Peter Wyngarde  (1927 - 2018)

Today the death has been announced of Peter Wyngarde for whom the term of cult actor is more than approiate. The son of a diplomat he moved around many countries due to his father's work as a diplomat at one time in China he found himself in an interment camp along J G Ballard who famously wrote about the experience in Empire of the Sun. Wyngarde started his acting career in the 1950's. In the 1960's he made guest appearances in such hit TV shows like The Avengers, The Prisoner and The Saint. His greatest fame would come with the show Department S playing the role of Novelist Jason King who was part of a team that investigated impossible crimes. The character of King proved to so popular that he was given his own spin off show and has provided the basis of many spoof character the most famous being Austin Powers. However after being fined for gross indecency in 1975 Wyngrade's career suffered. in 1980 he appeared as Ming the Merciless henchman Klytus while he appeared in the 1984 Doctor Who serial Planet of Fire. Wyngarde's last film/TV credit was an episode of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett in 1994. With his discintive voice Peter Wyngarde leaves behind some memorable characters.