The Avengers Dossier, Page Twenty-One

Here's another brief look at one of the great guest-stars who appeared in an episode of the classic television series "The Avengers".

PETER WYNGARDE

In "A Touch of Brimstone", Peter Wyngarde is the leader of a revived Hellfire Club that Steed and Mrs. Peel must infiltrate.

Peter Wyngarde was born in 1927, in France, to a French mother, and a father who was a career diplomat for Great Britain. His childhood was a nomadic one, moving from country to country, until in 1941 when he was swept up in the Japanese invasion and capture of Shanghai and put into a prison camp while his parents were away in India on business. It was in these harsh circumstances, under the constant threat of brutal death at the hands of Japanese soldiers that young Wyngarde first developed an interesting in acting, as he performed in plays put on by the prisoners to keep each others' spirits up. He even created a few plays himself.

After the camp was liberated in 1945, Wyngarde spent two years in Switzerland recovering from malnutrition and illnesses developed during his imprisonment. By the time he was in his early 20s, Wyngarde was back in England and studying law at university, according to his parents' wishes. He soon dropped out, however, and instead pursued a career in acting.

Wyngarde spent the late 1940s and early 1950s performing on stage with various Shakespearean repertory companies throughout England, including the famous Old Vic Theatre in Bristol where he also directed. In 1956, he had his first encounter with the filmmaking world when he was cast in the big-budget epic "Alexander the Great", but he was soured on the industry when a year's worth of work on his part ended up mostly on the cutting-room floor.

For the rest of the 1950s, Wyngarde returned to the stage, where he received much praise from critics and theatre-goers alike in both the United States and Britain. During this time, he was also honored with several several awards. 

In 1960, Wyngarde began starring in made-for-television plays for the popular ITV anthology series "Armchair Theatre" and "Play of the Week". Her starred in 30 such productions, and they led him to reconsider film work, and in 1962 he starred in the criminally under-appreciated horror film "Burn, Witch, Burn" (aka "Night of the Eagle).

During the 1960s, Wyngarde starred in 30 televised plays. In between those roles, he made guest-appearances on numerous top-rated television action series, such as "The Prisoner", "The Saint", "The Avengers", and "Department S". His character on the latter, author-turned-investigator Jason King, was such a hit with the public that he played the character in its own spin-off series for two seasons in 1971 and 1972.

Following the cancellation of "Jason King", Wyngarde's professional efforts became focused almost entirely on the stage and live theatre, both as an actor and a director. With the exception of  turns as villains in "Flash Gordon" (1980) and in the four-part storyline "Planet of Fire" (1984) for the "Doctor Who" series, and small roles in a handful of made-for-television movies and series, Wyngarde trod the boards for the rest of career.

Peter Wyngarde passed away in 2018 at the age of 90.