Peter Serafinowicz is an English actor, comedian, writer, composer, voice artist and occasional director from Liverpool, United Kingdom. He is born in 1972 and attends Our Lady of the Assumption Roman Catholic Primary School and St Francis Xavier Secondary School.

Broadcasting and television work

Serafinowicz makes his broadcasting debut in 1993 on Radio 1’s The Knowledge, a spoof documentary about the music industry. He goes on to perform in Radio 4 programmes including Week Ending, Harry Hill's Fruit Corner, Grievous Bodily Radio, The Two Dannys and A Whole New Ball Game. On television, he appears in Comedy Nation and You Are Here in 1998, and also has a role in Simon Nye’s sitcom How Do You Want Me?

In 1999 he appears in Spaced as Duane Benzie, the arch-nemesis of Tim Bisley, played by Simon Pegg. He returns for another appearance when the series comes back in 2001. He leads the 2001 BBC2 sitcom World of Pub, playing the same character he earlier performs on Radio 4. He also appears in The Junkies, described as the world’s first internet sitcom.

In 2002, Look Around You begins on BBC2 as a series of 10-minute science-video parodies set in the style of 1970s school programming. Serafinowicz plays a scientist and co-writes the series with Robert Popper, whom he meets on the set of Spaced. The programme returns in 2005 as a parody of 1980s science television, with Serafinowicz playing Peter Packard, one of the presenters. He appears in another Simon Nye sitcom, Hardware, in 2003 and 2004 as Kenny.

His other television credits include guest roles in Smack the Pony, Hippies, Black Books, I'm Alan Partridge, Little Britain and the drama series Marple. He also appears on panel shows such as The 99p Challenge, Have I Got News For You, 8 Out of 10 Cats, QI, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Would I Lie To You? and Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

Film, writing and directing

Serafinowicz appears in Shaun of the Dead in 2004 as Pete, the tidy flatmate of Shaun and Ed, and also appears in The Calcium Kid. In 2006 he plays Uncle Jimmy in Sixty Six, a British film about a Jewish boy whose bar mitzvah falls on the same day as the 1966 World Cup final. In 2009 he appears in Couples Retreat, directed by Peter Billingsley.

He also directs the music video for Hot Chip’s I Feel Better in 2010. At one point he is announced to play Paul McCartney in a remake of Yellow Submarine.

Voice work and composition

Serafinowicz has extensive voice-over and advertising work, and is known as an impressionist. His best-known voice role is Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, where his voice is used over Ray Park’s physical performance. He later voices Darth Chef in an episode of South Park. He also works on the children’s programme Look and Read, voices Captain Ardias in THQ’s Warhammer 40,000: Firewarrior, and overdubs Pelé’s voice in the English-language version of Viagra adverts.

As a composer and musician, he produces virtually all of the music for Look Around You under the pseudonym Gelg.

Recognition

For The Peter Serafinowicz Show, he receives the Best Entertainer prize at the Rose d'Or ceremony. The series is also nominated for Best Comedy Programme at the BAFTA Television Awards. The show is developed from spoof news videos, including O! News, which parody entertainment news and the Apple Corps v. Apple Computer lawsuit.

Personal life

Serafinowicz is married to actress Sarah Alexander. They have a son, Sam. His brother James is a writer and director, and appears in Look Around You and in the Michael-6 sketches on The Peter Serafinowicz Show. His sister Helen is married to writer Graham Linehan. His grandfather, Szymon Serafinowicz Sr., is the first person charged in the UK under the 1991 War Crimes Act, and is not convicted because a jury rules him unfit for trial on grounds of dementia.