Peter Saunders (impresario)
| Sir Peter Saunders | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Peter Saunders 23 November 1911 Swiss Cottage, London, England |
| Died | 6 February 2003 (aged 91) Hampstead, London, England |
| Occupation | Theatrical producer |
| Known for | Producing and promoting The Mousetrap, 1952–1994 |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Stewart ( –1976); Katie Boyle (1979–2003) |
| Relatives | Charles Saunders (brother) |
Sir Peter Saunders (23 November 1911 in Swiss Cottage, London – 6 February 2003 in Hampstead, London) was an English theatre impresario, notable for his production of the long-running Agatha Christie murder mystery, The Mousetrap.
Saunders' father died in a swimming accident (with the boy on his back), and he was subsequently educated at Oundle School and in Lausanne, Switzerland, thanks to the sponsorship of an aunt. Although his mother advised him to get a job with Harrods after completing his education, he instead followed his older brother, the film director Charles Saunders, into showbusiness, working at a film studio as a cameraman and director. Following spells as a newspaper reporter and press agent (to Harry Roy, among others), he served in the Second World War as an Army Captain in the Intelligence Corps, and following the end of hostilities, he moved into theatre production.
Saunders purchased the Vaudeville Theatre in 1969. Prior to his most famous adaptation of a book, by the same author, he saw the value of Agatha Christie's writing as suitable for theatre during his UK tours with Murder at the Vicarage and Black Coffee, and his staging of The Hollow, which ran in the West End of London for almost a year. In 1968, he took out a long lease on London's St Martin's Theatre, in West Street near Charing Cross Road.
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