Peter Sullivan (born 26 July 1964) is an English film and television actor.

Life and career

Sullivan was born in

Hoddesdon Hoddesdon () is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, lying entirely within the London Metropolitan Area and Greater London Urban Area. The area is on the River Lea and the Lee Navigation along with the New River. Hoddesdon i ...

, Hertfordshire. In 1982, he joined the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and registered charity in London. Its aim is to develop and nurture young people through creative arts and theatrical productions. Founded in 1956 as the world's first youth the ...

, where he played Edmond in ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

'', and then joined the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

Youth Theatre playing the title role in ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

''. He studied at

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was 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 young actors and other students. It became a ...

from 1983 to 1986 and then in New York under

Uta Hagen Uta Thyra Hagen (12 June 1919 – 14 January 2004) was a German-American actress and theatre practitioner. She originated the role of Martha in the 1962 Broadway premiere of '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' by Edward Albee, who called her "a ...

HB Studio The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency prog ...

. In 1988 he joined the Catalan performance group

La Fura dels Baus La Fura dels Baus () is a Spanish theatrical group founded in 1979 in Moià, Barcelona (Spain), known for their urban theatre, use of unusual settings and blurring of the boundaries between audience and actor. "La Fura dels Baus" in Catalan me ...

and toured the world with them in their trilogy of spectacles ''Accions'', ''Suz/O/Suz'' and ''Tier Mon''. In 1990 he was asked by Deborah Warner to join the National Theatre in London to tour ''King Lear'' and ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...

'', directed by

Richard Eyre Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Biography Eyre was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England, the son of Richard Galfridus Hastings Giles Eyre and his wife, Minna Ma ...

, staying on to play in ''Napoli Millionaria'' as part of the

Lyttelton Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

company. He also worked extensively at the

National Theatre Studio The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

with

Simon Usher Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

and there formed The Actors' Group. He left the National to work with David Freeman, playing Pentheus in

Opera Factory Opera Factory was an experimental opera ensemble founded by Australian director David Freeman. It operated in Zurich from 1976 to 1995 and in London from 1982 to 1998. In the 1980s when the company worked with the London Sinfonietta, its production ...

's ''Bacchae'' at the

Queen Elizabeth Hall The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by Benjamin Britten. The Q ...

, before moving into television to play the lead in

Dick Clement Dick Clement (born 5 September 1937) is an English writer, director and producer. He became known for his writing partnership with Ian La Frenais for television series including '' The Likely Lads'', ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?' ...

and

Ian La Frenais Ian La Frenais (born 7 January 1937) is an English writer best known for his creative partnership with Dick Clement. They are most famous for television series including '' The Likely Lads'', '' Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'', ''Porr ...

' sit-com ''Over The Rainbow''. He was nominated for the ''Evening Standard'' Best Newcomer award for his portrayal of Ray in Simon Bennet's ''Drummers'' directed by

Max Stafford-Clark Maxwell Robert Guthrie Stewart "Max" Stafford-Clark (born 17 March 1941) is a British theatre director. Life and career Stafford-Clark was born in Cambridge, England. the son of David Stafford-Clark, a physician, and Dorothy Crossley (née Old ...

at the New Ambassadors in London's West End. He also played SS Colonel Karl Schoengarth in the multi-award-winning B.B.C./H.B.O film ''

Conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agr ...

'' written by

Loring Mandel Loring Mandel (May 5, 1928 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright and screenwriter whose notable works include the TV movie ''Conspiracy''. He wrote for radio, television, film and the stage. Early and personal life Mandel was a native of ...

and directed by Frank Pierson. He then played

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer ...

in Jonathan Kent's revival of

Wedekind Wedekind may refer to the following persons: * Claus Wedekind, a biological researcher * Frank Wedekind (1864–1918), a German playwright * Hermann Wedekind Hermann Wedekind (18 November 1910, in Coesfeld, Westphalia – 16 January 1998, in Wader ...

's ''Lulu'' in a new version by

Nicolas Wright Nicolas Wright (born March 23, 1982 in Montreal, QuebecCBS biography of ...

that started at the Almeida Theatre before transferring to the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

in Washington, D.C. He has worked extensively for Peter Gill, appearing in both ''Way of the World'' and ''Certain Young Men'' at the Almeida Theatre, as well as in a number of plays at 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 West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal ...

, contributing to their recent book ''Inside Out''. At the Court he played The Husband in

Debbie Tucker Green debbie tucker green is a British playwright, screenwriter, and director. She spells her name in lower-case. She has written a number of plays, including ''born bad'' (2003), for which she won the Olivier Award for Most Promising Newcomer in 2004. ...

's ''Stoning Mary'' directed by Marianne Elliott, originated the role of Ferdinand in

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

's ''Rock n Roll'' directed by

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is a British theatre director. He has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed drama ...

, which transferred to the West End and Broadway, as well as playing Cash in

Dominic Cooke Dominic Cooke (born 1966) is an English director and writer. Early life Born in Wimbledon, south London, Cooke was brought up seeing a lot of theatre as a teenager from free theatre tickets provided by the Inner London Education Authority. ...

's first play as artistic director, ''The Pain and The Itch'' by the American writer Bruce Norris. He played Mortensgaard in Antony Page's acclaimed revival of

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''Rosmersholm'' in a new version by Mike Poulson, once again at the Almeida. He has played JPW for Garry Hynes in Tom Murphy's ''The Gigli Concert'' at Druid in Galway and has returned to the National to do two plays with Angus Jackson; David Hare's financial crash piece ''The Power of Yes'' and a revival of Clifford Odets' ''Rocket to the Moon''. Most recently he has played Sir Robert Morton in Lindsey Posner's acclaimed revival of ''The Winslow Boy'' at The Old Vic and was critically acclaimed for his rediscovery of the role of Sir William Collier in '' The Deep Blue Sea'', his seventh play at the National. He played Cardinal Sforza in '' The Borgias'' and was Commander Laurence Stern in

Abi Morgan Abigail Louise Morgan (born 1968) is a Welsh playwright and screenwriter known for her works for television, such as '' Sex Traffic'' and '' The Hour'', and the films ''Brick Lane'', '' The Iron Lady'', ''Shame'' and ''Suffragette''. Early li ...

's award-winning '' The Hour'' for the BBC. He played the leads in Sky TV's '' Critical'', created by

Jed Mercurio Gerald Gary "Jed" Mercurio (born September 1966) is a British television writer, producer, director and novelist. A former hospital doctor and Royal Air Force officer, Mercurio has been ranked among UK television's leading writers. In 2017, Mer ...

, and in '' Cuffs'' on BBC1. He played recurring leads in ''Curfew'' for Sky, '' MotherFatherSon'' with

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in '' Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

for BBC2, and was also Ralph Hanson in Series 5 of the BBC1 drama series ''

Poldark ''Poldark'' is a series of historical novels by Winston Graham, published from 1945 to 1953 and continued from 1973 to 2002. The first novel, '' Ross Poldark'', was named for the protagonist of the series. The novel series was adapted twice fo ...

''. He will soon reoccur in

Jack Thorne Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for writing the stage play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the films '' Wonder'' and '' Enola Holmes'', a ...

’s drama ''The Light'' for Channel 4, having also appeared in Thorne's miniseries '' The Accident for the same channel. Sullivan played antagonist Nyle Bellamy in the 2022 BBC adaptation of adventure novel ''

Around The World In Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

'' by

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraord ...

. He has appeared in numerous television shows, both as regular and guest characters and in a number of films, both studio pictures as well as indie films in the U.S, U.K. and Spain.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Peter English male stage actors People from Hoddesdon 1964 births Living people Male actors from Hertfordshire National Youth Theatre members English male Shakespearean actors