Edmund Pegge

An actor of all media, Edmund Cyril Colbeck Pegge trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney and at Trinity College, London. On stage from 1957, he has appeared in both classical and contemporary plays in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. In the mid-60s, he moved to the U.K., where he spent several seasons with repertory companies, including Nottingham Playhouse (then under the direction of John Neville as artistic director), touring South East Asia in A Man for All Seasons and As You Like It. Pegge's other roles on the English stage have included Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew (1969) and the Duc de la Tremouille in Saint Joan at the London Old Vic (1977-78). Alongside Roger Lloyd Pack, he toured South East Asia again in 1998 in Travels With My Aunt.

A familiar face on British television from 1964, Pegge made his debut in the original run of the soap Crossroads (1964). He enjoyed guest spots in classic series like Paul Temple (1969), Moonbase 3 (1973), Docteur Who (1963), Secret Army (1977) and Bird of Prey (1982), his characters usually ending up the worse for wear. He was later quoted, saying "The other story of my life is that I seem to get killed in everything I do!". The Windsor born actor proved equally adept at playing proper British gents, like the pipe-smoking Air Vice-Marshal Lord Burne-Wilke in Le souffle de la guerre (1983), or 'dinky-di' Aussie blokes in shows like Matlock Police (1971), Homicide (1964), Cop Shop (1977), Tenko (1981) and Anzacs (1985).

Pegge has appeared in commercials, done voice-over work and read poetry for the BBC 1 television program Five to Eleven (1986). A fellow celebrity host was acclaimed actress Judi Dench, who also wrote the foreword to Pegge's 2017 autobiography, entitled "Forever Horatio - An Actor's Life".