Peter Vaughan

British actor Peter Vaughan began alternating between stage and screen after his 1959 film bow in Sapphire. Nearly always cast as a frosty authority figure, Vaughan's movie assignments have embraced both period films (he was Buhrud in 1968's Alfred the Great) and contemporary dramas (the Policeman in 1963's The Victors). On two occasions, Vaughan's talents have been effectively utilized by director Terry Gilliam, first in the role of the Ogre in Time Bandits (1981), then in the part of Mr. Helpman in Brazil (1985). In 1986, Vaughan was seen on TV screens worldwide as the prosecutor in the miniseries Sins. Closer to the present, Peter Vaughan was seen as Mr. Stevens Sr. in Merchant-Ivory's Remains of the Day. For some time Peter Vaughan was married to Billie Whitelaw.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide