Peter Bayliss

Peter Bayliss (27 June 1922 – 29 July 2002) was an English actor born in Kingston upon Thames who trained at the Italia Conti Academy and with the John Gielgud Company. His Broadway career spanned from 1955 to 1968, during which he appeared in productions including The Matchmaker, How's the World Treating You?, and Rockefeller and the Red Indians. His stage work in The Matchmaker took place at the Royale Theatre in New York in 1956.

Standing over six feet tall, Bayliss brought a commanding physical presence to his work across theatre, film, and television. His stage output exceeded 100 productions over the course of his career. Among his London credits was a 1960 appearance in Ross at the Royal Haymarket Theatre, and he later appeared at the Old Vic in Frontiers of Farce in 1977, where he played an opera singer. On radio he was noted for Jacobean adaptations, taking on characters including Sir Moth-Interest and Walter Whorehound.

Bayliss accumulated more than 20 film credits, ranging from an uncredited role in The Red Shoes in 1948 to Darling in 1965, in which he played Lord Grant. His other film appearances included From Russia with Love in 1963, in which he played Commissar Benz, and The Magic Christian in 1969, where he appeared as a Pompous Toff. In his later years he made several films for the Children's Film Unit, including Mr. Selkie, Mister Skeeter, and School for Vandals.

His television work encompassed more than 40 productions, including Please Sir!, in which he played Mr. Dunstable, the father of the character Dennis Dunstable. He also appeared in The Sweeney, Coronation Street, Lovejoy, and The Bill, as well as television dramas including Bye, Bye Columbus in 1990, Merlin in 1998, and The Arabian Nights in 1999. Bayliss died in 2002 at the age of 80.