Peter Bennett (actor)
Encyclopedia
Peter Bennett was a British stage and television actor. He had served on both the National Council for Drama Training
and the British Actors' Equity Association
.
and a recipient of the Military Cross
. Bennett attended Malvern College
and trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
. Peter Bennett married Sheila Bramwell-Jones. He died on 23 December 1989.
, England. His first appearance in London theatre was on 9 May 1936 as Possum and Ed Sweet in a production of Little Ol' Boy at the Arts Theatre
. Bennett made his first and only Broadway theatre
performance as Corporal Cramp in the short-lived January 1947 production of Love Goes to Press at the Biltmore Theatre
. Other major venues at which Bennett performed include the Westminster Theatre
, the Ambassadors Theatre, Embassy Theatre
, and the Richmond Theatre
.
From 1970 through 1980, Peter Bennett was a council member and Vice President of the British Actors' Equity Association
, known as Equity. In 1975, he served as the director for the Festival of British Theatre. In 1979, he was appointed to the National Council for Drama Training
.
and The Six Wives of Henry VIII. In addition to these, he also appeared in the following TV series in the 1960s - Probation Officer, Unwelcome Stranger, Magnolia Buildings, Z Cars, Maigret
, Compact
, Misleading Cases and The Troubleshooters.
National Council for Drama Training
The National Council for Drama Training is a partnership of employers in the theatre, broadcast and media industry, employee representatives and training providers....
and the British Actors' Equity Association
British Actors' Equity Association
Equity is the trade union for actors, stage managers and models in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1930 by a group of West End performers....
.
Biography
Peter Bennett was born in London, England, on 17 September 1917. His father was a Major in the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and a recipient of the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
. Bennett attended Malvern College
Malvern College
Malvern College is a coeducational independent school located on a 250 acre campus near the town centre of Malvern, Worcestershire in England. Founded on 25 January 1865, until 1992, the College was a secondary school for boys aged 13 to 18...
and trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
. Peter Bennett married Sheila Bramwell-Jones. He died on 23 December 1989.
Career
Peter Bennett made his first stage appearance on 27 January 1936 as Ma Ta in a stage adaptation of Lady Precious Stream at the Pleasure Gardens Theatre in FolkestoneFolkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, England. His first appearance in London theatre was on 9 May 1936 as Possum and Ed Sweet in a production of Little Ol' Boy at the Arts Theatre
Arts Theatre
The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It now operates as the West End's smallest commercial receiving house.-History:...
. Bennett made his first and only Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
performance as Corporal Cramp in the short-lived January 1947 production of Love Goes to Press at the Biltmore Theatre
Biltmore Theatre
The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 261 West 47th Street in midtown-Manhattan.-History:...
. Other major venues at which Bennett performed include the Westminster Theatre
Westminster Theatre
The Westminster Theatre was a London theatre, on Palace Street in Westminster. It was originally built as the Charlotte Chapel in 1766, which was altered and given a new frontage for use as a cinema from 1924 onwards. It finally became a theatre in 1931 after radical alterations...
, the Ambassadors Theatre, Embassy Theatre
Embassy Theatre (London)
The Embassy Theatre is a theatre at 64, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London.- Early years :The Embassy Theatre was opened as a repertory company in September 1928 on the initiative of Sybil Arundale and Herbert Jay., when the premises of Hampstead Conservatoire of Music were adapted by architect...
, and the Richmond Theatre
Richmond Theatre
The present Richmond Theatre, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is a British Victorian theatre located on Little Green, adjacent to Richmond Green. It opened on 18 September 1899 with a performance of As You Like It, and is one of the finest surviving examples of the work of theatre...
.
From 1970 through 1980, Peter Bennett was a council member and Vice President of the British Actors' Equity Association
British Actors' Equity Association
Equity is the trade union for actors, stage managers and models in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1930 by a group of West End performers....
, known as Equity. In 1975, he served as the director for the Festival of British Theatre. In 1979, he was appointed to the National Council for Drama Training
National Council for Drama Training
The National Council for Drama Training is a partnership of employers in the theatre, broadcast and media industry, employee representatives and training providers....
.
Film and television
Bennett appeared in more than 200 films and television productions, including The Adventures of Robin HoodThe Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a popular British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes. It starred Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin Hood and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show aired weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV in London in the...
and The Six Wives of Henry VIII. In addition to these, he also appeared in the following TV series in the 1960s - Probation Officer, Unwelcome Stranger, Magnolia Buildings, Z Cars, Maigret
Maigret
Jules Maigret, Maigret to most people, including his wife, is a fictional police detective, actually a commissaire or commissioner of the Paris "Brigade Criminelle" , created by writer Georges Simenon.Seventy-five novels and twenty-eight short stories about Maigret were published between 1931 and...
, Compact
Compact (TV series)
Compact is a British television soap opera shown by the BBC between 1962 and 1965. The series was created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, who together went on to devise Crossroads....
, Misleading Cases and The Troubleshooters.