Brian Pettifer
Born: 1953-01-01 in Durban, Natal, South Africa
Known For: Acting
Biography
Brian Pettifer (born January 1, 1953) is a South African actor who has appeared in many television shows, and also on stage and in film. He is the younger brother of folk musician Linda Thompson. He intended to become a photographer, but pursued a career as an actor. He appeared as a child in the BBC's This Man Craig and Dr Finlay's Casebook, and Madame Bovary (with his friend Alex Norton) which gave him an avid interest in acting on television. His first film role was in Lindsay Anderson's film if.... (1968). He also appeared in Anderson's O Lucky Man! (1973) and Britannia Hospital (1982) playing the same character in all three Anderson films, that of Biles. His other film credits include roles in Amadeus (1984), A Christmas Carol (1984), Gulag (1985), Heavenly Pursuits (1986), Little Dorrit (1987), The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988), Loch Ness (1996), The House of Mirth (2000), Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (2002), The Rocket Post (2004), Vanity Fair (2004) and Lassie (2005). Pettifer was a regular in Rab C. Nesbitt mainly propping up a bar, but was also known as aircraftman Bruce Leckie in Get Some In!, where he was constantly the butt of jokes directed at him by Corporal Marsh. He also played cousin Hughie in the long running Liverpool based 70s sitcom The Liver Birds. He also played Alfred Meyer in the BBC/HBO film Conspiracy and the part of Dr. Cameron in the Radio 4 series entitled Adventures of a Black Bag, after appearing in several episodes of Dr. Finlay's Casebook. He appeared in Hamish Macbeth, as well as guest starring in Still Game. In 2005, he also appeared in the first episode of the BBC drama Bleak House. In 2011 and 2013, he played Father Richards in The Field of Blood. He had the role of Poupart in the BBC One series The Musketeers. In 2012, Brian Pettifer appeared as Archie Milgrow in the episode Old School Ties in the series New Tricks. He has worked extensively in the theatre: writing, directing and acting. He has been in a production of The Fairy-Queen at Glyndebourne, which went to Paris and New York in 2010. In 2015, Pettifer appeared in the crime comedy The Legend of Barney Thomson along with his Hamish Macbeth co-star Robert Carlyle. In 2019, he appeared in an episode of Holby City playing patient Laurie Stocks.
Filmography
2024
- Damaged as Village Man
2021
- Grace as Hector Hegarty
- Go Home as Mike
- The Last Bus as Billy (Drunk)
2019
- Get Duked! as PC Dougie
- Memories of Lindsay Anderson as Self
2018
- The Flu That Killed 50 Million as Victor Vaughan
2017
- Darkest Hour as Lord Kingsley Wood
2016
- Whisky Galore as Angus
2015
- The Legend of Barney Thomson as Charlie
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell as Honeyfoot
2014
- Outlander as Old Charlie
2013
- Endeavour as Jephthah Claypole
2011
- Black Mirror as William Grange, Dentist
- Hattie as Ron
- The Field of Blood as Father Richards
2010
- Donkeys as Brian Colburn
2009
- Garrow's Law as Robert Boycott
- Terror! Robespierre and the French Revolution as Couthon
2008
- A Risk Worth Taking as Maxwell Borthwick
2005
- Lassie as O'Donnell
- The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle as Harry How
- To the Ends of the Earth as Wheeler
2004
- New Tricks as Archie Milgrow
- Hustle as Tip Jones
- One Last Chance as Macgregor
- The Rocket Post as Reverend Shand
2003
- The Key
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as Poole
2002
- Snoddy as Professor Baxter
2001
- Conspiracy as Alfred Meyer
2000
- Monarch of the Glen as Eric Morton
- The House of Mirth as Mr. Bry
1999
- The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc as the executioner / the torturer of the trial
1998
- Vigo as Fatman
1997
- The James Gang as Spanner
- The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling as Parson Supple
1996
- Loch Ness as Repairman
1995
- Hamish Macbeth as Rory Campbell
- In the Bleak Midwinter as Ventriloquist
- Eleven Men Against Eleven as Cliff Tutley
1992
- Heartbeat as Andrew McIntyre
- Is That All There Is? as Self
- In Dreams as Journalist/Dave
1988
- Lucky Sunil as Cyril
- The Great Escape II: The Untold Story as Kirby-Green
1987
- Little Dorrit as Clarence Barnacle
1986
- Lovejoy as Willy Kinross
- City Lights as Alisdair
- Heavenly Pursuits as Father Cobb
1985
- Gulag as Vlasov
1984
- A Christmas Carol as Ben
- Amadeus as Hospital Attendant
1982
- Britannia Hospital as Biles
- Cloud Howe as Dite Peat
1978
- Return of the Saint as Bartender
1976
- Clayhanger as Stifford
1975
- Get Some In! as Bruce Leckie
1973
- Last of the Summer Wine as The Best Man
1972
- Just Your Luck as Youth at Wedding
1970
- Play for Today as Boy in Grounds
- Let There Be Light as Pupil Teacher
- Warm Feet, Warm Heart as Nigel Purvis
- Is That Your Body, Boy as Spratt
- The Right Prospectus as Boy in Grounds
1968
- if.... as Biles