# Peter Barkworth

Peter Wynn Barkworth (14 January 1929 – 21 October 2006) was an English actor. He twice won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor; for Crown Matrimonial in 1975 and for Professional Foul and The Country Party in 1978. He also starred in the ITV series Manhunt (1970) and the BBC series Telford's Change (1979). His film appearances included Where Eagles Dare (1968), Patton (1970), International Velvet (1978) and Champions (1984).

## Early life

Peter Barkworth was born 14 January 1929 in Margate, Kent. Soon after his birth, the family moved to Bramhall in Cheshire and Barkworth was educated at Stockport School. His headmaster wanted him to go to university but Barkworth had set his heart on a career in acting. In 1946 he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). He spent the next few years in repertory in Folkestone, with the Arthur Brough company, and also in Sheffield. From the mid-1950s to the early 1960s he taught acting technique at RADA.

## Acting career

Television and film appearances followed over four decades. He is perhaps best remembered for playing Mark Telford in the TV series Telford's Change (1979), watched every week by seven million viewers. This series followed the life of a senior banking executive as he downsized to Dover to start his life over again, leaving his wife in London. Barkworth co-starred with Hannah Gordon, with Keith Barron as her seducer.

### Television

Barkworth twice won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor, in 1975 for Crown Matrimonial (1974) and in 1978 for his roles in Professional Foul and The Country Party (both 1977). His character in the 1965 boardroom drama The Power Game was a recurring role. He also appeared in the 1970s series ‘’The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes’’ as Martin Hewitt.
In 1967 he appeared in various episodes of The Avengers and also had a part in the Doctor Who serial The Ice Warriors as Leader Clent. From January until June 1970, he appeared in a leading role as Vincent in the World War II drama series Manhunt on LWT. He featured in an episode of sci-fi drama Undermind (1965), and the dystopian The Guardians (1971), and starred in the mystery mini-series Melissa (1974) as an out of work writer whose wife goes missing. Barkworth also played the expatriate British novelist Hugh Neville in the episodes Guilt and Lost Sheep of Secret Army (1977).
Later TV included the part of Stanley Baldwin in Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981), and the serials The Price (1985) and Late Starter (also 1985) in both of which he played angst-filled, middle-aged, middle class characters beset by marital problems in the context respectively of a kidnapping and the early retirement of an academic. Both these series and Telford's Change were based on Barkworth's original ideas. In 1988 Barkworth had a leading guest role in the fourth season Sherlock Holmes adaptation of the Arthur Conan Doyle story "Silver Blaze." In one of his last roles, he starred opposite his former RADA student Michael Gambon in the 1993 episode "Maigret and the Minister" of ITV's Maigret series.

### Theatre

Back on the stage, Barkworth appeared in numerous plays in the West End, notably as Edward VIII in Royce Ryton's Crown Matrimonial starring alongside Wendy Hiller at the Haymarket Theatre in 1972, a role which he repeated on TV two years later. He also played this role in 1975, being nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance in 1976. He also devised a one-man show based on the work of Siegfried Sassoon.

### Film

His film career began in 1959 with A Touch of Larceny. He had subsequent roles in No Love for Johnnie (1961), Two a Penny (1967), Where Eagles Dare (1968), Patton (1970), Escape from the Dark (1976), International Velvet (1978) and Champions (1983). His last appearance was in the film Wilde in 1997. He then retired from acting.

## The arts

Barkworth was a member of the Council at RADA for 16 years during the 1980s and 1990s. His book About Acting – formerly titled The Complete About Acting – is often recommended reading for students and professional actors alike. He also edited For All Occasions: A Selection of Poems, Prose and Party Pieces (1997). He was an avid collector of mainly British art. He left his collection of paintings to the National Trust and they are displayed at Fenton House in Hampstead. The works include two small Constables, several paintings by artists from the Camden Town Group, and many watercolours.

## Personal life

Barkworth lived in Hampstead for many years, and died at the Royal Free Hospital in London of bronchopneumonia 10 days after suffering a stroke. He was survived by his partner, David Wyn Jones.

## Testimonials

In The Sunday Times, John Peter wrote:
   Peter Barkworth: an actor of the utmost skill and refinement, whose physical control and spiritual awareness has always had a jewel-like gleam and precision.
Stockport College has a theatre named after him.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1953 | Malta Story | Cypher Clerk | Uncredited |
| 1954 | You Know What Sailors Are | Naval Lieutenant | Uncredited |
| 1956 | South Sea Bubble | Captain Christopher Mortlock | TV film |
| 1960 | A Touch of Larceny | Sub Lieutenant Brown | |
| 1961 | No Love for Johnnie | Henderson | |
| 1961 | Seven Keys | Estate Agent | |
| 1961 | No My Darling Daughter | Charles | |
| 1962 | Tiara Tahiti | Lieutenant David Harper | |
| 1962 | Play It Cool | Skinner | |
| 1963 | The Cool Mikado | Fanshawe | Uncredited |
| 1964 | Downfall | Tom Cotterell | |
| 1965 | You Must Be Joking! | Television Studio Director | Uncredited |
| 1967 | Two a Penny | Vicar | |
| 1968 | Where Eagles Dare | Berkeley | |
| 1970 | Patton | Colonel John Welkin | |
| 1972 | Who Sunk the Lusitania? | Captain Turner of the Lusitania | TV film |
| 1973 | The Love Ban | Bra Factory Director | |
| 1974 | Crown Matrimonial | King Edward VIII | TV film |
| 1974 | Intent to Murder | George Bates | TV film |
| 1976 | Escape from the Dark | Richard Sandman | |
| 1978 | International Velvet | Pilot | |
| 1983 | The Secret Adversary | Mr. Carter | TV film |
| 1984 | Champions | Nick Embiricos | |
| 1997 | Wilde | Charles Gill | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1952 | BBC Sunday Night Theatre | Captain Horace Parkes | Episode: "Adam's Apple" |
| 1955 | ITV Television Playhouse | Lieutenant Shirley | Episode: "Quay South" |
| 1957 | ITV Play of the Week | Edgar | Episode: "Venus Observed" |
| 1960 | Maigret | Sergeant | Episode: "A Man of Quality" |
| 1961 | The Dickie Henderson Show | | Episode: "The Move" |
| 1961 | Tales of Mystery | Gerald | Episode: "The Woman's Ghost Story" |
| 1961 | ITV Television Playhouse | Ernest Harper | Episode: "The Portrait" |
| 1961 | ITV Television Playhouse | M. Loiseau | Episode: "Boule de Suif" |
| 1961 | BBC Sunday-Night Play | Charles Darwin | Episode: "Fury in Petticoats" |
| 1961 | BBC Sunday-Night Play | Maurice Liddell | Episode: "The Big Noise" |
| 1963 | No Hiding Place | Johnnie Miller | Episode: "Four Faces of Clare" |
| 1963 | About Religion | Introduction | Episode: "Epilepsy" |
| 1963 | The Scales of Justice | Robbins | Episode: "Position of Trust" |
| 1963 | Emergency Ward 10 | Jack Denbigh | Recurring role |
| 1963 | ITV Play of the Week | Frank | Episode: "The Heart of the Country" |
| 1963 | ITV Play of the Week | James Stack | Episode: "The Finambulists" |
| 1964 | ITV Play of the Week | Reverend Bennett | Episode: "Tarnish on a Golden Boy" |
| 1964 | Edgar Wallace Mysteries | Tom Cotterell | Episode: "Downfall" |
| 1964 | The Protectors | Tilsworth | Episode:"The Deadly Chameleon" |
| 1964 | Detective | Detective Inspector Christopher Smith | Episode: "The Hungry Spider" |
| 1964 | Love Story | Umberman | Episode: "I Love, You Love, We Love" |
| 1965 | Public Eye | Eric Hart | Episode: "Nobody Kills Santa Claus" |
| 1965 | Front Page Story | Ian Westley | Episode: "Official Opening" |
| 1965 | The Sullavan Brothers | Peter Roman | Episode: "The Corrupters" |
| 1965 | Undermind | Victor Liberton | Episode: "Intent to Destroy" |
| 1965 | Armchair Theatre | Driving Instructor | Episode: "The Keys of the Cafe" |
| 1965–1969 | The Plane Makers | Kenneth Bligh | Series regular |
| 1967 | ITV Play of the Week | Robert | Episode: "A Roof Over Our Mouths" |
| 1967 | The Avengers | Percy | Episode: "The Correct Way to Kill" |
| 1967 | Half Hour Story | Jimmy Halliwell-Holmes | Episode: "Wedlock" |
| 1967 | Haunted | Reverend Vernon Gates | Episode: "Many Happy Returns" |
| 1967 | The Gamblers | Wyndham | Episode: "My Dear Sirs" |
| 1967 | The Revenue Men | Captain Brett | Episode: "The Exile" |
| 1967 | Doctor Who | Clent | Episode: "The Ice Warriors" |
| 1967 | Thirty-Minute Theatre | Eric | Episode: "Turn Off If You Know the Ending" |
| 1968 | A Man of our Times | Roberts | 2 episodes |
| 1968 | The First Lady | Bailey | Episode: "Upset" |
| 1968 | Ooh La La! | Le Compte Emile | Episode: "The Missing Person" |
| 1968 | Frontier | Mortimer Berkeley | Episode: "A Little Before His Time" |
| 1968 | The Sex Game | Simon | Episode: "A Quartet at Sheila's" |
| 1968 | Thirty-Minute Theatre | Frank Cross | Episode: "A Matter of Principle" |
| 1969 | The Wednesday Play | Dr. George Mackintosh | Episode: "Doctor Atkinson's Daughter" |
| 1969 | The Avengers | Merlin | Episode: "The Morning After" |
| 1969 | The Expert | Williams | Episode: "The Yellow Torrish" |
| 1969 | W. Somerset Maugham | Mr. Jephson | Episode: "P. and O." |
| 1969 | Special Project Air | Wing Commander Routledge | Episode: "Project Singapore" |
| 1969 | Out of the Unknown | Stephen | Episode: "Get Off My Cloud" |
| 1969 | ITV Playhouse | Keith Bailey | Episode: "End of Story" |
| 1970 | Manhunt | Vincent | Series regular |
| 1970 | Armchair Theatre | Bob | Episode: "The Company Man" |
| 1971 | Thirty-Minute Theatre | Tom Harris | Episode: "Asquith in Orbit." |
| 1971 | Paul Temple | Springett | Episode: "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" |
| 1971 | Shadows of Fear | John Dolby | Episode: "Come Into My Parlour" |
| 1971 | Out of the Unknown | Dr. Philimore | Episode: "To Lay a Ghost" |
| 1971 | Crime of Passion | Roland | Episode: "Roland" |
| 1971 | Armchair Theatre | Dickie | Episode: "Office Party" |
| 1971 | The Guardians | Quarmby | Episode: "The Dirtiest Man in the World" |
| 1971 | The Passenger | Detective Inspector Martin Denson | Three episodes |
| 1971 | The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | Martin Hewitt | 2 episodes |
| 1971 | BBC Play of the Month | Tsar Nicholas II | Episode: "Rasputin" |
| 1972 | The Man Outside | Major Richard Grimsby | Episode: "The Birdwatcher" |
| 1972 | Dead of Night | Captain Rolph | Episode: "Return Flight" |
| 1972 | Colditz | Brauner | Episode: "The Spirit of Freedom" |
| 1972 | ITV Playhouse | Nicolas Randolph | Episode: "Dear Octopus" |
| 1972 | BBC Play of the Month | Julius Sagamore | Episode: "The Millionairess" |
| 1973 | ITV Sunday Night Theatre | Mr. Bell | Episode: "The Regulars" |
| 1974 | Good Girl | Eustace Morrow | Series regular |
| 1974 | Melissa | Guy Foster | Three episodes |
| 1974 | Omnibus | The Doctor | Episode: "Joseph Conrad" |
| 1975 | Omnibus | Thomas Mann | Episode: "Thomas Mann: The Fight Against Death" |
| 1975 | Play for Today | Richard Elkinson | Episode: "The Saturday Party" |
| 1975 | BBC Play of the Month | Prime Minister Joe Proteus | Episode: "The Apple Cart" |
| 1975 | BBC Play of the Month | Earl of Rintoul | Episode: "The Little Minister" |
| 1976 | Red Letter Day | Gilbert | Episode: "The Five Pound Orange" |
| 1976 | BBC2 Playhouse | Lawrence | Episode: "An Accident of Class and Sex" |
| 1977 | Three Piece Suite | Cast Member | Segment: "Briefer Encounter" |
| 1977 | BBC2 Play of the Week | Anderson | Episode: "Professional Foul" |
| 1977 | Secret Army | Hugh Neville | 2 episodes |
| 1978 | The Lively Arts | Josef Von Spaun | Episode: "Schubert: A Winter's Journey" |
| 1979 | Telford's Change | Mark Telford | Series regular |
| 1979 | Jackanory | Storyteller | Recurring role |
| 1980 | The Morecambe & Wise Show | Self/Hamlet | Episode: "1980 Christmas Show" |
| 1981 | Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years | Stanley Baldwin | Mini-series |
| 1982 | Tales of the Unexpected | Richard Mellor | Episode: "What Have You Been up to Lately? |
| 1985 | The Price | Geoffrey Carr | Mini-series |
| 1985 | Late Starter | Edward Brett | Series regular |
| 1987 | London Embassy | Sir Charles Smallwood | Episode: "The Man on the Clapham Omnibus" |
| 1988 | The Return of Sherlock Holmes | Colonel Ross | Episode: "Silver Blaze" |
| 1993 | Maigret | The Minister | Episode: "Maigret and the Minister" |
| 1993 | Heartbeat | Frank Milner | Episode: "End of the Line" |