Peter Halliday

One of the UKs most prolific television actors for 50 years Peter Halliday was the son of an auctioneer and estate agent He was schooled in Shropshire Halliday failed his exam as apprentice auctioneer worked briefly for RollsRoyce then served in the British Army during the Second World War based in Iraq Palestine and Egypt until 1947 He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1949 He became a member of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre which later became the Royal Shakespeare Company He achieved his greatest fame in the BBCs sciencefiction television drama A for Andromeda 1961 He also gained further cult status for several appearances in Doctor Who 1963 which included providing monster voices for two serials and appearing under heavy makeup to play the alien Pletrac in Robert Holmes witty parody of television and its viewers Carnival of Monsters Episode One 1973