Edward Petherbridge

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Edward Petherbridge (born on 3 August 1936 in Bradford) is a British actor. Among his many roles, he portrayed Lord Peter Wimsey in several screen adaptations of Dorothy L. Sayers' novels.

Edward Petherbridge c. 1998

A stalwart member of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company in the 1960s, he created the role of Guildenstern in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. At the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1980 he was a memorable Newman Noggs in the company's adaptation of Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby. He has spent extended periods with both national companies since then, where he occasionally collaborated with Sir Ian McKellen. In the mid-80s, he and McKellen formed an actor-centered troupe within the National Theatre; their first productions were Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard and John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi.

Edward Petherbridge first came to the attention of American audiences in the already mentioned play version of The Life And Times Of Nicholas Nickleby. First televised in 1982 this lengthy adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel had been performed on the London stage, and later in New York. Mr. Petherbridge was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his performance of Newman Noggs.

Mr. Petherbridge next appeared on the American stage in Strange Interlude opposite Glenda Jackson. For his performance as Charles Marsden, Mr. Petherbridge was again honored with a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a play. The same year, Mr. Petherbridge premiered his one person show Acting Natural as a fundraiser for the Riverside Shakespeare Company at The Shakespeare Center on Manhattan's Upper West Side. This was the theatre company that Mr. Petherbridge had assisted with a fundraiser with his wife, Emily Richards and Roger Rees, during the run of Nicholas Nickleby in 1982.

Mr. Petherbridge continued to be seen on American television in such miniseries as Noble House (1988 with Pierce Brosnan), Gulliver's Travels (1996 with Ted Danson), and A Christmas Carol (1999 with Patrick Stewart).

An actor of many facets, Mr Petherbridge's talents are now mainly seen on the London stage. His recent performances were at the London Palladium in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as The Toymaker, and at the Palace Theatre in the Woman in White, playing Mr. Fairlie. He is currently appearing in Michael Frayn's Donkeys' Years. Other English productions Mr. Petherbridge has starred in include:The Lady in White, Valentine's Day, Twelfth Night and Busman's Honeymoon (costarring with his wife Emily Richard).

His latest TV appearance is in the 2008 Episode of Midsomer Murders 'Death in a Chocolate Box" as Lord Holm.