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Peter John Sallis[3] was born on 1 February 1921 in Twickenham, Middlesex (now in Greater London), the only child of bank manager Harry Sallis (1889–1964) and Dorothy Amea Frances (née Barnard; 1891–1975).[4][5] After attending Minchenden Grammar School in Southgate, Sallis went to work in a bank, working on shipping transactions. He and his family moved to Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, after his mother had fallen in love with her physician but he continued to attend school, for a year, at Minchenden.[6] After the outbreak of the Second World War, he joined the Royal Air Force. He was unable to serve as aircrew because of a serum albumin disorder and was told he might black out at high altitudes.[citation needed] He became a wireless mechanic instead and went on to teach radio procedures at RAF Cranwell for which he won a Korda Scholarship.
At the Royal Court Theatre in July 1959, he played Gigot in Noël Coward's Feydeau adaptation, Look After Lulu. When the production transferred to the New Theatre in September he took over from George Devine as Herr van Putzeboum.[7] At the Royal Court in April 1960 he played Bottard in Rhinoceros transferring to the Strand Theatre in June 1960.[7] He made his first appearance in New York at the Broadway Theatre in February 1965 as Dr Watson in Baker Street; in December of that year, he played Hudson in Inadmissible Evidence at the Belasco Theatre, New York.[7]
From 1955-1956, Sallis appeared in three episodes of the television series Strange Experiences, playing a different character in each episode, such as pickpocket Chippy Griggs in the episode "The Pickpocket"; criminal Squishy Taylor in the episode "Safe and Sound"; and a Poor Man in the episode "The Inveterate Gambler". Sallis was also the only guest star actor to appear in more than one episode out of all the cast members from the TV series. The episodes "Safe and Sound" and "The Knife Thrower" were first shown in the 1955 TV movie/TV play Fcb TV Show No. 1. They were included in the TV movie/TV play to give some idea of how an evening's viewing might appear on the forthcoming ITA channel in London. Both episodes were eventually given a separate release on television by themselves as episodes of the TV series Strange Experiences in 1956.[11]
Sallis' first extended television role came in 1958 where he played Samuel Pepys in the BBC serial The Diary of Samuel Pepys.[11] That same year Sallis started in the TV series The Black Arrow as Sir Oliver Oates and he appeared in the TV series The Lost King as abbe Fleuriel in the episode "Monsieur Charles Deslys".[11] In 1959 Sallis played Cady in the 1959 TV series The Widow of Bath based on the book of the same name by Margot Bennett.[11] He appeared in Jango in the episode "Treacle on Three Fingers" (1961) as Oscar Grant.[11] He appeared in Danger Man in the episode "Find and Destroy" (1961) as Gordon and he also later that year played Rev. Alexander Mill in the BBC TV Play Candida.
In 1962, Sallis appeared in Maigret in the episode "The Reluctant Witnesses" as Armand Lachaume.[11] In 1963 Sallis played the lead role of the scientist Mad Willy in the Drama and Mystery series The Chem. Lab. Mystery.[11] In 1964 Sallis played a big role in the TV series The Avengers where played role of Hal Anderson in the episode "The Wringer".[11] He appeared in the BBCDoctor Who story "The Ice Warriors" (1967), playing renegade scientist Elric Penley;[12] and in 1983 was due to play the role of Striker in another Doctor Who serial, "Enlightenment", but had to withdraw.[13]
Sallis appeared as schoolteacher Mr Gladstone in an episode of the first series of Catweazle in 1970. He was cast in the BBC comedy sitcom series The Culture Vultures (1970), which saw him play stuffy Professor George Hobbs to Leslie Phillips's laid-back rogue Dr Michael Cunningham.[14] During the production, Phillips was rushed to hospital with an internal haemorrhage and as a result, only five episodes were completed.[15]
He appeared twice in the series Hadleigh, first in 1971 in the episode "Bow to the Lady" as Dakin and again in 1976 in the episode "The Charm Factor" as Strapper Strapton.[11]
He appeared three times in the British police series Softly, Softly: Task Force. First in 1971 in the episode "Cash and Carry" as Lodge, then 1975 in the episode "High Life" as Professor Dowell and in 1976 in the episode "A Shot in the Dark" as Edward Letheridge.[11]
In 1971, Sallis played a lead role in the TV series The Ten Commandments in the episode "The Nineteenth Hole" where he played the second commandment named Gerry.[11]
In 1972, Sallis played Mr. Bruff in three episodes of the 1972 TV series The Moonstone, based on the book of the same name by Wilkie Collins.[11] In the same period, he started alongside Edward Woodward, T.P. McKenna, Russell Hunter and William Squire in the TV series Callan in the episode "The Richardmond File: A Man Like Me" as Routledge as well as his role as Sammy Harrison in two episodes of the TV series Kate.[11]
Sallis was cast in the pilot for Comedy Playhouse which became the first episode of Last of the Summer Wine (retrospectively titled Of Funerals and Fish, 1973) as the unobtrusive lover of a quiet life, Norman Clegg.[21] The pilot was successful and the BBC commissioned a series. Sallis had already worked on stage with Michael Bates, who played the self-appointed leader Blamire in the first two series. Sallis played the role of Clegg from 1973 to 2010, and was the only cast member to appear in every episode.[21] He also appeared, in 1988, as Clegg's father in First of the Summer Wine,[11] a prequel to Last of the Summer Wine set in 1939.
In 1974, Sallis started alongside Glyn Owen, Isobel Black, John Thaw, Roland Curram, Jill Dixon and John Bown in the TV show The Capone Investment.[22] Sallis appeared twice in the TV series Crown Court first in 1974 in "Triangle" as Gerald Prosser in all three parts and again in 1977 in "Such a Charming Man" as Insp. George Storton in all three parts.[11] In 1975 he appeared in the BBC, Wales TV Movie The Snowdropper as Spicer, a snowdropper that where's Overalls/Dungarees. That same year he also appeared in Prometheus: The Life of Balzac in the episode "The Race of Death" (1975) as Victor Hugo.[23][11] He appeared in the children's series The Ghosts of Motley Hall (1976–78), in which he played Arnold Gudgin, an estate agent who did not want to see the hall fall into the wrong hands,[11] and he played Rodney Gloss in the BBC series Murder Most English (1977).[24]
Sallis also appeared in the TV series Yanks Go Home where he played Randell Todd in four episodes in 1977.[11] In the same period, he starred alongside Northern comic actor David Roper in the ITV sitcom Leave it to Charlie as Charlie's pessimistic boss.[25] The programme ran for four series, ending in 1980. Sallis also played the part of the ghost-hunter Milton Guest in the children's paranormal drama series The Clifton House Mystery (1978).[26] In 1980, he appeared in Lady Killers in the episode "Not for the Nervous" (1980) as O'Brien and that same year he also appeared in Tales of the Unexpected in the episode "A Picture of a Place" (1980). In 1984, Sallis played Leonard March in three episodes of the TV series Strangers and Brothers.[11] In 1986, Sallis played the role of Lucy Walker's supporting father Mr. Walker in the BBC TV Movie A Dangerous Kind of Love.[11] In 1987, he played a former hangman named Sidney Bliss in two episodes of the TV series The New Statesman opposite Rik Mayall.[11]
In 1990, Sallis played another major acting role in the television series titled Come Home Charlie & Face Them based on the book of the same name by R.F. Delderfield. In the series, Sallis played role of Evan Rhys-Jones in all three episodes of the series. In the series, Evan Rhys-Jones and his wife, Gwladys Rhys-Jones, immediately start throwing their daughter, 27-year-old Ida Rhys-Jones, at Charlie.[27]
Voice acting
In 1954 he voiced Lane the butler opposite John Gielgud in the audio cassette series The Importance Of Being Earnest.[28] In his autobiography, Fading into the Limelight, Sallis recounts a meeting with Orson Welles, where he received a mysterious telephone call summoning him to the deserted Gare d'Orsay in Paris where Welles announced he wanted him to dub Hungarian bit-players in his film adaptation of Franz Kafka's The Trial (1962). Sallis wrote that "the episode was Kafka-esque, to coin a phrase".[6] From 1966–1983 he appeared in 8 episodes of the BBC Radio series Afternoon Theatre.[29][30] In 1970 Sallis narrated a UK Public information film called Menace. The short film was about the safety of householders to reduce the risk of burglary by locking all windows and points of entry.[31] In 1971 he voiced King Henry in the BBC TV movie The Bristol Entertainment.[32]
Sallis was the narrator on Rocky Hollow (1983) for all 26 episodes. He voiced Rat in The Wind in the Willows (1984–90), based on the book by Kenneth Grahame and produced by Cosgrove Hall Films, alongside Michael Hordern as Badger, David Jason as Toad and Richard Pearson as Mole. He also voiced Rat in the second Wind in the Willows movie A Tale of Two Toads in 1989.[11] Also in 1983 he played the lead character Jim Bloggs, alongside Brenda Bruce as Hilda, in a BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Raymond Briggs' When the Wind Blows.[33][34] From 1986–1987 Sallis voiced Harold in all six episodes of the BBC Radio series Living with Betty and he also voiced the lead character Hercule Poirot, alongside Manning Wilson as Col Johnson, in a BBC Radio 4 audio cassette titled Hercule Poirot's Christmas.[35][36] In 1996 Sallis narrated two audiobooks from the Little Bear book series those being Little Bear and Little Bear's Visit.[37][38] Sallis appeared in the last episode of Rumpole of the Bailey (1992)[39] and he later starred alongside Brenda Blethyn, Kevin Whately and Anna Massey in the one-off ITV1 drama Belonging (2004).[40]
During the 1980s to the 1990s, Sallis provided the voiceover for a series of television adverts for Polo mints.[41][42] He also provided voiceover for many other adverts such as Heinz Classic Soup Cream of Chicken with White Wine, Panasonic, Contac 400, Lift Lemon Tea, Hotpoint, Persil Liquid, Super Poli-Grip and Shredded Wheat Gold.[citation needed]
Sallis also voiced Hugo in the animated series Victor and Hugo: Bunglers in Crime.[citation needed] He narrated "Postman Pat's Parcel of Stories", a cassette tape story compilation based on Postman Pat.[43] In 1996 he narrated two audio cassette tapes of the Frog and Toad book series those being Days With Frog and Toad and Frog and Toad All Year which were both published by Abbey Home Entertainment.[44] Around the same time period he also narrated another two audio cassette tapes, those being Little Bear and Little Bear's Visit which were both stories from the Little Bear book series.[45] That same year he also starred alongside John Moffatt, Graham Crowden, Jeremy Clyde, Roger May, Bill Nighy and Diana Quick in a BBC Radio adaptation of Death at Broadcasting House where he provided the voice of Detective Inspector Spears. It was also shown as an episode of the BBC Radio series Saturday Playhouse.[46]
Sallis also appeared in the Saturday Playhouse episode "The Trials of Oscar Wilde: The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name" where he voiced Edward Clarke alongside Simon Russell Beale and Nigel Davenport[47] 2005 Sallis narrated the audio CD of Six-Dinner Sid based on the book of the same name by Inga Moore.[48] The following year when Sallis released his autobiography book titled Fading into the Limelight: Peter Sallis the Autobiography he also narrated his autobiography book for an audio CD that was released the same year.[49]
In 2001, Sallis had a cameo voiceover role in the TV movie Hotel! where he provided the radio voice of Little Ashford Flying Club.[50]
While a student in 1983, Nick Park wrote to Sallis asking him if he would voice his character Wallace, an eccentric inventor. Sallis agreed to do so for a donation of £50 to his favourite charity. The work was eventually released in 1989 and Aardman Animations' Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out went on to win a BAFTA award. Sallis reprised his role in the Oscar and BAFTA Award-winning films The Wrong Trousers in 1993 and A Close Shave in 1995.[51]
Throughout the late 1990s to the early 2000s, Sallis continued to voice Wallace in many Wallace & Gromit video games, adverts and audio cassettes, and returned to voice Wallace in 2002 TV series Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions and in the Oscar-winning 2005 motion picture film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, for which he won an Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production. In 2008, Sallis voiced a new Wallace & Gromit adventure, A Matter of Loaf and Death. Following the Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Sallis's eyesight began to fail as a result of macular degeneration and he used a talking portable typewriter with a specially illuminated scanner to continue working. In 2009, he played Gloria Millington's father Cyril in the TV series Kingdom in the episode "Episode 3.1".[11] His last role as Wallace was in 2010's Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention. Two years later, Sallis retired from acting due to ill health, with Ben Whitehead taking over as the voice of Wallace.[51]
Autobiography
In 2006, Sallis published an autobiography entitled Fading into the Limelight.[6] As well as his 36 years in Last of the Summer Wine, Sallis also recounts the early era of his relationship with Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park when it took six years for A Grand Day Out to be completed. He says that his work as Wallace has "raised his standing a few notches in the public eye".[52]
Personal life
Sallis married actress Elaine Usher at St. John's Wood Church in London on 9 February 1957.[53][4][54] However, it was a turbulent relationship, with Usher leaving him sixteen times before they divorced in 1965 on grounds of desertion and adultery.[1] They eventually reconciled and continued to live together until 1999. Sallis remained close to Usher until her death in 2014.[55][56] They had one son, Crispian Sallis (born 1959), and two grandchildren.[55] Sallis also lived with three cats in a small cottage.[57]
Sallis suffered from macular degeneration,[55] and in 2005 recorded an appeal on BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Macular Society, of which he was a patron.[58] He also recorded on behalf of the society a television appeal, which was broadcast on BBC One on 8 March 2009. Following his diagnosis of the disease, Aardman produced a short animated film for the society.[59]
↑Bert Coules (3 March 1993). "The Return of Sherlock Holmes". The BBC complete audio Sherlock Holmes. Archived from the original on 29 September 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
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