Peter Karrie was born Peter Karagianis on 10 August 1946 in Bridgend, South Wales, and was brought up in Wales. He began his career as lead singer of the pop group Peter and the Wolves, before travelling to London, where he worked as a busker before landing his first stage role.
Karrie went on to star in many of the West End's biggest musicals, including Les Misérables as Jean Valjean, Chess as Freddie Trumper, Evita as Che on UK tour, Annie as Daddy Warbucks, Oliver! as Fagin, and Jesus Christ Superstar as Judas Iscariot at the Palace Theatre. He is best known for playing the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera in London (1991-92), Toronto (1992, 1994, 1997-98) and on the Canadian International Touring Company and UK Millennium Tour productions. Members of the Phantom of the Opera Appreciation Society voted him their favourite Phantom in both 1994 and 1995.
He also starred as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof at Aberystwyth Arts Centre, and created the role of the Reverend Peter Price in Mal Pope's musical Amazing Grace alongside Shân Cothi at the Wales Millennium Centre in 2005. Karrie hosted his own BBC Wales chat show, Peter Karrie... Unmasked, for two seasons.
An honorary fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Karrie resigned the fellowship in 2013 in protest at the treatment of staff during a dispute at Aberystwyth Arts Centre. He is an ambassador for Bobath Children's Therapy Centre Wales, a Cardiff-based charity supporting children with cerebral palsy, and founded the Blaenavon Academy of Arts musical theatre school.