Here is the biography of Peter Wyngarde:
Peter Paul Wyngarde was born in Marseille, France, to an English father and French mother. Due to his father's work with the British Diplomatic Service, Peter spent his early childhood moving between different countries and was educated in various schools.
One significant place that left a lasting impression on him was Shanghai, where he was temporarily left in the care of a Swiss family while his father was away in India. In 1941, Peter and his surrogate family found themselves in Lunghua concentration camp after the Japanese captured the city.
Confined in the camp for four years, Peter struggled to prevent his family and friends from dying at the hands of cruel soldiers. During better times, he worked in the camp laundry and gardens, began writing and acting in plays, and made his acting debut in his own production of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
After the camp was liberated in 1945, Peter was taken to a sanatorium in the Swiss mountains, where he remained for two years. He then completed his education in Switzerland, France, and England before reluctantly entering university to study law.
However, Peter soon dropped law to pursue a career in advertising and later began acting in the London stage. He made his first role on the London stage with the Nottingham Repertory Company and later moved to the Old Vic in Bristol, where he took on lead roles in classic plays like Cyrano de Bergerac and Taming of the Shrew.
In 1956, Peter was invited to the United States to take a screen test for the part of Pausanius in Robert Rosen's epic feature film, Alexander the Great. Although his role was eventually cut, Peter returned to the British stage and took on the role of Yang Sun in Bertold Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan.
He later made his Broadway debut in 1959 and won the award for Best Actor in a Foreign Play. Peter then starred in Monty Barman's production of The Siege of Sidney Street and appeared in numerous television productions, including Armchair Theatre and Play of the Week.
Between 1960 and 1969, Peter appeared in over 30 television plays and guest-starred in classic series like The Avengers, I Love Lucy, and The Saint. He then starred in the ITC action series Department S and later in the spin-off series Jason King, which became a huge success.
After the cancellation of Jason King, Peter returned to the theatre and appeared in various productions, including Butley, Mother Adam, and The King and I. He later toured Britain in the lead role of the King in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Peter continued to act in films and television, including the Austrian film Himmel, Scheich Und Wolkenbrunch and the sci-fi blockbuster Flash Gordon. He also returned to the stage in productions like Anastasia and Deathtrap.
In the 1990s, Peter made a few television appearances, including a guest-starring role in Granada Television's Bulman and a role in the Sherlock Holmes series opposite Jeremy Brett. The re-release of his 1970 album on CD and the release of Department S and Jason King on video helped rekindle interest in the debonair actor.
In recent years, Peter has made numerous TV appearances, including Astleys Way, Dee Time, and 100 Greatest TV Characters. He has also narrated the acclaimed Timeshift documentary, The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes, in 2014.
Peter remains one of the most popular British actors of the past 50 years, with a thriving fan club and devoted worldwide following. His appearances at TV and Sci-Fi conventions have drawn thousands of attendees, eager to meet him and to shake the hand of a true acting legend.
