Peter Coke
Encyclopedia
Peter Coke was an English
actor, playwright and artist.
on 3 April 1913. His father was a commander in the Navy, who took his family to Kenya
to run a linen plantation, however, this venture failed and he began to run a coffee
plantation. Coke was educated at Stowe School
and later lived with his maternal grandmother in Menton
, France
.
Coke returned to England and took acting lessons from an elderly actress. He was later admitted to study at RADA
. He lived with his partner Fred Webb for many years until Webb died in 2003. Coke died aged 95 at his home in Sharrington
, Norfolk on 30 July 2008.
s 'Stars of the Future'. He was also reportedly offered a seven year contract in Hollywood, though declined as he "will be a better actor in a few years, and Hollywood will still want him. If he goes now, he will be forgotten." Coke made his film debut in 1937's comedy Missing, Believed Married and later starred in 1938's The Return of Carol Deane
and Keep Smiling.
During World War II
he served with the Royal Artillery
in Italy
and reached the rank of major. He was demobbed in 1944 and found that his time away from the cameras had affected his performance. He opened an antiques stall on Portobello market, later progressing to a shop on New King's Road. He returned to theatre in the 1940s, and in 1950 he started writing plays as a sideline. His first play, The Isle of Umbrellas (co-written with Mabel L Tyrell) was produced at the Embassy.
In 1953, Coke portrayed the role of William in the film The Blakes Slept Here
. In 1954, he became the seventh actor to take the role of Paul Temple
in the long-running radio drama series written by Francis Durbridge
. The first radio play he starred in was Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case. He played the role until 1968, when he appeared in Paul Temple and the Alex Affair. These outings have become a mainstay of BBC Radio 7 now known as BBC 4 Extra schedules.
Between 1958 and 1988 he wrote eleven plays, including his most famous Breath of Spring, which was successful in both the West End
and Broadway
. Coke continued to take film roles and television parts, including a minor role as Lt. Lashwood in Carry on Admiral
in 1957.
Through his work with antiques, he became interested in shell art, and started to produce his own pieces. He had his own personal gallery next to his home at Sharrington Hall in Sharrington, Norfolk, where he worked daily producing pieces. In April 2006, he opened the Peter Coke Shell Gallery in part of the recently restored fishing sheds on West Cliff at Sheringham
in north Norfolk.
Coke later exhibited his works at the Sloane Club in Lower Sloane Street in December 2006.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actor, playwright and artist.
Personal life
Peter John Coke was born in SouthseaSouthsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
on 3 April 1913. His father was a commander in the Navy, who took his family to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
to run a linen plantation, however, this venture failed and he began to run a coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantation. Coke was educated at Stowe School
Stowe School
Stowe School is an independent school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It was founded on 11 May 1923 by J. F. Roxburgh, initially with 99 male pupils. It is a member of the Rugby Group and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group...
and later lived with his maternal grandmother in Menton
Menton
Menton is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Situated on the French Riviera, along the Franco-Italian border, it is nicknamed la perle de la France ....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Coke returned to England and took acting lessons from an elderly actress. He was later admitted to study at RADA
Rada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
. He lived with his partner Fred Webb for many years until Webb died in 2003. Coke died aged 95 at his home in Sharrington
Sharrington
Sharrington is a village within the civil parish of Brinton in the English county of Norfolk.. The village is laid out on the southern edge of the A148, 3.5 miles west of Holt. The village is 10 miles east north east of the town of Fakenham, 13.4 miles west south west of Cromer and 124 miles north...
, Norfolk on 30 July 2008.
Career
Coke graduated from RADA aged 24 and was named one of the Daily MailDaily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
s 'Stars of the Future'. He was also reportedly offered a seven year contract in Hollywood, though declined as he "will be a better actor in a few years, and Hollywood will still want him. If he goes now, he will be forgotten." Coke made his film debut in 1937's comedy Missing, Believed Married and later starred in 1938's The Return of Carol Deane
The Return of Carol Deane
The Return of Carol Deane is a 1938 British melodrama, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Bebe Daniels. The film is adapted from the story The House on 56th Street by Joseph Santley and spans the time period from the 1910s to the 1930s.-Plot:...
and Keep Smiling.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served with the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and reached the rank of major. He was demobbed in 1944 and found that his time away from the cameras had affected his performance. He opened an antiques stall on Portobello market, later progressing to a shop on New King's Road. He returned to theatre in the 1940s, and in 1950 he started writing plays as a sideline. His first play, The Isle of Umbrellas (co-written with Mabel L Tyrell) was produced at the Embassy.
In 1953, Coke portrayed the role of William in the film The Blakes Slept Here
The Blakes Slept Here
The Blakes Slept Here is a 1953 film directed by Jacques B. Brunius. Brunius also wrote the screenplay along with Roy Plomley. The 36-minute film chronicles the life of a middle class British family from roughly 1850 to the end of World War II....
. In 1954, he became the seventh actor to take the role of Paul Temple
Paul Temple
Paul Temple is a fictional character created by British writer Francis Durbridge for the BBC radio serial Send for Paul Temple in 1938. Temple is an amateur private detective and author of crime fiction...
in the long-running radio drama series written by Francis Durbridge
Francis Durbridge
Francis Henry Durbridge was an English playwright and author. He was educated at Bradford Grammar School in Yorkshire where he was encouraged to write by his English teacher. He continued to do so whilst studying English at Birmingham University...
. The first radio play he starred in was Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case. He played the role until 1968, when he appeared in Paul Temple and the Alex Affair. These outings have become a mainstay of BBC Radio 7 now known as BBC 4 Extra schedules.
Between 1958 and 1988 he wrote eleven plays, including his most famous Breath of Spring, which was successful in both the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
and Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. Coke continued to take film roles and television parts, including a minor role as Lt. Lashwood in Carry on Admiral
Carry on Admiral
Carry on Admiral is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and featuring David Tomlinson, Ronald Shiner and Joan Sims. It was not part of the Carry On series, which it predates, though it is similar in tone and style to the earliest films in the series...
in 1957.
Through his work with antiques, he became interested in shell art, and started to produce his own pieces. He had his own personal gallery next to his home at Sharrington Hall in Sharrington, Norfolk, where he worked daily producing pieces. In April 2006, he opened the Peter Coke Shell Gallery in part of the recently restored fishing sheds on West Cliff at Sheringham
Sheringham
Sheringham is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, west of Cromer.The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District Council, is Mare Ditat Pinusque Decorat, Latin for "The sea enriches and the pine adorns"....
in north Norfolk.
Coke later exhibited his works at the Sloane Club in Lower Sloane Street in December 2006.
Plays
- The Isle of Umbrellas (co-written by Mabel L Tyrell)
- Breath of Spring (1958)
- Gentle Guardsmen (1961)
- Sleepy Mermaid (1962)
- Fool's Paradise (1963)
- In Confidence (1964)
- Face To Face (1965)
- Midsummer Mink (1965)
- The Man Who Wrote In Bed (1968)
- Taxpayers' Waltz (1970)
- What Are Little Girls Made Of? (1978)
- Autumn Manoeuvres (1983)
- Winter Glory (1988)
External links
- The Peter Coke Shell Gallery
- The Radio Detectives - Send for Paul Temple - streaming audio
- Peter Coke's obituary at The TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
- Obituary in The StageThe StageThe Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
- Peter Coke - Obituary and public tributes