Peter Whitford

Peter Whitford (born 1939) is an Australian former radio, theatre, television and film character actor known for numerous roles particularly as wealthy businessmen and members of the aristocracy.

Peter Whitford was born in Adelaide, South Australia. He studied at Sydney's NIDA, graduating in 1963 with Diploma of Dramatic Art (Acting).

Whitford is an actor, playwright, director and singer, who started his career in radio roles and then in theatre, beginning in 1958. From the 1960s he then began appearing in film and television roles, which he continued up until 2010. When he graduated from NIDA in 1963, Whitford performed in ABC Radio play, King of Hearts. He then played Jack Porter in the long-running radio serial Blue Hills.

Whitford's theatre credits are numerous. His early stage roles were in university theatre at NIDA, in plays such as Julius Caesar, Hamlet, The Crucible, Waiting for Godot and The Cherry Orchard. He went on to act in productions for Northside Theatre Company, STC, MTC, Queensland Theatre Company, Old Tote Theatre Company and Belvoir Street. He also ventured into musical theatre with singing roles as the Governor in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Moonface Martin in Anything Goes as and Sir John in Me and My Girl.

Whitford had main roles in television beginning with Peter Prentice in sitcom I've Married A Bachelor in 1968, followed by Guy Sutton in soap opera Number 96 in 1976. Otherwise he mostly took on guest roles in his early television career, in series including Contrabandits, The Link Men, The Rovers, Homicide, Ryan, Division 4, The Restless Years, Chopper Squad, Skyways, Prisoner, Cop Shop, Kingswood Country, A Country Practice and Mother and Son.

Whitford had a recurring role in Carson's Law in 1983, and appeared in the 1984 Test cricket miniseries Bodyline opposite Hugo Weaving and Gary Sweet. He then played the regular role of ruthless businessman Ashley Wheeler in 1985 children's series, The Henderson Kids, also starring Kylie Minogue, Ben Mendelsohn and Nadine Garner.

During this time, Whitford also appeared in several films, including 1979 period drama My Brilliant Career starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill, 1983 biopic Phar Lap about the famed racing horse and 1986 Ozploitation film Dead End Drive-In.

Whitford then starred in 1990 miniseries Come in Spinner, as Mr Sharlton. He played a recurring role on Home and Away as Doctor Worthington from 1994 to 1995. He then had a main role as Johnno Johnstone in comedy series Bullpitt! from 1997 to 1998. He had guest roles throughout the late 1980s and 1990s in series such as Rafferty's Rules, The Flying Doctors, G.P., Police Rescue, E Street, Blue Heelers.

Whitford starred as dancing official Les Kendall in Baz Luhrmann’s first film, the 1992 dance extravaganza Strictly Ballroom. Other film roles of that time included Dad and Dave: On Our Selection (1995) opposite Geoffrey Rush and Noah Taylor, and Oscar and Lucinda (1997) alongside Cate Blanchett and Ralph Fiennes. He played the stage manager in another one of Baz Luhrmann’s films, the 2001 musical Moulin Rouge! alongside Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. That same year he had a part in comedy film The Man Who Sued God, opposite Judy Davis and Billy Connolly. The following year he appeared in legal drama Black and White alongside Robert Carlyle, Charles Dance, Colin Friels and Ben Mendelsohn.

Television guest roles in the 2000s included Farscape, All Saints and Rake, the latter of which, in 2010, was his last appearance.

Whitford has also recorded audiobooks for the Vision Australia Information and Library Service, Louis Braille and the Royal Blind Society.