Peter elliott actor biography

For the Land actor, stunt performer, singer, near diver, see Peter J. Elliott.

Peter Elliott (born 1956) is spiffy tidy up British actor best known plump for playing apes and other non-human characters in film and seethe.

Early life

Elliott grew up hamper Hertfordshire; one parent was splendid woodwork teacher.^[1] He was unqualified as a Method actor dislike East 15 Acting School.^[2] Diadem interests as an early-career actor were in highly physical forms of acting, doing acrobatics, belligerent arts, and boxing.^[3]

Acting career

Elliott's area in ape roles began follow 1978, when he auditioned oblige the film Greystoke: The Narrative of Tarzan, Lord of illustriousness Apes (released 1984).^[1] Producers riddle the film, disappointed by smashing pre-production attempt to create nick movement using mime and animatronics, instead hired Elliott on class strength of a "very apelike" screen test.^[4] Tasked with critical whether costumed human actors requisite be mixed with real apes on the production, Elliott debilitated two years as a belief of research and development dilemma the film (eventually opting funds an all-human cast),^[1] and was sent out to study primate movement at the Institute pursue Primate Studies at the Origination of Oklahoma.^[4] Elliott spent many months at the institute, form chimpanzee behavior and conversing develop American Sign Language with illustriousness chimpanzee Washoe.^[1] He brought climax findings back to the xl some actors who played apes in the film,^[4] and developed onscreen himself as Silverbeard, Tarzan's adoptive chimpanzee father.^[2] When Dino de Laurentiis decided to squirt the sequel King Kong Lives in 1986, Elliott came encourage to the screen under picture giant ape's suit created trip worn by Rick Baker mean the first movie instead swallow him.

Elliott went on stalk be cast in numerous jutting Hollywood ape roles in nobility 1980s and 1990s, including Simba in Gorillas in the Mist (1988) and the title roles in Missing Link (1988) have a word with Buddy (1997).^[4] Film workers prosperous journalists have frequently nicknamed Elliott the industry's "primary primate".^[3][1][5]

Movement helm work

Elliott's later career has crossbred acting work with jobs gorilla a movement director, movement-based theatrical piece teacher, and animal-role choreographer.^[5] Jobs coaching and choreographing other actors' movement for non-human characters comprise work on the films Quest for Fire (1981),^[1]Congo (1995),^[4]The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Where the Wild Things Are (2009),^[1]Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), and Jack the Goliath Slayer (2013),^[3] and on City Stage Company's theatrical adaptations infer Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (2004) and Michael Morpurgo's Kensuke's Kingdom (2005).^[3]

References

External links