Peter Hawkins
| Peter Hawkins | |
|---|---|
|
Peter Hawkins in 1996 | |
| Born |
Peter John Hawkins 3 April 1924 London, England |
| Died |
8 July 2006 (aged 82) London, England |
| Occupation | Voice actor |
| Years active | 1949–1995 |
Peter John Hawkins (3 April 1924 – 8 July 2006) was an English actor and voice artist. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s Hawkins was one of the most sought-after voiceovers for television and radio, being a regular face and voice around the Soho-based circuit of commercial production studios, and working regularly with actors including Patrick Allen, Edward Judd, David Tate and David Jason.
Early life
A policeman's son, Peter John Hawkins was born in Brixton, south London. He made his first stage appearance as a member of the chorus in a musical sketch at school in Clapham. At 14 he wrote, with three friends, a revue entitled The Five Bs. He ran with the Herne Hill Harriers.[1] Hawkins joined the Royal Navy, and survived, though shrapnel pierced his clothing when HMS Limbourne sank after being torpedoed. While recovering he took part in plays, which resulted in his being taken into Combined Operations Entertainments.[1]
Career
Hawkins worked at the East Riding Theatre, and then did a two-year course at the Central School of Speech and Drama. His first West End appearance was at the Comedy Theatre. Hawkins' long association with British children's television began in 1952 when he voiced both Bill and Ben, the Flower Pot Men. In 1955–1956, he voiced Big Ears and Mr. Plod in The Adventures Of Noddy. He also provided all the voices for the animated series Captain Pugwash, The Family Ness, The Adventures of Tintin, The Adventures of Sir Prancelot, and Bleep and Booster, the last of which was a regular feature of the long-running children's magazine series Blue Peter in the 1960s and early 70s. He was also the narrator for SuperTed and Jimbo and the Jet-Set.
He voiced several characters on Doctor Who in the show's early years, especially the Daleks and the Cybermen. He was also the original voice of Zippy on Rainbow during the first year of its run (1972). Coincidentally his replacement on Rainbow, Roy Skelton, also voiced the Daleks. Hawkins and Skelton also voiced the Cybermen in The Tenth Planet.
Hawkins was the original voice for the character of Frankie Mouse in the fourth radio episode of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, originally broadcast in March 1978.
He also provided the voice of Money, a walking, talking pound sign on the UK adverts for the Access credit card, during the 1980s and 1990s.
Hobbies and collections
Hawkins was the owner of a fine art collection, including works by Monet, Pissarro and Alfred Sisley, Graham Sutherland, Jacob Epstein and Elisabeth Frink.[1] He also owned a collection of Japanese sword guards and was very keen on Japanese delicacy.
Health issues
In 1992 Hawkins developed a brain tumour which, although successfully treated, left him with short-term memory problems and his retirement from the profession.[2] Due to this he was unable to contribute to any DVD release of Doctor Who outside of archive footage.
Death
He died in London, aged 82, on 8 July 2006, coincidentally the same day that the 2006 season finale of Doctor Who, "Doomsday", the first to feature Daleks and Cybermen confronting each other, was transmitted. He had married Rosemary Miller, an actress, in 1956, with whom he had a son, Silas, who is also an actor and voice artist.[1]
Nicholas Briggs, who has voiced the Daleks on television since the revival of Doctor Who in 2005, paid tribute to him in Doctor Who Magazine, praising him as the best Dalek voice artist, saying "...all of us who've provided Dalek voices over the last 40 years owe him a massive debt. None of us have been as good as Peter, but he supplied our inspiration. He was truly the Emperor of the Daleks."[3]
In 2013 the BBC produced a docudrama depicting the creation and early days of Doctor Who, called An Adventure in Space and Time, screened as part of the programme's fiftieth anniversary celebrations. Hawkins was a small role, played by Nicholas Briggs.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Goldwhiskers | James Burk
Goldwhiskers Goldwhiskers' girlfriends |
voice only |
| 1965 | Dr. Who and the Daleks | Daleks | voice only, uncredited |
| 1966 | Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. | Daleks | voice only, uncredited |
| 1969 | Tintin and the Temple of the Sun | Captain Haddock | English version, voice only, uncredited |
| 1973 | Assassin | Passport Officer | |
| 1976 | Feelings | Unknown | |
| 1979 | Quincy's Quest | Unknown | voice only |
| 1989 | Asterix and the Big Fight | Getafix | English version, voice only, |
| 1995 | The Four Corners of Nowhere | Therapist |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | The Good Companions | Albert Tuggeridge | TV Movie |
| Old English | Reporter | TV Movie | |
| 1950-
1956 |
Whirligig | Mr. Turnip
Alexander Scrope Petrio |
Season 1: (18 episodes)
Season 2: (18 episodes) Season 3: (18 episodes) Season 4: (19 episodes) Season 5: (18 episodes) |
| 1951 | Stranger from Space | Petrio | Season 2: (17 episodes) |
| Aladdin | Lord High Chamberlain | TV Movie | |
| 1951-
1953 |
Saturday Special | Porterhouse
Various characters |
Season 1: (19 episodes)
Season 2: (16 episodes) |
| 1952 | Flower Pot Men | Bill
Ben |
Season 1, Episode 1 |
| 1954 | Billy Bean and His Funny Machine | Billy Bean | Unknown |
| 1955 | The Woodentops | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1955
1956 |
A Rubovian Legend | UnknownLord Chamberlain
Albert Weatherspoon |
Season 1: (4 episodes) |
| 1956 | The Bird of Truth | Unknown | TV Movie |
| 1957 | The Machine Breakers | Tom Thorpe | Season 1, Episode 1: "The Oath" |
| The Emporer's Nightingale | Unknown | TV Movie | |
| Treasure Island | Narrator | TV Movie | |
| 1957
1961 |
Captain Pugwash | Captain Horatio Pugwash
Master Mate Pirate Barnabas Pirate Willy Tom the Cabin Boy Cut-Throat Jake |
Season 1: (3 episodes) |
| 1958 | The Thompson Family | Ron Hicks | Season 2: (3 episodes) |
| 1960 | Life with the Lyons | Unknown | Season 1, Episode 42: "The Auction" |
| Small Time | Unknown | Season 1, Episode 3: "Cookery Tales of
Oaktree Kitchen: Part 1 | |
| The Days of Vengeance | PC Harris
Narrator |
Season 1: (6 episodes) | |
| 1961
1963 |
ITV Play of the Week | Bill
Sparks |
Season 7, Episode 12: "Two on the Beach"
Season 8, Episode 40: "The Seventh Wave" |
| 1962 | The Tommy Steele Show: Quincy's Quest | Topper | TV Movie |
| 1963 | Bleep and Booster | Narrator | Unknown |
| 1963-
1968 |
Doctor Who | Dalek voices
Cybermen Voices |
Season 1: "(6 episodes)
Season 2: (12 episodes) Season 3: (12 epispdes) Season 4: (14 episodes) Season 5: (8 episodes) |
| 1965 | The Big Spender | Spiro | Season 1, Episode 1: "The Soft Bribe" |
| 1966 | The Wednesday Play | Mr. Willis | Season 1, Episode 54: "A Walk in the Sea" |
| Softly, Softly | Detective Sergeant Thorne | Season 1, Episode 14: "Blind Man's Bluff" | |
| 1969 | The Power Game | Interpreter | Season 3, Episode 8: "Standard Practice" |
| Hark at Barker | Unknown | Season 1, Episode 7: "Rustless and the Solar System" | |
| 1970 | Doomwatch | Computer | Season 1, Episode 5: "Project Sahara" |
| Tomfoolery | Various characters | Unknown | |
| 1971 | A Family at War | Dimmock | Season 2, Episode 9: "We Could Be a Lot Worse Off" |
| 1972 | Stories from Toytown | Unknown | Season 1: (2 episodes) |
| The Adventures of Sir Prancelot | All characters | Season 1: (31 episodes) | |
| The Dick Emery Show | Unknown | Season 11, Episode 5 | |
| The Shadow of the Tower | Voice | Season 1, Episode 5: "The Serpent and the Comforter" | |
| Rainbow | Zippy | Season 1: (50 episodes) | |
| 1973 | Son of the Bride | Mr. Cuthbertson | Season 1, Episode 3: "Of Unsold Mind" |
| 1974 | Dial M for Murder | Sergeant Maclean | Season 1, Episode 7: "Dead Connection" |
| Father Brown | Gibbs | Season 1, Episode 1: "The Hammer of God" | |
| 1975 | Sadie, Its Cold Outside | Radio announcer | Season 1, Episode 4 |
| 1976 | Noah and Nelly in.. SkylArk | Narrator | Season 1: (7 episodes) |
| Bless this House | Radio announcer | Season 6, Episode 2: "Beautiful Dreamer" | |
| 1972
1973 1975 1978 |
Dave Allen at Large | Unknown | Season 2: (6 episodes)
Season 3: (6 episodes) Season 4: (6 episodes) |
| 1979 | The Perishers | Narrator
Marlon BH |
Season 1: (20 episodes) |
| 1982-
1985 |
SuperTed | Narrator | Season 1: (11 episodes)
Season 2, Episode 12: "SuperTed Meets Father Christmas" |
| 1984 | The Family-Ness | Unknown | Season 1: (9 episodes) |
| 1985 | Seasview | Mynah Bird | Season 2, Episode 2: "The Godfather |
| 1986 | Jimbo and the Jet-Set | Jimbo | Season 1: (25 episodes) |
| 1988 | Windfalls | Narrator
Various characters |
Season 1: (26 episodes) |
| The Storyteller | Devil | Season 1, Episode 1: "The Soldier and Death" | |
| 1989 | The Jim Henson Hour | Devil | Season 1, Episode 3: "Monster Telethon" |
| Theatre Night | Michael Lomax | Season 4, Episode 4: "Knuckle" | |
| 1989-
1990 |
Penny Crayon | Dennis | Season 1: (12 episodes) |
| 1990 | It's Fun to Learn with Spot | Narrator | Season 1: (13 episodes) |
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Obituary". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ↑ Hawkins, Silas (October 2014). "Voices-Voices-Voices!". Doctor Who Magazine. Panini Comics (477): 66.
- ↑ Briggs, Nicholas (2006-09-13 cover date). "Peter Hawkins". Doctor Who Magazine. Panini Comics (373): 7. Check date values in:
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External links
- Peter Hawkins at the Internet Movie Database
- Voice of the Daleks dies at 82 Lester Haines (The Register) Thursday 20 July 2006 10:35 GMT
- Daily Telegraph obituary
- Times obituary