Beloved actor Peter Wyngarde, celebrated among Spy Vibers for his roles in The Prisoner, The Avengers, Department S, and Jason King, is the subject of a new career-spanning biography. The book was written by Roger Langley, author of the Patrick McGoohan biography, as well as one of the organizers of Six of One Prisoner Appreciation Society- and a contributing agent for Spy Vibe (see Roger's edition of For Your Shelf Only). Roger and I recently had a virtual chat about Peter Wyngarde and the new book.
On screen, I feel that Peter
radiates so much charisma, intelligence, playfulness, but also a vulnerability.
I wonder if you can describe the essence of the man you have come to know
through interviews and writing the biography?
Peter certainly radiates
charisma, intelligence, playfulness, but also at times a degree of
vulnerability. In his big screen part, in the movie "Night of the
Eagle" (aka "Burn, Witch, Burn!") he conveyed well the
desperation of an intelligent man, a teacher, having to confront the
possibility that his wife is not only practising voodoo but that there is some
real power behind it. In the end, he is forced to employ the same sort of
methods in an attempt to save her life. Also, in his TV plays, Peter portrayed
characters with a great deal of sensitivity, and when required, injecting
humour as well. In contrast there is his portrayal of the very realistic
essence of evil which was depicted in the film "The Innocents".
Although he had no dialogue, his appearance as the figure whose spirit
possesses the mind of a young boy was extremely scary. He told me that as his
demonic face appears at a window it was created by a simple stage effect. He
was on roller skates and was given a push so that he glided gently up to the
window. If I had known this at the time I saw the movie on its first release I
would not have found it so frightening!
Peter is a very well-read and
intelligent man who has over several decades remained unjustly typecast as the
flamboyant character Jason King from the TV series of that name and the earlier
"Department S". He has a wonderfully distinctive voice and it is no
surprise that he was chosen as the voice behind some famous British TV
commercials for a box of chocolates, carried by a stunt man through dangerous
settings and left secretly with an anonymous calling card. Peter smoothly
delivered the sexy line "And all because the lady loves Milk Tray".
He is also very artistic and inventive and has not only directed plays but has
produced his own album of spoken 'music' tracks as well as contributing to
other audio projects. When interviewed on TV chat shows he presents as a very
personable figure and all of these things I have said about him show the sum of
the parts which make up the actor's appeal and personal magnetism.
To what degree did Peter
participate in the biography project?
I spoke with Peter at times over
several years and also corresponded with him but he did not directly
participate this year in the biography project. However, I immediately sent him
a copy of the book and he is delighted with it, describing it as "a true
labour of love" and thanking me for "a magnificent effort". He
told me he was speechless when he first received it and thanked me for putting his
career in print in this way. So I suppose the book is retrospectively
‘official’!
How is the book structured? Does
it follow Peter's life, project by project in chronological order?
The bio is completely
chronological, starting with Peter’s origins, birth background and his early
years confined in a Far Eastern internment camp during the second world war.
The story continues with his return to Britain, education and initial work
assignments, before turning to his first acting engagement. From then, in the
1940s, through to this decade, the biography covers his acting career in film,
television, theatre and his public life. There are appendices listing all of
his work on screen and on stage and other projects are covered, with around 100
pictures. There is an introduction, eight main chapters and a closing ‘finale’.
To what extent does it cover
Peter's personal life?
I included aspects of Peter’s own
life; contemporary with the work he was doing at various times as an actor or
star. I have presented the entirety of his career and public life, with his
personal background details, but not his private life. I adopted the same
approach with my Patrick McGoohan biography, which found favour with him and
also his many fans. I am gratified that Peter has endorsed the book and is delighted
with the content.
What are some things you learned
about him that you found inspiring or surprising?
I think the aspect which I find
most inspiring about Peter is his ability to overcome difficult times in his
life. Whether these concerned relationships, financial situations, personal
problems or health etc., he always bounced back, ready to give his best and to
take on any new project. He was extremely popular in Australia at the height of
his TV stardom and went there twice, being mobbed by thousands of fans. As for
what is so distinctive about Peter, I would say that perhaps not many people
are aware of his great ability to play comedy parts. He took the role of Gary
Essendine in Noel Coward's "Present Laughter" a few times, both on
stage and on TV. The play is available on the DVD "A Choice of
Coward" and Peter's performance almost leaves you breathless given the
speed of it, the amount of dialogue, the long takes and his unique facial
expressions.
Peter was one of the actors who
played #2 in The Prisoner. What thoughts does he share about the concept and
politics of the show?
Peter extolled the merits of
Patrick McGoohan's cult TV series “The Prisoner” on several occasions. He
described the show as always a conundrum and a surprise. His part as No. 2
arose because McGoohan actually requested him to take the role. Peter felt that
his character as leader of the Village, compared to the show's other sinister
and sadistic officials, was more persuasive and also deceptively friendly and
sympathetic. This I feel was perhaps more of Peter's own character being put
into the part and not a case of him being strictly required to follow the
script and direction. He even used karate in one scene in “The Prisoner” which
I believe was probably his own idea. He was proud of the scene and said that
his manual strike to break a block of wood was totally authentic. He insisted
that he had practised for an hour each morning and later expanded the martial
arts theme for the “Department S” show. He described how McGoohan loved
authenticity. The star told Peter to play the part "as yourself" and
this horrified Peter as he felt it was quite difficult to be just oneself and
much easier to be acting.
Of the star, Peter thought
McGoohan was a fruitcake although he trusted his judgment even though the star
was very secretive about the project. I was surprised to hear Peter say that he
was friends with McGoohan for years, long before “The Prisoner”. Later, when
Peter was sent many repetitive scripts for new shows, he always compared them
with the striking originality of “The Prisoner” and would turn down scripts
which did not come up to that standard of originality. I felt that there were
parallels between McGoohan and Wyngarde, as neither of them completed formal
dramatic training, they both became almost typecast by their characters Number
6 and Jason King respectively, and yet both of them pursued roles they wanted
to take, even turning down scripts and maintaining their artistic integrity. At
the time of McGoohan’s passing, Peter said, “He
was a private man, a formidable actor, and a free spirit. His body of work...
probably will be accepted as the most imaginative of all television series, in
time to come."
Peter also played Jason King and
appeared in “The Avengers” and other shows - always with outstanding flair.
What does Peter have to say about the playful or colorful nature of the
Swinging London era?
Peter’s many and varied TV roles
were always delivered with great flair and, when required, flamboyance. His
portrayal of the whip-wielding rogue in the “Avengers” story about the Hellfire
Club "A Touch of Brimstone" was remarkable and his other “Avengers”
multi-roles in the episode "Epic" gave him a real opportunity to show
off his wide-ranging acting talents. He injected comedy into his roles in “The
Saint” and played also a variety of crooks and characters in other TV shows,
including often foreign characters, once or twice even wearing dark make-up to
present a Middle-Eastern look. The TV shows of the sixties did not really
propel Peter into the showbusiness limelight but his role at the end of the
decade in the 1969 "Department S" and the follow up "Jason
King" shows brought him international stardom. He received hundreds of fan
letters every week and made many public appearances. He enjoyed this time of
huge popularity and gave many interviews to magazines and was always filmed
with a glamourous actress or model on his arm. However, there was always the
private side of Peter and as I have put in my biography, he once said "I
prefer to be a man without a past, and my entire philosophy is based on that.
Each phase of my life has been lived and is dead."
I think, in summary, Peter has
never been happier than when he is totally immersed in some new part. When he
was doing film, he longed to do TV plays, when he was appearing on TV he wanted
to get back to the stage to appear live in plays. I have been able to source
rare and unseen photos of him in Shakespearean and other productions which show
the great diversity of roles he took over many years. In fact, his first film
appearance was in the late 1940s and his stage debut was as a young lad. The
fact that his career has spanned over half a century, during which time he has
had many leading and major roles, makes it seem strange that he is remembered
mostly for the part which made him internationally well known, that of Jason
King. At least he had a great time in that role as he told me that he injected
so much of himself into it, he never knew each day when he woke up whether he
was Peter Wyngarde or Jason King! More information can be found at the official book website.
Check out our recent posts, including Neil Armstrong: One Last Step, Celebrating 450,000 visitors, Interview with Playboy Bunny Deana, and our series, For Your Shelf Only, where guests share stories about collecting and show us some of their treasures. Series links: Jon Gilbert, Raymond Benson, Jeremy Duns, Peter Lorenz, David Foster, Rob Mallows, Roger Langley, Craig Arthur, Fleming Short, Matt Sherman. Check out my books Counting Sheep and Mort Walker Conversations.
