Peter Sallis

Peter Sallis, OBE  is an English actor and entertainer, well known for his work on British television. 

Sallis is best known for his role as the main character Norman Clegg in the long-running British TV comedy Last of the Summer Wine, set in a Yorkshire town. He was the longest serving cast member, appearing in all 295 episodes, and by the end of the show's run was the only one surviving from the programme's first episode in 1973. He also appeared in all 13 of the episodes of the prequel series First of the Summer Wine as Norman Clegg's father. He is also famous for providing the voice of Wallace in the Wallace and Gromit films.

He played Elric Penley in the 1967 Doctor Who serial The Ice Warriors. He was later due to play Striker in Enlightenment but industrial action caused filming times to change and his schedule could no longer fit the role in

Sallis was born on 1 February 1921 in Twickenham, Middlesex, England, the only child of Dorothy Amea (n�e Barnard) and Harry Sallis. After attending Minchenden Grammar School in North London, Sallis went to work in a bank. After the outbreak of World War II he joined the RAF. He failed to get into aircrew because he had a serum albumin disorder and he was told he might black out at high altitudes. He became a wireless mechanic instead and went on to teach radio procedures at RAF Cranwell.

Sallis started as an amateur actor during his four years with the RAF when one of his students offered him the lead in an amateur production. His success in the role caused him to resolve to become an actor after the war, and so he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, making his first professional appearance on the London stage in 1946.

Sallis married Elaine Usher at St John's Wood Church in London on 9 February 1957. Their son, Timothy Crispian Sallis was born in 1959.