Brian Pettifer
ActingBrian 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.
Known For
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
the executioner / the torturer of the trial
Amadeus
Hospital Attendant
Darkest Hour
Lord Kingsley Wood
Damaged
Village Man
Conspiracy
Alfred Meyer
The Last Bus
Billy (Drunk)
A Christmas Carol
Ben
if....
Biles
Vanity Fair
Mr. Raggles
Lassie
O'Donnell
Filmography — Acting
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
the executioner / the torturer of the trial
Amadeus
Hospital Attendant
Darkest Hour
Lord Kingsley Wood
Damaged
Village Man
Conspiracy
Alfred Meyer
The Last Bus
Billy (Drunk)
A Christmas Carol
Ben
if....
Biles
Vanity Fair
Mr. Raggles
Lassie
O'Donnell
The House of Mirth
Mr. Bry
Loch Ness
Repairman
Get Duked!
PC Dougie
In the Bleak Midwinter
Ventriloquist
The Legend of Barney Thomson
Charlie
Hattie
Ron
Whisky Galore
Angus
The Great Escape II: The Untold Story
Kirby-Green
Britannia Hospital
Biles
The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle
Harry How
Little Dorrit
Clarence Barnacle
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Poole
Vigo
Fatman
Eleven Men Against Eleven
Cliff Tutley
The Rocket Post
Reverend Shand
Heavenly Pursuits
Father Cobb
Gulag
Vlasov
The James Gang
Spanner
The Key
Donkeys
Brian Colburn
Terror! Robespierre and the French Revolution
Couthon
Lucky Sunil
Cyril
One Last Chance
Macgregor
The Flu That Killed 50 Million
Victor Vaughan
Warm Feet, Warm Heart
Nigel Purvis
Go Home
Mike
A Risk Worth Taking
Maxwell Borthwick
Just Your Luck
Youth at Wedding
In Dreams
Journalist/Dave
Is That All There Is?
Self
Happy the Man
Andy
Peer Gynt
Additional cast
Memories of Lindsay Anderson
Self
Is That Your Body, Boy
Spratt
The Right Prospectus
Boy in Grounds
Let There Be Light
Pupil Teacher