From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Peter Capell (3 September 1912 - 3 March 1985) was a German actor who was active on screen from 1945 until 1985. His first role was in Winterset, shortly after the end of the Second World War. His final role came a year before his death, when he appeared in Mamas Geburtstag. Both of these were television productions. He also appeared in many films, including Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), in which he played a "tinker" who spoke to Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) at the gates of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Capell died, aged 72, in March 1985. Description above from the Wikipedia article Peter Capell, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​