Wensley Pithey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 21 June 1914 |
| Died | 10 November 1993 (aged 79) London, England, UK |
Wensley Ivan William Frederick Pithey (21 June 1914 – 10 November 1993) was a South African character actor who had a long stage and film career in Britain.[1][2]
Wensley Pithey | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | 21 June 1914 |
| Died | 10 November 1993 (aged 79) London, England, UK |
Wensley Ivan William Frederick Pithey (21 June 1914 – 10 November 1993) was a South African character actor who had a long stage and film career in Britain.[1][2]
Pithey was born in Cape Town, South Africa.[1] A graduate of the University of Cape Town where he studied music and drama, he travelled to Britain in 1947.[3] He appeared in various Shakespearean roles in his long career (memorably as Sir Toby Belch) as well as appearing in Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie.[3] He also directed and produced plays in the West End and appeared in a range of roles on television including the 1976 drama Edward and Mrs Simpson (as Winston Churchill – a role he also played in the miniseries Ike) as well as Special Branch and Poldark.[1][4] His British television appearances included Danger Man (1961) among others.[5] He also played the title role Detective Superintendent Charlesworth in a number of BBC series including Charlesworth at Large (1958) and its sequel Charlesworth the following year. In 1964 he played a ballistics expert in the BBC series Call the Gun Expert.
Between 1961 and 1976, Pithey appeared in German TV commercials as a fake coffee expert for Tchibo.[6]
