Peter Dyneley (13 April 1921 – 19 August 1977) was an English actor. Although he appeared in many smaller roles in both film and television, he is best remembered for supplying the voice of Jeff Tracy for the 1960s "

Supermarionation Supermarionation (a portmanteau of the words "super", " marionette" and "animation")La Rivière 2009, p. 67. is a style of television and film production employed by British company AP Films (later Century 21 Productions) in its puppet T ...

" television series '' Thunderbirds'' and its two film spinoffs, '' Thunderbirds Are Go'' (1966) and '' Thunderbird 6'' (1968), all produced by Gerry Anderson. Uncredited, Dyneley also provided the voice of the countdown that introduces the ''Thunderbirds''

title sequence A title screen (also called an opening screen or intro) is the method by which films or television show, television programmes present their title and key filmmaking, production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often an op ...

.Gerry Anderson: "Ask Anderson" in ''FAB News'', Issue 58 (Vol. 12, No. 2), p. 11.

Life and career

Born in

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

on 13 April 1921, Dyneley spent his early years in Canada but was educated at Radley College in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

, UK. He served in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

during the

Second World War 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 ...

. After the war, he attended the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

in London, where he studied

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

and developed his bass voice. It was at this institution that he made the acquaintance of fellow student Christine May, whom he later married. They had two children, Richard and Amanda. Having lived in Canada, Dyneley frequently performed with a North American accent. He acted primarily in stage productions prior to 1954, when he turned his attention to film. On stage and in film, he regularly appeared opposite his second wife, the actress Jane Hylton, whom he met on the set of ''Ett kunglit aventyr'' ( Laughing in the Sunshine), made in 1956. They also co-starred together in ''

The Manster is a 1959 American science-fiction horror film. Shot in Japan, it was produced by George P. Breakston and directed by Breakston and Kenneth G. Crane from a screenplay by Walter J. Sheldon. Sheldon's script was based on Breakston's story, which ...

'' in 1959. He also appeared as a guest star in many television series. He spoke fluent French, German and Spanish. Dyneley died of cancer in London on 19 August 1977, at age 56. His wife Jane died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

18 months later, on 28 February 1979.

''Thunderbirds'' voice-over

English actor

Brian Cobby Brian Cobby (12 October 192931 October 2012) was an English people, English actor and telephone exchange worker who, in 1985, became the first male voice of the British speaking clock. Early life Cobby was born in Gravesend, Kent, Gravesend, ...

claimed he had provided the voice-over for the opening sequence countdown of '' Thunderbirds'' in 1964. This was refuted by ''Thunderbirds'' producer Gerry Anderson, who confirmed countdown was indeed recorded by Dyneley. Dyneley's countdown was reused in the first trailer for the series' 2015 reboot '' Thunderbirds Are Go!'', as well as its opening sequence, and also for the launch countdown for the various Thunderbirds in the episodes, and also for the track " Thunderbirds 2.0" on Busted's '' Greatest Hits 2.0'' album with or without their longtime friends

McFly McFly are a British pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the ''Back to the Future (franchise), Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Da ...

Filmography

Film

*'' Hell Below Zero'' (1954) as Miller *'' You Know What Sailors Are'' (1954) as Lieutenant Andrews *'' The Young Lovers'' (1954) as Regan (uncredited) *''

Beau Brummell George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England, and for many years he was the arbiter of British men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King ...

'' (1954) as Midger *'' Third Party Risk'' (1954) as Tony Roscoe *'' The Stolen Airliner'' (1955) as Uncle George * '' Laughing in the Sunshine'' (1956) as Greg Preston *'' The Battle of the River Plate'' (1956) as Captain, Newton Beach, Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited) *''

The Golden Disc ''The Golden Disc'' (also known as ''The In-Between Age'') is a 1958 British pop musical film directed by Don Sharp, starring Terry Dene and Mary Steele. It was written by Sharp and Don Nicholl based on a story by Gee Nicholl. A young man and a ...

'' (1958) as Mr Washington *'' The Strange Awakening'' (1958) as Dr Rene Normand *'' The Whole Truth'' (1958) as Willy Reichel *'' Deadly Record'' (1959) as Dr. Morrow *''

'' (1959) as Larry Stanford *'' Sink the Bismarck!'' (1960) as Commander Jenkins (uncredited) *'' October Moth'' (1960) as Tom *'' House of Mystery'' (1961) as Mark Lemming *'' The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone'' (1961) as Lloyd Greener *'' The Day of the Triffids'' (1962) Narrator, Parisian Radio Operator (voice, uncredited) *'' Call Me Bwana'' (1963) as Williams *'' Thunderbirds Are Go'' (1966) as Jeff Tracy (voice) *'' Thunderbird 6'' (1968) as Jeff Tracy (voice) *'' The Executioner'' (1970) as Balkov *'' Chato's Land'' (1972) as Ezra Meade *'' Royal Sovereign Light'' (1972) Documentary Narrator *'' Death of a Snowman'' (1976) as Captain

Television

*'' Fabian of the Yard'' (1954, 1 episode) as Captain Pool *'' Colonel March of Scotland Yard'' (1954) (1 episode) as Red *'' The Vise'' (1955, 1 episode) *'' Portrait of Alison'' (1955, 5 episodes) as Henry Carmichael *'' Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents'' (1955, 2 episodes) as Bill Stevens/Mitch *'' London Playhouse'' (1955, 1 episode) as John Bell *'' The Adventures of Aggie'' (1956,1 episode) as Mike *'' Sailor of Fortune'' (1956, 1 episode) as Darren *'' The New Adventures of Charlie Chan'' (1957, 2 episodes) as Dr Paul Liggat/John Robey *''

The Adventures of a Jungle Boy ''The Adventures of a Jungle Boy'' is a 1957 British syndicated adventure series. The show was known for its striking similarity to the Tarzan movie series. Plot A young boy is the sole survivor of a plane crash in the African jungle. He is ...

'' (1957, 1 episode) as Harold Gayland *'' Assignment Foreign Legion'' (1957, 1 episode) as Richard Harding *'' ITV Playhouse'' (1957, 1 episode) as Arthur Hayes *''

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...

'' (1958, 1 episode) as Baron Mauray *''

African Patrol ''African Patrol'' is a 39-episode syndicated adventure television series created, directed and produced by George Breakston in conjunction with Jack J. Gross and Philip N. Krasne. It was filmed on location in Kenya for a period of 15 mon ...

'' (1958–1959, 3 episodes) as Landray/Robert Gibson *'' Armchair Theatre'' (1958–1959, 4 episodes) as Lew Myrick *'' The Flying Doctor'' (1959, 1 episode) as Jeff Ferguson *'' Dial 999'' (1959, 1 episode) as Harry Killian *'' The Four Just Men'' (1959–1960, 2 episodes) as Dougan/Police Chief *'' Interpol Calling'' (1960, 1 episode) as LeRoy *'' Golden Girl'' (1960) as Joe Francis *'' Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond'' (1961, 1 episode) as Hadley *'' International Detective'' (1961, 1 episode) as Len Rickman *'' Drama 61-67'' (1961–1964, 1 episode) as Frank Ellinger *'' Ghost Squad'' (1961–1963, 2 episodes) as Arnell/Phil Slade *'' ITV Play of the Week'' (1961–1964, 3 episodes) as Major Ritter/Pyotr Kirpichov/Sir Basil Fleming *'' Out of This World'' (1962, 1 episode) as Inspector Slinn *'' Man of the World'' (1962, 1 episode) as Tony Gardner *''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...

'' (1962, 1 episode) as Jackey Simmons *''

No Hiding Place ''No Hiding Place'' is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV (TV network), ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series ''Murder Bag'' ...

'' (1962–1965, 2 episodes) as Cliff Davidson/Mr Brome *'' The Saint'' (1962–1967, 3 episodes) as Nat Grindel/Paul Verrier/Richard Eade *''Sunday-Night Play'' (1963, 1 episode) as Mr Wright *'' Maigret'' (1963, 1 episode) as Clark *''

Espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ...

'' (1963, 1 episode) as Parrott *'' Sergeant Cork'' (1964, 1 episode) as Field Marshal *'' Catch Hand'' (1964, 1 episode) as Mr Niel *'' Crane'' (1965, 1 episode) as Peter Garvey *'' Thunderbirds'' (1965–1966, 32 episodes) as Jeff Tracy (voice) *'' Kraft Mystery Theatre'' (2 episodes) as Dr Morrow/Mark Lemming *'' Theatre 625'' (1 episode) as Grantley Lewis *''

Hereward the Wake Hereward the Wake (Old English pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɛ.ward/ , modern English pronunciation / ) (also known as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile) was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and a leader of local resistance to the Norman Conquest of E ...

'' (1965) *'' The Mask of Janus'' (1965, 1 episode) as Commander Charles Hastings *'' The Spies'' (1966, 1 episode) as Charles Hastings *'' Graf Yoster'' (1970, 1 episode) as Lord Alistair Abdington *'' Thriller'' (1974, 1 episode) as David Garrick *''

The Goodies The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940 – 12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their The Goodies (TV series), ...

'' (1974, 1 episode – Clown Virus) as General *''

Fall Of Eagles Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March (Southern Hemisphere ...

'' (1974, episode 7 – Dearest Nicky) as Von Bülow *'' The Sweeney'' (1977, 1 episode) as Tarley

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dyneley, Peter 1921 births 1977 deaths 20th-century English male actors Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Deaths from cancer in England English basses English expatriates in Canada English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors Male actors from Hastings Military personnel from East Sussex People educated at Radley College Royal Canadian Navy personnel of World War II