Peter Sallis, the actor best known for voicing Wallace in the British clay animation series Wallace and Gromit, died on Friday, June 2. He was 96.
Sallis’ agents Jonathan Altaras Associates confirmed the news in a statement to Deadline, saying he “died peacefully with his family by his side” at the famed retirement home Denville Hall in Northwood, England.
Born in Twickenham, England, Sallis began his career as a theater actor in London before landing the role of Norman “Cleggy” Clegg in Last of the Summer Wine in 1973. The series, which remains the U.K.’s longest-running sitcom, aired until 2010. Sallis was the only actor to appear in all 295 episodes.
Sallis catapulted to international superstardom in 1983 when he took on the voice of Wallace in the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit series. He played the cheese-loving inventor in several short- and feature-length films, including A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave. He last voiced the beloved character in 2008’s A Matter of Loaf and Death.
The actor, who began voicing Wallace in his 60s, once said he was thrilled to have had a successful career late in life. “It’s pleasing knowing millions are going to see your work and enjoy it … to have a legacy like this is very comforting,” he said, via Deadline. “I am lucky to have been involved.”
