Peter Bull was born on March 21, 1912 in London, England as Peter Cecil Bull. He was an actor, known for Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), The African Queen (1951) and Doctor Dolittle (1967). He died on May 20, 1984 in London.
Anthony Bull, Stephen Bull, 2nd Baronet, George Bull, 3rd Baronet
Star Sign
Aries
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Trademark
1
Rich, commanding voice.
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Quote
1
[on working in television]: I loathe the whole thing, even if it has provided me with bread and margarine for so many years. It seems to me to have had a disastrous effect on mankind and I am quite deliberately planning to spend at least half my remaining years in areas where the goggle box has not yet gained a footing.
2
The name is so important for an actor, a foremost part of one's image. I like my name . . . but as an actor, it has often been a detriment. I have been mistakenly billed as Peter Dull, and under my correctly spelled name I've been reviewed as having delivered a performance which was "pure Bull".
In the early 1930s, playing a tiny role in a play called "England Expects", Bull was startled, whilst changing in his dressing-room after the performance, by a stranger, who told him that his performance that night had been the worst he, the stranger, had ever seen. The stranger was Robert Morley; they became close friends immediately, a friendship which lasted until Bull's death over fifty years later.
3
He claimed that the sentence most often addressed to him by strangers was, "I know the face, but...", which he said was the inevitable lot of a small-part actor in Britain. He eventually wrote an amusing autobiographical book using this unfinished sentence as its title.
4
All his dialogue in "The African Queen" was in German, a language he could not speak; he was dubbed by Walter Rilla.
5
He sold the film rights to his comic wartime memoir, "To Sea In A Sieve", to an American film company, and was amused when they suggested that he might be played on-screen, not by himself, but by his friend (and wartime comrade-in-arms) Alec Guinness, who looked nothing like him.
6
Noted for his vast and unique collection of teddy bears.
7
Served with the Royal Navy during World War II, commanding an anti-aircraft vessel in the Mediterranean. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1945.
8
Heavyweight British character actor, a former journalist. First on stage in London in 1933, two years later on Broadway. Acted on screen in both straight and comedy parts.
9
In the 60s he made a spoken word recording for Minerva Records in which he read extracts from his Teddy Bear book, "Bear With Me".
10
Son of Sir William Bull, MP for South Hammersmith for 30 years
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Author of several humourous books, mostly autobiographical, but also including the standard text on the subject of teddy bears.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Yellowbeard
1983
Queen Anne
Dead on Time
1983
Short
Old Man in Waiting Room
The Magic Shop
1982
Short
The Tempest
1979
Alonso, the King of Naples
The Light Princess
1978
TV Movie
Fat Frog (voice)
Rosie Dixon - Night Nurse
1978
August Visitor
The Brute
1977
Housemaster
Joseph Andrews
1977
Sir Thomas Booby
Great Expectations
1974
TV Movie
Wemmick
Girl Stroke Boy
1973
Peter Hovendon
Jack Paar Tonite
1973
TV Series
Lady Caroline Lamb
1972
Minister
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
1972
Duchess
Up the Front
1972
General Von Kobler
The Executioner
1970
Butterfield
Lock Up Your Daughters!
1969
Bull
Doctor Dolittle
1967
General Bellowes
The 2nd Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World
1965
Masterman
You Must Be Joking!
1965
Ferocious Man in Library
Six Shades of Black
1965
TV Series
Mokhtar
The Intelligence Men
1965
Philippe
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
1964
Russian Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky
The Old Dark House
1963
Caspar Femm / Jasper Femm
Tom Jones
1963
Thwackum
BBC Sunday-Night Play
1962
TV Mini-Series
Henry Field
The Girl on the Boat
1962
Blacksmith
Follow That Man
1961
Gustav
If the Crown Fits
1961
TV Series
Maj. Domus
Goodbye Again
1961
Client
Call Me Genius
1961
Manager of Art Gallery, Paris
Rendezvous
1960
TV Series
Walter
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver
1960
Lord Bermogg
ITV Play of the Week
1960
TV Series
Demokos
An Arabian Night
1960
TV Movie
Kutayt
International Detective
1960
TV Series
Baldo Falcone
Ask for King Billy
1959
TV Series
Man in Black
Tales of the Vikings
1959
TV Series
Haldar
Armchair Theatre
1959
TV Series
Mr. Creakle
The Scapegoat
1959
Aristide
The Eustace Diamonds
1959
TV Series
The Dean
Boyd Q.C.
1959
TV Series
Morley
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre
1950-1958
TV Series
Smith / Sid Rolands / Circus Director / ...
Tom Thumb
1958
Town Crier
The Horse's Mouth
1958
Man in Taxi (uncredited)
The Lost King
1958
TV Series
Baron Von Ense
Dixon of Dock Green
1958
TV Series
Arthur Coburn
Dial 999
1958
TV Series
Blowey
Fredric March Presents Tales from Dickens
1958
TV Series
Mr. Creakle
The Silver Sword
1957
TV Series
Burgomaster
Change of Air
1957
TV Short
Maxie Bull
The Adventures of Peter Simple
1957
TV Series
Peter's father
Aggie
1956
TV Series
Pierre
The Green Man
1956
General Niva
Who Done It?
1956
Scientist
The Gordon Honour
1955-1956
TV Series
Chief Sitting Bull / Mynheer Strubelstrasse
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
1956
TV Movie
Duchess
Lilli Palmer Theatre
1955
TV Series
Jasper
Rheingold Theatre
1955
TV Series
General Tuishnov
Miss Patterson
1955
TV Movie
Kubik
Footsteps in the Fog
1955
Brasher
The Queen Came By
1955
TV Movie
George Frisby, in Management
Beau Brummell
1954
Mr. Fox
Saadia
1953
Village potentate
Your Favorite Story
1953
TV Series
Malta Story
1953
Flying Officer (uncredited)
The Honours of Scotland
1953
TV Movie
HRH the Prince of Wales, later King George IV
The Captain's Paradise
1953
Kalikan firing-squad officer
Strictly Personal
1953
TV Series
The Rev. P. Pinsent
The Pickwick Papers
1952-1953
TV Series
Mr. Tony Weller
Strange Stories
1953
Captain Breen
The Second Mrs. Tanqueray
1952
Misquith
Brighthaven Express
1952
Lorne
The African Queen
1951
Captain of Louisa
A Christmas Carol
1951
First Businessman / Narrator
The Six Men
1951
Walkeley
The Lavender Hill Mob
1951
Joe the Gab (uncredited)
The Smart Aleck
1951
Prosecuting Counsel
Lucky Nick Cain
1951
Hans
Assassin for Hire
1950
TV Movie
Catesby
Such Is Life
1950
TV Series
The Inheritance
1950
The Lost People
1949
Wolf
Alice in Wonderland
1949
Puppet Character (voice)
Cardboard Cavalier
1949
Mosspot
Look Before You Love
1948
Ship Passenger (uncredited)
Woman Hater
1948
Mr. Fletcher
Saraband
1948
Prince George Louis
Oliver Twist
1948
Landlord of 'Three Cripples'
Six Gentlemen in a Row
1947
TV Short
Second Gentleman
The Man Who Was Thursday
1947
TV Movie
President (Sunday)
I Became a Criminal
1947
Fidgity Phil
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus
1947
TV Movie
Covetousness / Horse-Courser
The Turners of Prospect Road
1947
J.G. Clarkson
The Grand Escapade
1947
Jennings
Quiet Wedding
1941
Tenor (uncredited)
Blackout
1940
Third Brother Grimm
Suicide Legion
1940
Turk Outside Café (uncredited)
Dead Man's Shoes
1940
Defense Counsel
Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday
1939
Radio Ham Operator (uncredited)
Young Man's Fancy
1939
French Soldier (uncredited)
The Ware Case
1938
Eustace Ede
Marie Antoinette
1938
Gamin (uncredited)
Second Best Bed
1938
Tennis match spectator (uncredited)
The Jar
1937
TV Movie
Non-Stop New York
1937
Spurgeon
The Tudor Touch
1937
TV Short
Henry VIII
Knight Without Armor
1937
Commissar (uncredited)
Sabotage
1936
Michaelis - Conspirator (uncredited)
As You Like It
1936
William
The Beloved Vagabond
1936
Artist in bar (uncredited)
The Secret Voice
1936
Minor Role (uncredited)
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
1972
performer: "The Duchess' Lullaby", "The Moral Song"