Background info

Peter Sallis was born in Middlesex on 1 February 1921. Although his talent as a performer was apparent at school, he didn't start to make a name for himself until after WWII (in which he served as RAF pilot). He secured a place at RADA, and that was followed by a run of roles in the West End, appearing alongside everyone from Orson Welles to Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud.

The big break

Although he had enjoyed a fairly successful stage career in the 1960s, it wasn't until 1973, when he was 52, that Peter tasted fame. This was the year in which he appeared in The Last of the Summer Wine, a one-off comedy shown as part of the Comedy Playhouse series. Audiences were delighted by this tale of pensioners at play, and a series was quickly commissioned (though the 'The' was taken off the title).

Career highs

Sallis will always be best known as Clegg, the cautious one in Summer Wine. The series itself remains an institution, and was even officially declared to be the Queen's favourite series in 1996. Of course, Sallis is also known for voicing the human half of Wallace and Gromit, whose first adventure was brought to the screen back in 1991.

Career lows

Let's face it: it's likely Sallis was after the money rather than the critical respect when he starred in 1969's Scream and Scream Again – a tale of serial killers and mad scientists stalking the streets of London. Another forgettable project came in 1978, when he took the role of a miserable office worker in the unacclaimed sitcom Leave It to Charlie.

Did you know?

It took many years before Sallis actually enjoyed making Last of the Summer Wine. In fact, he positively disliked filming the series at first, once describing the village of Holmfirth (in which the show is set) as "really dead". Luckily, he warmed to the programme as time went on!

The final word

Sallis has an admirably matter-of-fact attitude to acting. "I've never understood the cult of celebrity," he once said. "As far as I'm concerned it's a job. A good job, and I'm lucky to have it, but a job is all it is."