Peter Malcolm Sumner-Potts (29 January 1942 – 22 November 2016), professionally known as Peter Sumner, was an Australian actor, director, and writer. He had a long career in theatre, television, and film.

Career

His credits include parts in such films as '' Color Me Dead'' (1969), ''

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...

'' (1970), ''

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith ''The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith'' is a 1972 Booker Prize-nominated Australian novel by Thomas Keneally, and a 1978 Australian film of the same name directed by Fred Schepisi. The novel is based on the life of bushranger Jimmy Governor, the su ...

'' (1978), '' The Survivor'' (1981) and ''

Bush Christmas ''Bush Christmas'' (also known as ''Prince and the Great Race'') is a 1983 Australian Christmas drama film and a remake of a 1947 film of the same name, which was based on a novel by Ralph Smart and Mary Cathcart Borer. The film marked actress ...

'' (1983), as well as a starring role in television series ''

Spyforce ''Spyforce'' is an Australian television series that aired from 1971 to 1973 on Nine Network. The series was based upon the adventures of Australian Military Intelligence operatives in the South West Pacific during World War II. It was produced ...

'' along with his portrayal of

Bill Hayden William George Hayden (born 23 January 1933) is an Australian politician who served as the 21st governor-general of Australia from 1989 to 1996. He was Leader of the Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1977 to 1983, and served as ...

in ''

The Dismissal The 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, also known simply as the Dismissal, culminated on 11 November 1975 with the dismissal from office of the prime minister, Gough Whitlam of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), by Governor-General Sir Joh ...

''. In an interview in 1978 for the Sir Joseph Banks High School newspaper, he revealed that he had an uncredited role off stage, controlling the Dianoga (garbage compactor monster) in ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

'', as well as playing the role of Lieutenant Pol Treidum in that film. Sumner played Arnie in the first series of the British

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series '' Jeopardy'' in 2002, filmed in Australia. His other local television acting work included regular roles as Bruce Jefferson in ''Tickled Pink'' (1978–81), Phillip Seymour in ''All the Way'' (1988), Reverend Green in ''Cluedo'' (1992), and Les Bailey in ''

Heartbreak High ''Heartbreak High'' is an Australian television program created by Michael Jenkins and Ben Gannon that ran from 1994 to 1996 on Network Ten and 1997 to 1999 on the ABC, for seven series. It was also partially funded from 1996 by BBC2, with s ...

'' (1997–99), along with numerous guest roles in series including ''Homicide'', ''

Division 4 ''Division 4'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 301 episodes. Synopsis The series was one of the first dramas to follow up on the enormous success ...

'', ''

Matlock Police ''Matlock Police'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network (now known as the 10 Network) between 1971 and 1976. The series focused on the police station and crime in the Victorian town o ...

'', ''Boney'', ''

The Sullivans ''The Sullivans'' is an Australian period drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran on the Nine Network from 15 November 1976 until 10 March 1983. The series tells the story of a fictional average middle-clas ...

'', ''

Cop Shop ''Cop Shop'' is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes. The show The show revolved aro ...

'', '' Neighbours'', '' E Street'', ''

The Flying Doctors ''The Flying Doctors'' is an Australian drama TV series produced by Crawford Productions that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. T ...

'', and ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a tr ...

''. Sumner was a follower of

Meher Baba Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, or God in human form, of the age. A major spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following of ...

and directed a TV documentary, ''Baba's Birthday'', shot in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, produced by Sensory Image, with music by

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Towns ...

. The documentary follows Sumner's son, Luke Sumner, as he journeys to India in search of spiritual meaning. Sumner was a high-school teacher before he started acting. His wife Lynda Stoner and he remained married until his death. Sumner also served a stint as a presenter on '' Play School'', mainly acting as a stand-in for

John Hamblin John Reginald Hamblin (18 March 1935 – 21 September 2022), known affectionately as "Funny John" or "Naughty John", was a British-born Australian children's television presenter and actor of stage and screen who appeared in theatre productions ...

. He died aged 74, after a long illness on 22 November 2016.Sydney Morning Herald: Tributes, 26 November 2016
Retrieved 26 November 2016

Filmography

*''

They're a Weird Mob ''They're a Weird Mob'' is a popular 1957 Australian comic novel written by John O'Grady under the pseudonym "Nino Culotta", the name of the main character of the book. The book was the first published novel by O'Grady, with an initial print r ...

'' (1966) - Bit Part (uncredited) *'' Color Me Dead'' (1969) - Stanley Phillips *''

'' (1970) - Tom Lloyd *'' The Lost Islands'' (1976 TV series) - Christian Dobler *''

'' (1977) - Lt. Pol Treidum (uncredited) *''

'' (1978) - Dowie Steed *'' The King of the Two Day Wonder'' (1978) *''

Middle Age Spread ''Middle Age Spread'' is a 1979 film adaptation of the Roger Hall play of the same name. Plot A deputy principal of a high school takes up jogging to combat a spreading waistline and gradually enters into an affair with a co-worker's wife wh ...

'' (1979) - Reg *'' Run Rebecca, Run'' (1981) - Mr. Dimitros *'' The Survivor'' (1981) - Tewson *''Bush Christmas'' (1983) - Ben Thompson *'' Seeing Red'' (1992) - Gorman *''

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship '' Pequod'', for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant wh ...

'' (1998) - Captain Gardiner *''Ektopos'' (2011) - Zebediah *''Ryder Country'' (2012) - Professor Ed Woodman *'' The Quarantine Hauntings'' (2015) - Dr. Henry Dickenson (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sumner, Peterl 1942 births 2016 deaths Australian male film actors Followers of Meher Baba Australian children's television presenters