Peter Jones (actor)
| Peter Jones | |
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 Peter Jones[when?] |
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| Born | Peter Geoffrey F. Carey-Jones 12 June 1920 Wem, Shropshire, England |
| Died | 10 April 2000 (aged 79) Westminster, London, England |
| Years active | 1944–1999 |
| Spouse(s) | Jeri Sauvinet |
Peter Geoffrey F. Carey-Jones (12 June 1920 – 10 April 2000)[1] was an English actor, screenwriter and broadcaster.
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Biography[edit]
Early life and career[edit]
Jones was born in Wem, Shropshire[2] and he was educated at Wem Grammar School and Ellesmere College. He made his first appearance as an actor in Wolverhampton at the age of 16 and then appeared in repertory theatre in East Anglia. In 1942 he acted on the West End stage in The Doctor's Dilemma and in 1942 he made an uncredited film appearance in Fanny by Gaslight. An early film credit was as a Xenobian trade delegate in Chance of a Lifetime (1950).
Radio[edit]
Between 1952 and 1955 Jones starred alongside Peter Ustinov in the BBC radio comedy In All Directions. The show featured Jones and Ustinov as themselves in a car in London perpetually searching for Copthorne Avenue. The comedy derived from the characters they met along the way, often also played by themselves. The show was unusual for the time in that it was largely improvised – with the tape subsequently edited for broadcast by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, who also sometimes took part. Two of the more popular characters were Morris and Dudley Grosvenor, two rather stupid East End spivs whose sketches always ended with the phrase "Run for it Dudley" (or Morry as appropriate). One recording, from October 1952, survives in the BBC Sound Archive. Another notable radio role was as Bunter in Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey stories. He was for 29 years a regular contestant on the panel game Just A Minute.[3]
He was the voice of The Book in the original radio series of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The creators had wanted someone with a "Peter Jonesy sort of voice" and after several rejections asked Jones himself.[4] He reprised the role for the LP and the TV series.
Jones had a role in Patrick Barlow's The Patrick and Maureen Maybe Music Experience.
Narration[edit]
Jones narrated Douglas Adams's radio series Last Chance to See, in style similar to his earlier Adams collaboration. He also occasionally narrated television documentaries, such as the Equinox episode "Unravelling the Universe", first broadcast in December 1991.
Television appearances[edit]
On television, he is probably best known for his lead role as Mr Fenner in the series The Rag Trade, but he also had acting roles in the British comedy series The Goodies, the courtroom drama Rumpole of the Bailey, Holby City, Whoops Apocalypse, The Bill, Midsomer Murders, Minder and two episodes of The Avengers. He also starred in the filmed comedy series From a Bird's Eye View (1970), a vehicle for Millicent Martin, in an attempt to break into the American market.
Film[edit]
Jones featured in a number of films, including Private's Progress (1956), School for Scoundrels (1960) (reprising his Dudley Grosvenor character as a used-car salesman with Dennis Price), Just Like a Woman (1967) alongside Wendy Craig, The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) and Chariots of Fire (1981).
Screenwriter[edit]
A talented screenwriter, he wrote and starred in the sitcom Mr Big, with Ian Lavender, Prunella Scales and Carol Hawkins,[1] and wrote and starred in J Kingston Platt's Showbiz Handbook.
Personal life and death[edit]
Jones died of natural causes, aged 79, in 2000 at Westminster, London.[5] His daughter, Selena Carey-Jones, is an actress and one of his two sons, Bill Dare, is a writer, and producer of BBC Radio's Dead Ringers. His wife, Jeri, died in 1999.
Selected filmography[edit]
- Fanny by Gaslight (1944)
- Dead of Night (1945)
- Forbidden (1949)
- Chance of a Lifetime (1950)
- Cairo Road (1950)
- The Franchise Affair (1951)
- The Browning Version (1951)
- Home to Danger (1951)
- The Magic Box (1951)[6]
- Time Gentlemen, Please! (1952)
- The Long Memory (1952)
- The Yellow Balloon (1953)
- Albert R.N. (1953)
- For Better, for Worse (1954)
- John and Julie (1955)
- Private's Progress (1956)
- On Such a Night (1956)
- Charley Moon (1956)
- Blue Murder at St Trinian's (1957)
- Danger Within (1959)
- Operation Bullshine (1959)
- School for Scoundrels (1960)
- Never Let Go (1960)
- The Bulldog Breed (1960)
- Nearly a Nasty Accident (1961)
- A Stitch in Time (1963)
- Father Came Too! (1963)
- The Sandwich Man (1966)
- Smashing Time (1967)
- Carry On Doctor (1967)
- The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
- Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975)
- Carry On England (1976)
References[edit]
- ^ a b Stevens, Christopher (2010). Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams. John Murray. p. 407. ISBN 1-84854-195-3.
- ^ GRO Register of Births: JUN 1920 6a(?) 1433(?) WEM - Peter G. F. Jones, mmn = Francis
- ^ "ENTERTAINMENT | Comedy veteran Peter Jones dies". BBC News. 2000-04-10. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
- ^ Adams, Douglas; Perkins, Geoffrey (1987-12-09). The original Hitchhiker radio scripts. Harmony Books. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-517-55950-5. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ GRO Register of Deaths: APR 2000 A43C 263 WESTMINSTER - Peter Geoffrey F Jones, DoB = 12 Jun 1920, aged 79
- ^ Release date for The Magic Box, in IMDb.
External links[edit]
- Peter Jones at the Internet Movie Database
- Obituary by Denis Gifford, The Independent, 12 April 2000
- Obituary by Dennis Barker, The Guardian, 11 April 2000
- Peter Jones at Find a Grave
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