‘Peppa Pig’ And ‘Thunderbirds’ Voice Actor David Graham Dies
David Graham, the British actor known for his voice role as Grandpa Pig in "Peppa Pig," has passed away at the age of 99.
Grandpa Pig from Peppa Pig, the Daleks from Doctor Who, and various characters from Thunderbirds all have something in common: they were each brought to life by British actor David Graham. Today, we remember and honor Mr. Graham, who passed away at the age of 99.
David Graham was born in London on July 11, 1925. After serving in the Royal Air Force as a radar mechanic, he moved to New York City to pursue his acting career at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
Graham came back to England and started his acting career in the theater. His big break came in 1967 when he played Givola in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. Following that, he tried out for Laurence Olivier's theater group and eventually had the opportunity to perform alongside Olivier in Saturday Sunday Monday.
During his time acting in the television show Private Investigator in 1958, Graham transitioned to providing voices for puppets in different creations by writer and producer Gerry Anderson. He started with the character Grandpa Twink, whom he modeled after Walter Brennan, in the series Four Feather Falls.
On-screen, Graham featured in two episodes of the original Doctor Who series as an actor, but he gained greater fame as the authoritative voice of the Daleks.
On December 17, 1965, Daleks, voiced by David Graham, made an appearance on a street in London, just outside Wyndham's Theatre. These iconic characters are part of the children's television show, Doctor Who. (Image credit: R. McPhedran/Express/Getty Images)
In addition, Graham took on the part of “Big Brother” in the Super Bowl commercial for the Apple Macintosh in 1984. He voiced characters like Wise Old Elf and Mr. Gnome in the animated series Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom. He also had cameo roles in popular British dramas such as Coronation Street, The Bill, and London's Burning, among other notable achievements in his career.
In his last projects, Graham lent his voice to Zeke in the animated series Toca Life Stories and portrayed Grandpa Pig in multiple Peppa Pig video games.
