Background

Peter Jones was born on June 12, 1920, in Wem, Shropshire, the United Kingdom.

Education

Jones was educated at Wem Grammar School and Ellesmere College where he first performed in school plays.

Career

At age sixteen Jones made an unsuccessful stab at acting on the professional stage at the Wolverhampton Grand but was fired after just one performance. Putting in the hard yards to improve on his acting skills he subsequently worked for BBC radio and then in regional repertory theatre, prior to making his debut at London's West End Haymarket Theatre in a 1942 production of George Bernard Shaws The Doctor's Dilemma.

During the 1950's and 60's, Jones also contributed scripts for BBC radio, as well as writing and directing plays, though none of the latter met with more than moderate success. There were also a handful of film appearances, invariably in small parts. He was also in several films, the first, Fanny by Gaslight, in 1944. Others included Albert R.N. and Romanoff and Juliet.

In 1952 he was in his own first play, Sweet Madness with Richard Attenborough. He wrote several plays, some for television, and appeared in many more.

He also appeared in TV comedy The Rag Trade, which drew up to 14 million viewers in the early 1960s. In it, he played long-suffering factory boss, Mr. Fenner, constantly trying to clear the hurdles erected by Miriam Karlin's union convenor.

Jones's characters were often avuncular or affable. This applied even to his would-be criminal mastermind Eddie of BBC 1's sitcom Mr. Big (1974), in which he co-starred with Prunella Scales. One of his most memorable parts was that of clothing manufacturer Harold Fenner, perpetually pinned on the defensive by his combative shop steward Miriam Karlin in The Rag Trade (1961). He appeared to good effect in several other comedy series, which have fared rather less well in re-runs, but are little gems, nonetheless: as junior executive Gerald Garvey, earning rather less (much to his chagrin) than working-class neighbour Harry Butt (Reg Varney) in a comedy of class distinction and jealousy, Beggar My Neighbour (1966); as pompous Gatling-Fenn in a very British comedy of manners, doing One-Upmanship (1974) with Richard Briers; and as Kevin Pork, the fruity ultra-left British Prime Minister of Whoops Apocalypse (1982) who thinks he is Superman. Back on the 'cult' side of things, Peter Jones was the smooth, matter-of-fact voice of 'The Book' in both radio and TV versions of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981). The resulting popularity of the show led to further voice-over and radio work, notably a series of comic monologues 'by an ex-theatrical thespian', detailed in 'J. Kingston Platt's Showbiz Handbook'.

During the 1990s, Jones made only sporadic TV appearances, often in non-comedic parts. His last recurring character was that of Inspector Bradley in a little-seen, idiosyncratic crime series called The Mixer (1992), set in 1930's London.

Achievements

• As an actor, while also a playwright, scriptwriter, and radio game show personality, Peter Jones brought a cheerful charm to his on-screen performances. His collection of harassed and, occasionally, seedy characters - shuffling lugubrious looks with an amicable manner and over-bright smiles - were made all the funnier with a complete lack of self-consciousness.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • School For Scoundrels

    (This lighthearted comedy shows us how Henry Palfrey chang...)

    1960
  • Fanny By Gaslight

    (Fanny, the illegitimate daughter of a British Cabinet Min...)

    1944
  • Smashing Time

    (Swinging London becomes limping London when Rita Tushingh...)

    1967
  • Never Let Go

    (On the violent streets of London, thieves steal cars, rem...)

    1960
  • The Browning Version

    (Michael Redgrave portrays Andrew Crocker-Harris, an embit...)

    1951
  • Carry on England

    (Captain S Melly (Kenneth Connor) is put in charge of an e...)

    1976
  • Romanoff and Juliet

    (Two-time Academy Award-winner Peter Ustinov wrote, direct...)

    1961
  • Carry on Doctor

    (Francis Bigger (Howerd) is a charlatan faith healer, conv...)

    1967
  • Confessions of A Pop Performer

    (Timothy Lea (Robin Askwith, Confessions of a Window Clean...)

    1975
  • Private's Progress

    (During World War II, the young undergraduate Stanley Wind...)

    1956
  • Chariots Of Fire

    (Two runners are driven by personal compulsions to win at ...)

    1981
  • Operation Bullshine

    (Henry Palfrey (Ian Carmichael) is a failure in sport and ...)

    1959
  • The Sandwich Man

    (Bentine takes the leading role, playing Horace Quilby, a ...)

    1966
  • The Yellow Balloon

    (Frankie Palmer is a normal, lovable boy who one day catch...)

    1953
  • I See A Dark Stranger

    (Determined, independent Bridie Quilty comes of age in 194...)

    1946
  • The Return of the Pink Panther

    (The comic genius of Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers meet ...)

  • Innocents in Paris

    (A selection of passengers catch the plane from London for...)

    1953
  • A Stitch in Time

    (An accident in the butcher's shop leads Norman and Mr. Gr...)

    1963
  • Hot Millions

    ("Any fool can steal. I've been embezzling." Peter Ustinov...)

    1968
  • Chance of a Lifetime

    (J. Courtney Dickinson is the owner of an engineering firm...)

    1950

Connections

Jones was married to Jeri Sauvinet, who was an American theatre actress. They had three children together; a daughter, Selena (later Carey-Jones and then Doggett-Jones), and two sons Charles Daniel Jones, and Bill Dare Jones.

Spouse:

Jeri Sauvinet

Daughter:

Selena Doggett-Jones

Son:

Bill Dare Jones

Son:

Charles Daniel Jones

colleague:

Peter Alexander Ustinov

References

• Contemporary Authors, Vol. 189
  2001