Peter Vaughan

Peter Ewart Ohm (4 April 1923 – 6 December 2016), known professionally as Peter Vaughan, was an English actor known for many supporting roles in British film and television productions. He also acted extensively on stage.

Vaughan played Grouty in the sitcom Porridge and its 1979 film adaptation. His other roles included a recurring role alongside Robert Lindsay in the sitcom Citizen Smith, Tom Hedden in Straw Dogs, Winston the Ogre in Time Bandits, Tom Franklin in Chancer, and Mr. Stevens Sr. in The Remains of the Day. His final role was as Maester Aemon in HBO's Game of Thrones (2011–2015).

Early life Vaughan was born Peter Ewart Ohm on 4 April 1923 in Wem, Shropshire, the son of a bank clerk, Max Ohm, who was an Austrian immigrant, and Eva Wright, a nurse. The family later moved to Wellington, Shropshire, where he began his schooling. Vaughan said that while reciting a poem at infant school in Wellington he first experienced the applause and admiration coming from a good performance. From the age of seven, he lived in Staffordshire, where he attended Uttoxeter Grammar School. and served in Normandy, Belgium, and the Far East. At the end of the war, Vaughan was in Singapore during the liberation of Changi Prison. He played Mr. Freeman in Karel Reisz's 1980 The French Lieutenant's Woman, alongside Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons.

Possibly Vaughan's highest-profile film performance was as the father of Anthony Hopkins's character in The Remains of the Day (1993). He was also cast in Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote but had not shot any material before that project was abandoned. He had previously appeared for Gilliam in Time Bandits and Brazil. Vaughan appeared as a menacing character in Straw Dogs (1971), and with Bill Murray in a film of W. Somerset Maugham's novel The Razor's Edge in 1984. In 1996, he appeared as Giles Corey in The Crucible, and in 1997, he appeared alongside Robert Carlyle and Ray Winstone in Face. In 1998, Vaughan played Bishop Myriel in Les Misérables, alongside Liam Neeson. His most unusual role may have been as SS Obergruppenführer Arthur Nebe in the 1994 film of Robert Harris's novel Fatherland. In 1975, he appeared as Tony Kirby in an episode of the hard-hitting police drama The Sweeney entitled Stay Lucky, Eh?

He also appeared as "The Fence" in the well known humorous advert for McVities Fruit Shortcake biscuits along with Harry Fowler.

In 1969, Vaughan appeared in Randall and Hopkirk in the episode "Never Trust a Ghost". In the same year, he starred as Det. Chief Supt Cradock in the thirteen-part London Weekend Television TV series The Gold Robbers. In December 1972, he appeared as Mr. Paxton in the BBC television adaptation of the M. R. James ghost story in A Warning to the Curious, ' In September 1973, he appeared as Quinn in the London Weekend Television TV series The Protectors, in an episode called 'Quinn'. In 1975 he starred opposite Fiona Walker, Peter Sallis and Glyn Welden in the television film The Snowdropper.

Vaughan starred as Billy Fox in the Thames Television series Fox (1980). He played the clockmaker George Graham in Longitude, the TV drama adaptation of Dava Sobel's eponymous non-fiction novel about the quest for a means to determine longitude at sea. In 2007, he starred in the television series Mobile, and as Uncle Alfie in the film Death at a Funeral. In 2011, Vaughan starred as Michael Dodd in the BBC courtroom drama Silk. His final role, between 2011 and 2015, was Maester Aemon in the HBO series Game of Thrones.

Radio Vaughan was heard as Superintendent Kirk in the BBC dramatisation of Dorothy L. Sayers' Peter Wimsey novel Busman's Honeymoon, and as Denethor in the 1981 BBC Radio production of The Lord of the Rings.

Stage Vaughan's first breakthrough role was in 1964 as Ed in Joe Orton's work Entertaining Mr Sloane performed at Wyndham's Theatre. His stepdaughter is married to Gregor Fisher.

Vaughan was partially blind in his old age. On 6 December 2016, he died from natural causes in Surrey at the age of 93.

Selected filmography Vaughan appeared in the following films and television series:

Film Year Title Role Notes 1959 The 39 Steps 2nd Police Constable on Train Uncredited Sapphire Detective Whitehead 1960 Village of the Damned P.C. Gobby Make Mine Mink Policeman in Car Uncredited 1961 Two Living, One Dead John Kester The Court Martial of Major Keller Purvey 1962 I Thank a Fool Police Inspector The Devil's Agent Chief of Hungarian Police 1963 The Punch and Judy Man Committee Man The Victors Policeman 1964 Smokescreen Roper 1965 Fanatic Harry Rotten to the Core Sir Henry Capell 1967 The Naked Runner Martin Slattery The Man Outside Nikolai Volkov 1968 The Bofors Gun Sgt. Walker Hammerhead Hammerhead A Twist of Sand Johann 1969 Alfred the Great Burrud 1970 Taste of Excitement Inspector Malling Eyewitness Paul Grazzini 1971 Straw Dogs Tom Hedden 1972 The Pied Piper Bishop Savage Messiah Museum Attendant 1973 The Return Steven Royds The Blockhouse Aufret The MacKintosh Man Brunskill Malachi's Cove Mr. Gunliffe Massacre in Rome Gen. Albert Kesselring 1974 Symptoms Brady 11 Harrowhouse Coglin 1975 Intimate Reflections Salesman 1977 Valentino Rory O'Neil 1979 Zulu Dawn Q. S. M. Bloomfield Porridge Harry Grout 1981 Time Bandits Winston the Ogre The French Lieutenant's Woman Mr. Freeman 1984 The Razor's Edge Mackenzie Forbidden Major Stauffel 1985 Brazil Mr. Helpmann 1986 Haunted Honeymoon Francis Abbot Sr. 1987 Coast to Coast The Chiropodist 1989 Countdown to War Hermann Göring 1990 Mountains of the Moon Lord Houghton King of the Wind Captain 1993 The Remains of the Day William Stevens 1996 The Secret Agent The Driver The Crucible Giles Corey 1997 Face Sonny 1998 Les misérables The Bishop The Legend of 1900 'Pops', the Shopkeeper The Good Son Mick Doyle Short 1999 An Ideal Husband Phipps 2000 Canone inverso – Making Love Old Baron Blau Hotel Splendide Morton Blanche 2001 Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) Daddy Zoo 2003 The Mother Toots 2004 The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Bill Sellers The Queen of Sheba's Pearls Edward Pretty 2006 Care Archie Short 2007 Death at a Funeral Uncle Alfie 2008 Is Anybody There? Bob 2011 Albatross Grandpa

Television