Peter Robert McEnery (born 21 February 1940) is a retired English stage and film actor.
Early life McEnery was born in Walsall, Staffordshire, to Charles and Ada Mary (née Brinson) McEnery. He was educated at Ellesmere College, Shropshire.
His younger brothers are actor John and the photographer David.
Career McEnery appeared in Victim, a 1961 British neo-noir suspense film directed by Basil Dearden in which McEnery plays Barrett, a young working-class gay man who falls prey to blackmailers after he and the titular character are photographed in an intimate embrace. McEnery also starred alongside Hayley Mills in the 1964 film The Moon-Spinners."The Day Hayley got in a Hearse", Photoplay, August 1964. In 1966, he took the lead in the Disney adventure film The Fighting Prince of Donegal. He had the lead role in the expensive 1970 adventure film The Adventures of Gerard, which flopped.
He played Edwin Clayhanger in the television dramatisation of the novels by Arnold Bennett with support from Janet Suzman, Harry Andrews and Clive Swift. He played Mr Sloane in Entertaining Mr Sloane (1970).
As an actor for the Royal Shakespeare Company, he played the title role in Ron Daniel's 1979 production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre at The Other Place, and played several roles in the 1982 epic production of Nicholas Nickleby for the same company. In 1981, he played Oberon in the BBC Television Shakespeare production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Another stage role is that of the surgeon Treves in the National Theatre's 1980 production of The Elephant Man.
Personal life McEnery married Julie Peasgood in 1978. They met in 1975 when she played a maid called Ada in the Clayhanger television series in which McEnery starred. Their daughter Kate was born in 1981. They later divorced. In 2007, he married actress Julia St John.
Stage credits Year Title Role Theatre 1957 Flowering Cherry Tom Theatre Royal Haymarket 1960 Look Homeward, Angel Eugene Gant Pembroke Theatre, Croydon 1961 Hamlet Laertes Stratford Memorial Theatre 1962 Afore Night Come Johnny Hobnails Arts Theatre 1965 The Merchant of Venice Bassanio Royal Shakespeare Company 1966 The Jew of Malta Ithamore 1970 The Merchant of Venice Director Gateway Theatre, Chester 1971 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Guildenstern Nottingham Playhouse 1972 The Shadow of a Gunman Donal Davoren Young Vic Julius Caesar Cassius 1975 The Sea Gull Boris Trigorin Lyric Theatre, London 1976 Romeo and Juliet Romeo St. George Theatre 1977 Henry VI, Part 1 Earl of Suffolk Royal Shakespeare Company Henry VI, Part 2 Duke of Suffolk The Lorenzaccio Story Lorenzo Sons of Light Yescanab 1978 As You Like It Orlando The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs Albie Sachs 1979 Pericles Pericles Once In a Lifetime Jerry Hyland Aldwych Theatre 1980 The Elephant Man Frederick Treves Royal National Theatre 1981 Julius Caesar Julius Caesar Royal Shakespeare Company 1983 Marcus Brutus The Comedy of Errors Antipholus of Ephesus 1984 The Devils De Laubardemont Barbican Centre Urbain Grandier Royal Shakespeare Company 1986 Made in Bangkok Edward Gover Aldwych Theatre 1987 The Lover & A Slight Ache Richard (The Lover) Young Vic 1990 A Little Night Music Fredrik Egerman Piccadilly Theatre A Dream of People Claude Godber Royal Shakespeare Company 1991 Cider with Rosie Narrator/Laurie Lee Birmingham Repertory Company 1993 A Doll's House Torvald Helver Minerva Theatre, Chichester 1994 Dangerous Corner Robert Caplan 1995 Women of Troy Menelaus Royal National Theatre 1997 Heartbreak House Hector Hushabye Almeida Theatre 2000 Hamlet Claudius Royal National Theatre
Director Year Title Theatre 1970 The Merchant of Venice Gateway Theatre, Chester 1971 Richard III Nottingham Playhouse
Filmography Film YearTitleRoleNotes1960Beat GirlTonyTunes of GloryDavid MacKinnon, 2nd Lieutenant1961VictimJack "Boy" Barrett1964The Moon-SpinnersMark Camford1966The Game Is OverMaxime SaccardThe Fighting Prince of Donegal"Red" Hugh O'Donnell1967I Killed RasputinFelix Yusupov1968Sleep Is LovelyPeterNegativesTheoBetter a WidowTom Proby1970The Adventures of GerardCol. Etienne GerardEntertaining Mr SloaneMr. SloaneAtlantic WallJeff1973Tales That Witness MadnessTimothySegment: "Penny Farthing"1975Footprints on the MoonHenry1978The Cat and the CanaryCharlie Wilder1996Lucky PunchFlaherty
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1959The Case of Private HampLieutenant Johnson, the Junior MemberTelevision film1959–60ITV Television PlayhouseCy Whelan / George Poddy / CyrilEpisodes: "Promenade" (1959), "The Essay Prize" (1960), "Poor Sidney" (1960)International DetectiveAlan VernonEpisode: "The Rainis Case" (1960)1960–63Armchair TheatreTom / Stephen StrangEpisodes: "Lena, O My Lena" (1960), "The Chocolate Tree" (1963)1960–64ITV Play of the WeekSimon / Captain Richard TraversEpisodes: "The Patchwork Quilt" (1960), "Tarnish on a Golden Boy" (1964)1961CandidaEugene MarchbanksTelevision film1963Still LifeBarney1965Theatre 625TeifionEpisode: "Progress to the Park" (1965)1966The Magical World of DisneyHugh O'Donnell / Mark CamfordDocumentary1967CinémaHerselfTV series documentary: episode dated 16 February 19671970OmnibusModiglianiTV series documentary: "A Requiem for Modigliani" (1970)1973So It GoesClaude DuchesneEpisode: "Free Fall"Life and SoulNicholasTelevision film1976ClayhangerEdwin Clayhanger22 episodes1979The Aphrodite InheritanceDavid Collier8 episodes1980Hammer House of HorrorEdwynEpisode: "The Mark of Satan" (1980)1981The Jail Diary of Albie SachsAlbie SachsTelevision film1981A Midsummer Night's DreamOberon1982ArenaMr SloaneEpisode: "A Genius Like Us: A Portrait of Joe Orton" (1982)1983Live from Pebble MillDanEpisode: "Japanese Style" (1983)PicturesBill Trench7 episodes1984Weekend PlayhouseDominic HansonEpisode: "Change Partners" (1984)1985The South Bank Show2nd Lt. David MackinnonEpisode: "Sir Alec Guinness" (1985)Florence NightingaleSidney HerbertTelevision film1986The CollectorsHarry Caines10 episodes1987The MistressLuke Mansel6 episodes1988Inspector MorseDonald PhillipsonEpisode: "Last Seen Wearing" (1988)1989AwaydayHerselfTV series: Episode #1.4 (1989)1991SafariDr. Peter WolffTelevision film1992BoonRobert MacGuffinEpisode: "MacGuffin's Transputer" (1992)WitchcraftJamie Matheson2 episodes1994All Quiet on the Preston FrontFraserEpisodes: "Ally's Husband" (1994), "Kirsty's Biscuit" (1994)2000Reach for the MoonWilliam Martin6 episodes2008ScalpCooletEpisodes: "Chute libre" (2008), "St-Martin" (2008), "Peracor" (2008), "Mr Smith?" (2008)
References
External links
Peter McEnery at Theatricalia