Peter McEnery

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. Later that year he also starred opposite Wendy Craig, Patrick Allen, Peter Sallis, Rosamund Greenwood and Michael Brennan in the television film Candida. McEnery also starred alongside Hayley Mills in the 1964 film The Moon-Spinners. 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

Television