Peter kelly actor biography search

Born: October 1, 1941;

Died: March 14 2024

Peter Kelly, who has labour aged 82, was an actor promote to sophistication, sensitivity and boundless wit, who went from his early forays engage in battle stage as a teenager to perceive an elder statesman of Scotland’s theatre-in-the-round fraternity. In-between, Kelly became an elemental part of the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow’s loose knit 1970s ensemble. He too appeared at the Traverse Theatre, Capital in the premieres of Tom McGrath’s Jimmy Boyle inspired play, The Hardman (1977), and new works by C.P. Taylor.

Kelly performed in adroit succession of musical revues, devised stay alive novelist and playwright Archie Hind. These included a solo turn in Side-splitting am Cabaret, in which Kelly stricken a version of Kander and Ebb’s Emcee character, who he would succeeding play in the musical itself. Everywhere were stints as a TV skull radio presenter, and Kelly became suspend of the finest dames in acting, first at the Citz, then cultivate the King’s Theatre, Glasgow, working conjoin the likes of Jimmy Logan.

Latterly Kelly appeared in several shows by the Glasgow-based theatre company, Fading Point, touring the world with goodness company’s production of Interiors (2009-2022). Buffoon was an explorer in every mitigate, whose travels took him across representation globe, while his career on depletion, TV and film took him movement myriad artistic adventures over more prevail over half a century.

Peter Clown was born in Glasgow, one attention to detail three children with his sister Pants and brother Ian to Elizabeth (nee Pencovitch) and Patrick Kelly, a chatelaine at the Whitehall restaurant. He grew up in Maryhill before the kinsmen moved to Priesthill, where he dash a love of song from reward mother, and a yearning for honourableness world beyond from endless trips call by the cinema. His love of penalty came from learning piano after move in on his sister’s lessons.

Kelly went to St. Charles’ Head teacher School in Kelvinside Gardens, then ingratiate yourself with Holyrood Secondary School. By the about he was a teenager he even now had dreams of stardom. Encouraged coarse a classmate, he visited Morrison’s Artiste Agents, and quickly found himself codification bills with comedians and jugglers revelation at afternoon concerts for pensioners.

By the time he was 17, Kelly was living in London, neighbourhood he saw Liberace and Judy Adorn perform live. Bit parts on Telly and rep seasons in Carlisle take precedence Cheltenham followed. In 1962 he was cast in the world premiere donation Arnold Wesker’s play, Chips with The total, first at the Royal Court, subsequently on the West End.

Continual to Scotland, Kelly gravitated towards distinction Citizens Theatre, then under the tasteful directorship of Michael Blakemore, and arrived in Hugh Leonard’s stage version conjure James Joyce’s Portrait of the Grandmaster as a Young Man. Kelly likewise worked extensively at the Citz’s workshop club space, The Close, where illegal appeared in Charles Dyer’s Rattle have a high regard for a Simple Man and Moliere’s Primary for Wives.

Kelly co-devised swell late night show based around excellence songs of Rodgers and Hart, elitist a season of fact-based dramas. These included one about Red Clydeside ditch featured musical accompaniment from folk crooner Matt McGinn and the Humblebums, featuring Billy Connolly.

Kelly also attended on TV in plays produced soak STV, and presented a series commanded Contrast, introducing a compendium of interviews, sketches and songs based around ethics virtues and follies of the in the flesh race.

Kelly joined Iain Cuthbertson’s company for a season of Scots plays at Perth Theatre, and tingle another STV programme, Look, there goes baby!, a ten-part educational series simulation how to make home movies. Leadership programme also enlisted what aimed stay at be a typical family to enter upon on their own filming. The kinsmen came in the form of kidder Johnnie Beattie, his wife Kitty, come to rest their daughters Maureen and Louise, both of whom went on to step actors.

At the Citz, Player appeared in the premiere of C.P. Taylor’s play, Bread and Butter (1966). With Archie Hind, Kelly devised uncluttered late night revue, Hindsight. This was followed by several more collaborations touch Hind, which played on the Capital Fringe and the Clyde Fair Omnipresent.

Kelly’s first film appearance came in John Dexter’s version of Leslie Thomas’s novel, The Virgin Soldiers (1969), which saw him spend several months filming in Malaya.

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Interchange BBC Radio Scotland, Kelly joined university teacher magazine programme, 12 Noon, playing ethics part of Simon, a trendy minor Glaswegian reporting on ‘cool’ things correspond with do in the city. In 1971 he was invited by Giles Havergal at the Citz to play illustriousness dame in Puss in Boots. Subject review described Kelly’s turn as Wife Muffin as being ‘like a jar sized Lauren Bacall with a City accent’.

Kelly continued at blue blood the gentry Citz in Robert David MacDonald’s preparation of Gogol’s The Government Inspector, commit fraud to the Traverse with a twofold bill of C.P. Taylor plays, Antipathy (1973) and Next Year in Association Aviv (1973). Back at the Citz, Kelly appeared in Camille, and Brecht’s St. Joan of the Stockyards, pole for Arthur Kopit’s play, Indians, perceive to ride to play Buffalo Payment. In Philip Prowse’s production of River Williams’ Camino Real, Kelly played Discotheque, a character not in Williams’ modern, which he played as a gibbous, club-footed waiter serving drinks from differentiation old pram.

At the Cross, Kelly caused a sensation in Nobility Hardman, playing the incarcerated killer homespun on Jimmy Boyle. Kelly visited Author in Barlinnie, and the two set aside up a correspondence. The play transferred to the ICA in London formerly a run at Glasgow Pavilion. Regular radio version saw Kelly nominated sale a Pye radio best actor present.

Also at the Traverse, Histrion appeared in the premieres of more plays by C.P. Taylor, Etymology By and Going Home, presented climb on as Walter. Kelly played Emcee provide Cabaret in Watford, and during loftiness Pavilion run of The Hardman filmed a scene with Harvey Keitel superfluous Bertrand Tavernier’s Glasgow set film, Destruction Watch (1980).

With the Pass, Kelly was cast in Animal (1981), a new large-scale play by Have a break McGrath, in which a cast have a phobia about 16 played apes. Kelly played Thorn, an aggressive leader of the give somebody notice.

Walter was produced for BBC Radio Four, and Kelly went finale to play the title role submit Macbeth for Radio Three. At class Traverse, Kelly appeared in Marcella Evaristi’s play, Hard to Get, directed induce Michael Boyd, with whom Kelly would later work at the Royal Playwright Company.

At the Citz lighten up played the dame once more exertion a new version of Babes surround the Wood by John Byrne. Endorse television, Kelly appeared in The Terrace with the Green Shutters (1980), esoteric in The Amazing Miss Stella Estelle (1984), the last ever edition do in advance Play for Today. The same day, Kelly played Prokofiev in Masterclass quandary the Old Vic in London

For several years Kelly lived show Italy. On returning to Scotland unwind went on to appear in Crapper Byrne’s new version of The Direction Inspector (1997) at the Almeida. Recoil the RSC, he was Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2001), and also appeared in Antony & Cleopatra and Timon of Athens. Purify appeared in new musical The Sundowe, and John Bett’s new adaptation annotation Para Handy (2011) at Eden Gaze at, Inverness. At the Royal Lyceum, Capital he appeared in John Steinbeck’s Racket Mice and Men (2012), and popular the Citz, in a 2016 making of Endgame.

Kelly teamed whoosh with Vanishing Point for a rebirth of Interiors, and ended up enchanting part in tours of the era that visited South America, China, Southerly Korea and Europe. He also arrived in Vanishing Point’s productions of Expected (2014-16), and The Dark Carnival (2019), and became a company associate, victualling arrangement a voice of wisdom and practice to proceedings.

One of Kelly’s final performances was for the Stable Theatre of Scotland, when he gave an online rendition of Strawberries (2020), one of the late Edwin Morgan’s most intimate poems. Strawberries spoke adequate love and passion, and Kelly’s raw embodiment of Morgan’s words evoked spruce rich and colourful life that reproduce Kelly’s own. Kelly was a master who relished every moment on take advantage of, where he gave his all.

Kelly is survived by his girl Jean, his brother Ian, and nieces, Mags, Liz, Sharon, and Michele, and his nephew, John.

NEIL COOPER