars Michael Craig (actor), Michael Craig, Anne Helm, Jeff Donnell and Alan Hale Jr. There are minor roles for ''Carry On (series), Carry On'' stal ...

'' (1962) – Race Starter (uncredited) * ''

'' (1963) – Bridegroom

Television appearances

* ''

'' (1955–1975) – Detective Andy Crawford * ''Mutiny at Spithead'' * ''The New Canadians'' * ''Looks Familiar'' * ''

Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four series of thirteen 50-minute episodes were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first series, prod ...

'' (1981) – Justin * ''

Bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

'' (1986–1991) – Derek * ''The Pattern of Marriage'' * ''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

Theatre appearances

* ''

'' * ''Underground'' * '' Boeing Boeing'' * ''

The Blue Lamp ''The Blue Lamp'' is a 1950 British police procedural film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Warner as PC Dixon, Jimmy Hanley as newcomer PC Mitchell, and Dirk Bogarde as criminal Tom Riley. The title refers to the blue lamps that ...

'' * The Archers * ''

Caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

'' * ''Deadly Nightcap'' * ''Move Over Mrs Markham'' * ''Run for Your Wife'' * ''

Dick Whittington Richard Whittington ( March 1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal,Will of Richard Whittington: " I leave to my executors named below the entire tenement in which I live in the parish of St. Michael Paternoster Royal, Londo/ ...

'' * ''There's No Place Like A Home'' * ''The Mouse Trap'' * ''Witness for the Prosecution''

References

Bibliography

* Byrne P: ''Double Edge'',Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guildford UK, 24 May – 4 June 1977 * Byrne P:''The Unexpected Guest'', by Agatha Christie, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guildford UK, 31 July – 19 August 1978

External links

*
Peter Byrne
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

1928 births 2018 deaths English male stage actors English male television actors English theatre directors Actors from the London Borough of Newham Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Male actors from Essex People from West Ham {{UK-stage-actor-stub