Peter Wyngarde

Peter Paul Wyngarde (born Cyril Goldbert, 23 August 1927 – 15 January 2018) was a British television, stage and film actor active from the late 1940s to the mid 1990s. He was best known for portraying the character Jason King, a bestselling novelist turned sleuth, in two television series: Department S (1969–70) and Jason King (1971–72). His flamboyant dress sense and stylish performances led to success, and he was considered a style icon in Britain and elsewhere in the early 1970s. Background and early life Peter Wyngarde's birth name was Cyril Goldbert. His full name may have been Cyril Louis Goldbert. According to his own account, he was born on 23 August 1933 to a French mother and a British father at an aunt's home in Marseille, France. Like many actors and other celebrities, Wyngarde changed his name and claimed to be younger than he was. He also cited a false family background by changing his father's name and profession and both his parents' nationalities and their ethnic origins, and he also fabricated a false education and work history of his early years in the UK. He maintained these versions of his biography until his death at 90 in 2018. The Guardian newspaper said in March 2020 that "his life story is shrouded in mystery".