Peter Cellier

• Name — Peter Cellier • Born — 12 July 1928 • Birthplace — Hendon, Middlesex, England • Occupation — Actor • Father — Frank Cellier • Mother — Phyllis Shannaw • Relatives — François Cellier (grandfather) Antoinette Cellier (half-sister) Alfred Cellier (great uncle) • Children — 2 • Years Active — 1953–2011

Cellier was born on 12 July 1928, in Hendon, Middlesex, into a family of actors including his father Frank, his mother Phyllis Shannaw and his half-sister Antoinette. His grandfather was the Gilbert and Sullivan conductor François Cellier.

Cellier started his career at the Leatherhead Theatre in 1953. His theatre work has included seasons at Stratford-on-Avon, The Old Vic and the Chichester Festival Theatre, and he was a founder-member of the National Theatre. Shakespeare plays in which Cellier has appeared include Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Love's Labour's Lost, Measure for Measure, As You Like It, King John, Julius Caesar, Cymbeline and Henry V, as the Dauphin. Other roles include Pinchard in Georges Feydeau's An Absolute Turkey, Tommy Devon in Aunt Edwina, The Dean of Archeo in Body and Soul, Eric Shelding in The Case in Question, Danforth in The Crucible, Duke Francis in The Dark Horse, Dr Finache in Jacques Charon's National Theatre production of Feydeau's A Flea in her Ear, Charles Blutham in Juno and the Paycock, Dr Herdal in The Master Builder, Sir John Tremaine in Me And My Girl, The Chaplain in Mother Courage, Christopher in A Private Matter, Captain Brazen in The Recruiting Officer (replacing Laurence Olivier), Polonius in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Higgins in Ross, Miguel Estete in The Royal Hunt of the Sun and Desmond in The Winslow Boy.

On television, Cellier has appeared in a wide range of programmes since 1955, including detective series such as Softly, Softly and Bergerac, adventure series such as Doctor Who, historical dramas such as The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Upstairs, Downstairs and The Duchess of Duke Street. He made appearances on the John Mortimer written series Rumpole of the Bailey (two guest roles, the second as a defence department official in "Rumpole and the Official Secret") and Paradise Postponed (three episodes as solicitor Mr Rattling). He also appeared in the sitcoms It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Yes Minister and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister (1981–87) and Keeping Up Appearances, as Major Wilton-Smythe (1990–91), among others. In the two Minister series, he played Sir Frank Gordon, the Permanent Secretary to HM Treasury, urbanely contending with Nigel Hawthorne's Sir Humphrey Appleby for supremacy within the civil service. He played Andrews in the 1982 serial Time-Flight, Roy Difford in the Casualty episode "The Silence of Friends" and the judge in BBC Four's Canoe Man (2010), which recounted the John Darwin disappearance case.

Cellier married Nonie Pashley in 1950 and was widowed on 4 April 2016.

Source: • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1960 — Sink the Bismarck! — First Lieutenant on Destroyers — Uncredited • 1966 — Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment — Second Counsel • 1972 — Young Winston — Captain • 1973 — Scotch on the Rocks — Graham Hart • 1974 — Luther — Prior • Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! — Attorney General • Man About the House — Morris Pluthero • 1975 — Slade in Flame — Salesman In Car Showroom — Uncredited • Man Friday — Carey • Barry Lyndon — Sir Richard • 1977 — Jabberwocky — 1st Merchant • The Prince and the Pauper — Mean Man • Holocaust 2000 — Sheckley • 1980 — The Pumaman — Museum Curator • Breaking Glass — Garage Customer • 1981 — Chariots of Fire — Head Waiter–Savoy • 1983 — And the Ship Sails On — Sir Reginald J. Dongby • 1985 — A Room with a View — Sir Harry Otway, a landlord • 1986 — Clockwise — Headmaster #4 • 1987 — Personal Services — Mr Marples • Out of Order — Home Secretary • 1992 — Howards End — Colonel Fussell • 1993 — Bhaji on the Beach — Ambrose Waddington • The Remains of the Day — Sir Leonard Bax • 1994 — Stanley's Dragon — Mr Johnson • 1997 — Mrs Dalloway — Lord Lezham • 2004 — Ladies in Lavender — BBC Announcer

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1955–1956 — BBC Sunday Night Theatre — De Gringon/Sarcastic Bystander — 2 episodes • 1959 — ITV Play of the Week — Nugent Darbey/Lt. Peter Ford • 1962 — BBC Sunday-Night Play — Dr. Arden — Episode: "The Big Eat" • 1962–1963 — ITV Television Playhouse — Brian/Clifford Marvel — 2 episodes • 1969 — BBC Play of the Month — Lord Burleigh — Episode: "Mary, Queen of Scots" • Softly, Softly — Stanley Mellish — Episode: "A Quality of Gelignite" • Callan — Captain Jenkins — Episode: "Heir Apparent" • The Gold Robbers — Slade — Episode: "Dog Eat Dog" • Public Eye — Enright — 2 episodes • Thirty-Minute Theatre — Frazer Douglas — Episode: "A Formula for Treason" • ITV Playhouse — Arnold — Episode: "The Swan Won't Go in the Fridge" • 1970 — The Six Wives of Henry VIII — Sir Christopher Hales — Episode: "Anne Boleyn" • Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) — Long — Episode: "The Ghost Talks" • ITV Sunday Night Theatre — Major Gerald Hissock — Episode: "Lay Down Your Arms" • 1971 — Shadows of Fear — Peter — Episode: "Repent at Leisure" • The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes — Lord Wiltshire — Episode: "The Duchess of Wiltshire's Diamonds" • 1972–1973 — The Protectors — Auctioneer/Jones — 2 episodes • 1972–1975 — Play for Today — Various — 3 episodes, including Leeds United! • 1973 — Thriller — Colonel Wright — Episode: "Someone at the Top of the Stairs" • Orson Welles Great Mysteries — Harold Irving — Episode: "The Dinner Party" • Upstairs, Downstairs — Henry Pritchett — Episode: "Word of Honour" • 1974 — Special Branch — Sir Terence Gabon — Episode: "Alien" • 1974–1977 — Warship — Captain Calder — 2 episodes • 1976 — BBC2 Playhouse — Claude — Episode: "A Martyr to the System" • The Duchess of Duke Street — Mr. Mather — Episode: "The Bargain" • The New Avengers — Carter — Episode: "Gnaws" • 1977–1982 — Crown Court — Judge Robinson — 2 serials • 1978 — The Professionals — Walton — Episode: "Long Shot" • Pennies from Heaven — Bank Manager — Episode: "The Sweetest Thing" • 1979 — Danger UXB — Flt. Lt. Fenwick — Episode: "Seventeen Seconds to Glory • 1979–1987 — Rumpole of the Bailey — Sir Frank Fawcett/Mr. Grayson — 2 episodes • 1980 — Armchair Thriller — Maitland — Episode: "Fear of God Part 3: The Music Room" • Tales of the Unexpected — Wilkins — Episode: "Depart in Peace" • It Ain't Half Hot Mum — Major Grant Hopkirk — Episode: "That's Entertainment?" • 1981 — Yes Minister — Sir Frank Gordon — Episode: "The Quality of Life" • 1982 — Doctor Who — Jim Andrews — Serial: Time-Flight • Q.E.D. — MI5 Man — Episode: "The Limehouse Connection" • 1984 — Up the Elephant and Round the Castle — Rupert — Episode: "Every Two Minutes" • The Last Days of Pompeii — Calenus — Miniseries • 1986–1987 — Yes Prime Minister — Sir Frank Gordon — 4 episodes • 1986 — Sorry! — Mr. Endicott — Episode: "Natural Wastage" • 1988 — Don't Wait Up — Patient Richard Balfour — Episode: "Golf" • 1990–1991 — Keeping Up Appearances — The Major — 3 episodes • 1993 — Goodnight Sweetheart — The Spiv — Episode: "Is Your Journey Really Necessary?" • 1996 — Our Friends in the North — Judge — Episode: "1987" • 2003 — Midsomer Murders — Peregrine Slade — Episode: "A Talent for Life" • 2005–2010 — Doctors — David Padkin/Stanley Hill — 2 episodes • 2007 — Casualty — Roy Difford — Episode: "The Silence of Friends"