1. Peter John Sallis was born on 1 February 1921 in Twickenham, Middlesex, the only child of bank manager Harry Sallis and Dorothy Amea Frances.
56 Facts About Peter Sallis
1. 2.
Peter Sallis was unable to serve as aircrew because of a serum albumin disorder and was told he might black out at high altitudes.
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Peter Sallis became a wireless mechanic instead and went on to teach radio procedures at RAF Cranwell for which he won a Korda Scholarship.
4.
Peter Sallis appeared in the Hal Prince-produced musical She Loves Me in 1963.
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Peter Sallis later appeared in a 1979 TV Movie adaptation of She Loves Me based of the 1963 musical, although he played the role of Ladislav Sipos instead of Mr Maraczek.
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Peter Sallis was asked by Prince to take the role of Dr Watson to Fritz Weaver's Sherlock Holmes.
7.
Peter Sallis appeared in more than 150 films and in more than 170 television shows.
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Peter Sallis was the only guest star actor to appear in more than one episode out of all the cast members from the TV series.
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Peter Sallis' first extended television role came in 1958 where he played Samuel Pepys in the BBC serial The Diary of Samuel Pepys.
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That same year Peter Sallis started in the TV series The Black Arrow as Sir Oliver Oates and he appeared in the TV series The Lost King as abbe Fleuriel in the episode "Monsieur Charles Deslys".
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In 1959 Peter Sallis played Cady in the 1959 TV series The Widow of Bath based on the book of the same name by Margot Bennett.
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Peter Sallis appeared in Jango in the episode "Treacle on Three Fingers" as Oscar Grant.
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Peter Sallis appeared in Danger Man in the episode "Find and Destroy" as Gordon.
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In 1962 Peter Sallis appeared in Maigret in the episode "The Reluctant Witnesses" as Armand Lachaume.
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In 1963 Peter Sallis played the lead role of the scientist Mad Willy in the Drama and Mystery series The Chem.
16.
In 1964 Peter Sallis played a big role in the TV series The Avengers where played role of Hal Anderson in the episode "The Wringer".
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Peter Sallis appeared in the BBC Doctor Who story "The Ice Warriors", playing renegade scientist Elric Penley; and in 1983 was due to play the role of Striker in another Doctor Who serial, "Enlightenment", but had to withdraw.
18.
Peter Sallis appeared as schoolteacher Mr Gladstone in an episode of the first series of Catweazle in 1970.
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Peter Sallis was cast in the BBC comedy sitcom series The Culture Vultures, which saw him play stuffy Professor George Hobbs to Leslie Phillips's laid-back rogue Dr Michael Cunningham.
20.
Peter Sallis appeared twice in the series Hadleigh, first in 1971 in the episode "Bow to the Lady" as Dakin and again in 1976 in the episode "The Charm Factor" as Strapper Strapton.
21.
Peter Sallis appeared three times in the British police series Softly, Softly: Task Force.
22.
In 1971 Peter Sallis played a lead role in the TV series The Ten Commandments in the episode "The Nineteenth Hole" where he played the second commandment named Gerry.
23.
Peter Sallis started alongside Robin Ellis, Suzanne Neve, Garfield Morgan, Margaret Courtenay, Elvi Hale, John Bryans, Maurice Quick, James Cossins and Arthur Pentelow in the 1971 British TV Series Bel Ami, based on the French novel by Guy de Maupassant.
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Peter Sallis played the character Norbert de Varenne in four episodes of the series.
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Peter Sallis played a priest in the TV film Frankenstein: The True Story, and the following year played Mr Bonteen in the BBC period drama The Pallisers.
26.
In 1972, Peter Sallis played Mr Bruff in three episodes of the 1972 TV series The Moonstone, based on the book of the same name by Wilkie Collins.
27.
Peter Sallis was cast in the pilot for Comedy Playhouse which became the first episode of Last of the Summer Wine as the unobtrusive lover of a quiet life, Norman Clegg.
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Peter Sallis had already worked on stage with Michael Bates, who played the self-appointed leader Blamire in the first two series.
29.
Peter Sallis played the role of Clegg from 1973 to 2010, and was the only cast member to appear in every episode.
30.
Peter Sallis appeared, in 1988, as Clegg's father in First of the Summer Wine, a prequel to Last of the Summer Wine set in 1939.
31.
In 1974 Peter Sallis started alongside Glyn Owen, Isobel Black, John Thaw, Roland Curram, Jill Dixon and John Bown in the TV show The Capone Investment.
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Peter Sallis appeared twice in the TV series Crown Court first in 1974 in "Triangle" as Gerald Prosser in all three parts and again in 1977 in "Such a Charming Man" as Insp.
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Peter Sallis appeared in the TV series Yanks Go Home where he played Randell Todd in four episodes in 1977.
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Peter Sallis played the part of the ghost-hunter Milton Guest in the children's paranormal drama series The Clifton House Mystery.
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In 1984 Peter Sallis played Leonard March in three episodes of the TV series Strangers and Brothers.
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In 1986 Peter Sallis played the role of Lucy Walker's supporting father Mr Walker in the BBC TV Movie A Dangerous Kind of Love.
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In 1990 Sallis played another major acting role in the TV series titled Come Home Charlie and Face Them based on the book of the same name by R F Delderfield.
38.
Peter Sallis wrote that "the episode was Kafka-esque, to coin a phrase".
39.
Peter Sallis was the narrator on Rocky Hollow for all 26 episodes.
40.
Peter Sallis voiced Rat in The Wind in the Willows, based on the book by Kenneth Grahame and produced by Cosgrove Hall Films, alongside Michael Hordern as Badger, David Jason as Toad and Richard Pearson as Mole.
41.
In 1996 Peter Sallis narrated two audiobooks from the Little Bear book series those being Little Bear and Little Bear's Visit.
42.
Peter Sallis appeared in the last episode of Rumpole of the Bailey and he later starred alongside Brenda Blethyn, Kevin Whately and Anna Massey in the one-off ITV1 drama Belonging.
43.
Peter Sallis voiced Hugo in the animated series Victor and Hugo: Bunglers in Crime for audio cassettes as well.
44.
Peter Sallis narrated "Postman Pat's Parcel of Stories" in the children's television series Postman Pat for audio cassettes.
45.
In 2005 Peter Sallis narrated the audio CD of Six-Dinner Sid based on the book of the same name by Inga Moore.
46.
Peter Sallis reprised his role in the Oscar and BAFTA Award-winning films The Wrong Trousers in 1993 and A Close Shave in 1995.
47.
Two years later Peter Sallis retired from acting due to ill health, with Ben Whitehead taking over as the voice of Wallace.
48.
In 2006, Peter Sallis published an autobiography entitled Fading into the Limelight.
49.
Peter Sallis says that his work as Wallace has "raised his standing a few notches in the public eye".
50.
Peter Sallis married actress Elaine Usher at St John's Wood Church in London on 9 February 1957.
51.
Peter Sallis remained close to Usher until her death in 2014.
52.
Peter Sallis suffered from macular degeneration, and in 2005 recorded an appeal on BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Macular Society, of which he was a patron.
53.
Peter Sallis recorded on behalf of the society a television appeal, which was broadcast on BBC One on 8 March 2009.
54.
Peter Sallis was awarded the OBE in the 2007 Birthday Honours for services to Drama.
55.
Peter Sallis died from natural causes at the Denville Hall nursing home in Northwood, London on 2 June 2017, aged 96.
56.
Peter Sallis was buried next to fellow Last of the Summer Wine actor Bill Owen in the churchyard of St John's Parish Church, Upperthong, near the town of Holmfirth in Yorkshire, the home of the sitcom.