The actor who played the suave Jason King in the early seventies has died aged around 90. His character was a sophisticated lady-killer whilst the real Peter Wyngarde was a gay man whose career was brought to an abrupt halt after he was prosecuted for cottaging in Gloucester coach station and a public convenience in Birmingham.
What is less well-known about this man’s extraordinary life is that J.G. Ballard insists he first came across him in a Japanese internment camp (which he denied) and he played what is thought to be the first ever gay character on British television – the Polish exile Lieutenant Jan Wicziewsky on a plantation on the 1959 play ‘South’ on ITV.
An obituary from The Guardian can be accessed here. A further appreciation of his acting ability can be accessed here