John of England
John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Emp ...
has been portrayed many times in fiction, generally reflecting the overwhelmingly negative view of his reputation.
Art
The North Wall Frieze in the courtroom of the
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
depicts King John granting
Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the ...
.
Literature
* King John is the protagonist of
John Bale
John Bale (21 November 1495 – November 1563) was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory in Ireland. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English (on the subject of King John), and developed ...
's sixteenth-century Protestant play ''
King Johan
''King Johan'' is a sixteenth-century English play. Written by a former Carmelite friar named John Bale, it is considered a possible influence on William Shakespeare's later work King John (play), ''King John''. The play was groundbreaking as it ...
'', in which he is depicted positively as a bulwark against the papacy.
* John was the subject of an anonymous Elizabethan play, ''
The Troublesome Reign of King John
''The Troublesome Reign of John, King of England'', commonly called ''The Troublesome Reign of King John'' (c. 1589) is an Elizabethan history play, probably by George Peele, that is generally accepted by scholars as the source and model that W ...
'', in 1591. The play reflects the sympathetic view of King John during the
English Reformation
The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...
; it depicts John as "a fearless resister of the
Papacy
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
".
["King John", in Michael Dobson, Stanley Wells, Will Sharpe, Erin Sullivan (eds.) ''The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare''. Corby : ]Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
2015. (pgs. 276-279) This play is believed by many Shakespeare scholars to have been a source for Shakespeare's play.
* King John appears in the plays ''
The Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntington'' and ''
The Death of Robert Earl of Huntington'' (1598) by
Anthony Munday
Anthony Munday (or Monday) (1560?10 August 1633) was an English playwright and miscellaneous writer. He was baptized on 13 October 1560 in St Gregory by St Paul's, London, and was the son of Christopher Munday, a stationer, and Jane Munday. He ...
. Munday's two plays feature the exploits of
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
, and John is depicted as Robin's enemy in these plays. Munday's work thus incorporated King John into the Robin Hood legends.
[ Knight, Stephen Thomas,''Robin Hood : A Mythic Biography''. Ithaca, N.Y. : ]Cornell University Press
The Cornell University Press is the university press of Cornell University; currently housed in Sage House, the former residence of Henry William Sage. It was first established in 1869, making it the first university publishing enterprise in th ...
2009. (pgs. 52-55). As a result of this, John and one of his
Justices in Eyre, the
Sheriff of Nottingham
The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist in the legend of Robin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the local people of Nottinghamshire, subjecting them to unaffordable taxes. Robin Hood fights against him, ...
, are frequently portrayed as
villain
A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
and henchman in later versions
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
legends. These usually place the Robin Hood stories in the latter part of Richard I's reign, when Richard was in captivity and John was acting as unofficial
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
.
* John was the subject of a
Shakespearean
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
play, ''
King John King John may refer to:
Rulers
* John, King of England (1166–1216)
* John I of Jerusalem (c. 1170–1237)
* John Balliol, King of Scotland (c. 1249–1314)
* John I of France (15–20 November 1316)
* John II of France (1319–1364)
* John I o ...
'' (written c. 1595, and published in 1623).
* Prince John is a central figure in the 1819 historical romance ''
Ivanhoe
''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...
'', by
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...
, and is depicted in subsequent adaptations. ''Ivanhoe'' helped popularize the image of King John as cruel and villainous.
[Brownlie, Siobhan, ''Memory and Myths of the Norman Conquest''. Woodbridge, Suffolk; Boydell & Brewer Ltd., 2013. (pp. 124-5)] The novel also calls John a "
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
", although contemporary documents from the period of John's reign do not refer to the monarch as a Norman.
* King John features in the three-decker novel ''Forest Days'' (1843) by
G. P. R. James
George Payne Rainsford James (9 August 1799 – 9 June 1860), was an English novelist and historical writer, the son of a physician in London. He was for many years British Consul at various places in the United States and on the Continent. ...
, about the
First Barons' War
The First Barons' War (1215–1217) was a civil war in the Kingdom of England in which a group of rebellious major landowners (commonly referred to as barons) led by Robert Fitzwalter waged war against King John of England. The conflict resulte ...
.
[McGarry, Daniel D., White, Sarah Harriman, ''Historical Fiction Guide: Annotated Chronological, Geographical, and Topical List of Five Thousand Selected Historical Novels''. Scarecrow Press, New York, 1963 (pgs. 62. 64).]
* The children's novel ''The Constable's Tower: or the Times of Magna Charta'' (1891) by
Charlotte Mary Yonge
Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823–1901) was an English novelist, who wrote in the service of the church. Her abundant books helped to spread the influence of the Oxford Movement and show her keen interest in matters of public health and sanitation.
...
, revolves around John signing Magna Carta, and also features the Siege of Dover during the First Barons' War.
* The novel ''Uncanonized'' (1900) by
Margaret Horton Potter
Margaret Horton Potter (pseudonym, Robert Dolly Williams; May 20, 1881 – December 22, 1911) was an American novelist, specializing in historical fiction. Her first novel, ''A Social Lion'', was published while she was still a teenager.
Early l ...
features King John.
* King John is the subject of
A. A. Milne
Alan Alexander Milne (; 18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as for children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winni ...
's poem for children, ''
King John's Christmas'' (1927), which begins "King John was not a good man", but slowly builds sympathy for him as he fears not getting anything for Christmas, when all he really wants is a rubber ball.
* In the comic parody ''
1066 and All That
''1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England, Comprising All the Parts You Can Remember, Including 103 Good Things, 5 Bad Kings and 2 Genuine Dates'' is a tongue-in-cheek reworking of the history of England. Written by W. C. Sellar and R. J ...
'' (1930) John is depicted as "an Awful King".
* ''The Devil and King John'' by
Philip Lindsay
Philip Lindsay (30 April 1906 – 4 January 1958) was an Australian writer, who mostly wrote historical novels.
Life and writing
He was the son of Norman Lindsay, an Australian artist and a younger brother of writer Jack Lindsay. He was ...
(1943) is a highly speculative but relatively sympathetic account.
*
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories.
Obituary.
Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...
, a
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
author, featured King John as one of several historical figures in his
Riverworld
Riverworld is a fictional planet and the setting for a series of science fiction books written by Philip José Farmer (1918–2009). Riverworld is an artificial "Super-Earth" environment where all humans (and pre-humans) are reconstructed. The b ...
saga.
* ''Below the Salt'' (1957) by
Thomas B. Costain
Thomas Bertram Costain (May 8, 1885 – October 8, 1965) was a Canadian-American journalist who became a best-selling author of historical novels at the age of 57.
Life
Costain was born in Brantford, Ontario to John Herbert Costain and Ma ...
depicts the First Baron's War and John's signing of Magna Carta.
* John is a character in
James Goldman
James Goldman (June 30, 1927 – October 28, 1998) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay ''The Lion in Winter'' (1968). His younger brother was novelist and screenwriter William Goldman.
Biogra ...
's 1966 play ''
The Lion in Winter
''The Lion in Winter'' is a 1966 play by James Goldman, depicting the personal and political conflicts of Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their children and their guests during Christmas 1183. It premiered on Broadway at the ...
'', which dramatises
Henry II's struggles with his wife and sons over the rule of his empire. John is portrayed as a spoiled, simple-minded pawn in the machinations of his brothers and
Philip II of France
Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French ...
.
* James Goldman also wrote a novel called ''Myself As Witness'' (1979), a fictional record of the later years of John's reign purportedly kept by the chronicler
Gerald of Wales
Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and English historians in the Middle Ages, historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and w ...
.
* John is a character in
Maureen Peters' 1983 novel ''Lackland's Bride'', which deals with his marriage to
Isabella, Countess of Gloucester
Isabella, Countess of Gloucester (1173/1174 – 14 October 1217), was an English noblewoman who was married to King John prior to his accession.
Lineage
Isabella was the daughter of William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester, and his wife Hawi ...
.
*
Sharon Penman
Sharon Kay Penman (August 13, 1945 – January 22, 2021) was an American historical novelist, published in the UK as Sharon Penman. She was best known for the Welsh Princes trilogy and the Plantagenet series. In addition, she wrote four medieval ...
's ''
Here Be Dragons
"Here be dragons" ( la, hic sunt dracones) means dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of a medieval practice of putting illustrations of dragons, sea monsters and other mythological creatures on uncharted areas of maps where potenti ...
'' deals with the reign of John, the development of Wales under
Llewelyn
Llywelyn, Llewelyn or Llewellyn is a name of Welsh language origins. See Llywelyn (name) for the name's etymology, history and other details.
As a surname Arts
*Carmen Llywelyn, American actress and photographer
* Chris Llewellyn (poet), American ...
's rule, and Llewelyn's marriage to John's illegitimate daughter, Joan, who is depicted in the novel as "Joanna". Other novels of hers which feature John as a prominent character are ''The Queen's Man'', ''Cruel as the Grave'', ''The Dragon's Lair'', and ''Prince of Darkness'', a series of fictional mysteries set during the time of Richard's imprisonment.
* John is featured in several books by
Elizabeth Chadwick
Elizabeth Chadwick (born 1957) is an author of historical fiction. She is a member of Regia Anglorum, a medieval reenactment organisation.
Biography
Elizabeth Chadwick was born in Bury, Lancashire in 1957. She moved with her family to Scotlan ...
, including ''Lords of the White Castle'', ''The Champion'', and ''The Scarlet Lion''.
*
Judith Tarr
Judith Tarr (born January 30, 1955) is an American fantasy and science fiction author.
Life
Tarr was born in Augusta, Maine on January 30, 1955. She is the daughter of Earle A. Tarr, Jr. (a waterworks manager and salesman of real estate), and ...
features a sympathetic Prince John as the protagonist of her fantasy novel ''Pride of Kings'' (2001).
Film
John has been portrayed on film by:
*
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager.
Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous progra ...
in the silent short ''King John'' (1899), which recreates his death scene at the end of the Shakespeare play
*
George Courtenay in the silent adaptation of ''
Ivanhoe
''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...
'' (1913)
*
Sam De Grasse
Samuel Alfred De Grasse (June 12, 1875 – November 29, 1953) was a Canadian actor. He was the uncle of cinematographer Robert De Grasse.
Biography
Samuel Alfred De Grasse was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick to Lange De Grasse (1828–1891) ...
in the silent film ''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
'' (1922), with
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thie ...
as Robin
*
Edward Cooper in the silent film ''Robin Hood, Jr.''(1923)
*
Ramsay Hill in ''
The Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...
'' (1935)
*
Claude Rains
William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. After his American film debut as Dr. Jack Griffin in ''The Invisible Man'' (1933), he appeared in such highly regarded films as '' ...
in ''
The Adventures of Robin Hood
''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de H ...
'' (1938), with
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...
as Robin. John is here portrayed as an affable but tyrannical man.
*
George Macready
George Peabody Macready Jr. (August 29, 1899 – July 2, 1973) was an American stage, film, and television actor often cast in roles as polished villains.
Early life
Macready was born in Providence, Rhode Island on August 29, 1899. He graduated ...
in ''
Rogues of Sherwood Forest
''Rogues of Sherwood Forest'' is a 1950 Technicolor adventure film from Columbia Pictures, directed by Gordon Douglas, and starring John Derek as Robin, the Earl of Huntingdon, the son of Robin Hood, Diana Lynn as Lady Marianne, and Alan Hale, S ...
'' (1950)
*
Hubert Gregg
Hubert Robert Harry Gregg (19 July 1914 – 29 March 2004) was a British broadcaster, writer and actor. In his later years, he was known for the BBC Radio 2 "oldies" shows ''A Square Deal'' and ''Thanks for the Memory''. He was also a novelist, ...
in ''
The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men
''The Story of Robin Hood'' is a 1952 action-adventure film produced by RKO- Walt Disney British Productions, based on the Robin Hood legend, made in Technicolor and filmed in Buckinghamshire, England. It was written by Lawrence Edward Watkin and ...
'' (1952), with
Richard Todd
Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 19193 December 2009) was an Irish-British actor known for his leading man roles of the 1950s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and an Academy Award for Best Actor n ...
as Robin
*
Guy Rolfe
Guy Rolfe (born Edwin Arthur Rolfe, 27 December 1911 – 19 October 2003) was a British actor.
Career
Rolfe was born in Kilburn, London. Before turning to acting at the age of 24 he was a professional boxer and racing driver, making his stage ...
in ''
Ivanhoe
''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...
'' (1952), with
Robert Taylor as Ivanhoe
*
Nigel Terry
Peter Nigel Terry (15 August 1945 – 30 April 2015) was an English stage, film, and television actor, typically in historical and period roles. He played John, King of England, Prince John in Anthony Harvey's film ''The Lion in Winter (1968 f ...
in the film adaptation of ''
The Lion in Winter
''The Lion in Winter'' is a 1966 play by James Goldman, depicting the personal and political conflicts of Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their children and their guests during Christmas 1183. It premiered on Broadway at the ...
'' (1968)
*
Lawrence Adams in the
soft porn
Softcore pornography or softcore porn, is commercial still photography or film that has a pornographic or erotic component but is less sexually graphic and intrusive than hardcore pornography, defined by a lack of visual sexual penetration. Softc ...
film ''
The Ribald Tales of Robin Hood'' (1969)
*
Frank Braña
Frank Braña (born Francisco Braña Pérez; 24 February 1934 – 13 February 2012) was a Spanish character actor.
Biography
He was born Francisco Braña Pérez in Pola de Allande, Asturias, Spain on 24 February 1934. Also credited as Frank Bla ...
in the Italian film ''Il Magnifico Robin Hood'' (1970)
*
Daniele Dublino
This is a list of male actors from Italy, which generally includes those who have resided in Italy or have largely appeared in Italian film productions. This list includes all actors from :Italian male actors.
Persons are listed alphabetical ...
in the Italian film ''L'Arciere di Sherwood'' (1970)
*
Peter Ustinov
Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...
provided the voice of ''Prince John'' in the Disney animated film ''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
'' (1973), in which the Regent of England is depicted as an
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology.
Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
and a cowardly, infantile, comical villain who sucks his thumb at the mention of his
mother
]
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...
and is repeatedly humiliated by Robin Hood (himself depicted as an anthropomorphic
fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
)
*
Ian Holm
Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020) was an English actor who was knighted in 1998 for his contributions to theatre and film. Beginning his career on the British stage as a standout member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, ...
in ''
Robin and Marian
''Robin and Marian'' is a 1976 British-American romantic adventure film from Columbia Pictures, shot in Panavision and Technicolor, that was directed by Richard Lester and written by James Goldman after the legend of Robin Hood. The film stars Sea ...
'' (1976)
*
Algimantas Masiulis
Algimantas Masiulis (July 10, 1931 Surdegis, Anykščiai District Municipality — August 19, 2008, Kaunas, Lithuania) was a Lithuanian film and theatre actor.
Biography
Masiulis appeared in his first play in the autumn of 1948, in '' Schoolgir ...
in the Russian film ''
The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe
''Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe'' (russian: Баллада о доблестном рыцаре Айвенго) is a 1983 Soviet adventure film, based on the 1819 novel ''Ivanhoe'' by Walter Scott. It reached the 9th place in Soviet box offi ...
'' (1983), an adaptation of ''Ivanhoe''
*
Edward Fox in ''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
'' (1991), with
Patrick Bergin
Patrick Connolly Bergin (born 4 February 1951) is an Irish actor and singer perhaps best known for his leading role opposite Julia Roberts in ''Sleeping with the Enemy'' (1991), the title character in Robin Hood (1991 film), terrorist Kevin O ...
as Robin
*
Richard Lewis Richard, Rich, Richie, Rick, Ricky or Dick Lewis may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Richard Field Lewis Jr. (1907–1957), American radio network owner
* Dick "Rocko" Lewis (Richard Henry Lewis III, 1908–1966), American entertainer
* Rich ...
in
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began h ...
's parody ''
Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' (1994)
*
Oscar Isaac
Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is a Guatemalan-born American actor. Known for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Latino characters in Hollywood. He was named the best actor of his gener ...
in
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...
's ''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
'' (2010) as neither hero or villain but as a corrupt yet intelligent ruler who forms an alliance with Hood to defeat the French invaders.
*
Paul Giamatti
Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (; born June 6, 1967) is an American actor and film producer. He first garnered attention for his breakout role in '' Private Parts'' as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton, leading to supporting roles in ''Saving Private R ...
in
Jonathan English
Jonathan English is a British filmmaker who has written, directed, and produced several films.
He is known for ''Minotaur'' (2006), ''Ironclad'' (2011) and '' Ironclad: Battle for Blood'' (2014).
Career
English co-founded Mythic International E ...
's ''
Ironclad
An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...
'' (2011)
*
John Michael Higgins
John Michael Higgins (born February 12, 1963) is an American actor and comedian whose film credits include Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, the role of David Letterman in HBO's '' The Late Shift'', and a starring role in the American versio ...
provided the voice of John in the Warner Bros. animated film ''
Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse'' (2012)
Television
John has been portrayed on television by:
*
Donald Wolfit
Sir Donald Wolfit, KBE (born Donald Woolfitt; Harwood, Ronald"Wolfit, Sir Donald (1902–1968)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, January 2008; accessed 14 July 2009 20 April 1902 ...
in the ''
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
Sunday Night Theatre'' version of Shakespeare's ''King John'' (1952)
*
Donald Pleasence
Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...
in the British series ''
The Adventures of Robin Hood
''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de H ...
'' (1955–1960); John was also played in the series by Hubert Gregg and
Brian Haines
Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world.
It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meani ...
*
Andrew Keir
Andrew Keir (né Buggy, 3 April 19265 October 1997) was a Scottish actor who appeared in a number of films made by Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s. He was also active in television, and especially in the theatre, in a professional career t ...
in the British series ''
Ivanhoe
''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...
'' (1958)
*
John Crawford in "The Revenge of Robin Hood" episode of the American time travel series ''
The Time Tunnel
''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science fiction TV series written around a theme of time travel adventure starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction television series and ...
'' (1966)
*
John Scott John Scott may refer to:
Academics
* John Scott (1639–1695), English clergyman and devotional writer
* John Witherspoon Scott (1800–1892), American minister, college president, and father of First Lady Caroline Harrison
* John Work Scott (180 ...
(voice) In the Canadian children's animated series ''
Rocket Robin Hood
''Rocket Robin Hood'' is a Canadian animated television series, placing the characters and conflicts of the classic Robin Hood legend in a futuristic, outer space setting. It was produced by Krantz Films, Inc. and aired on CBC Television from 1966 ...
'' (1966–1969)
*
Roddy McDowall
Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 4 October 1998) was a British actor, photographer and film director. He began his acting career as a child in England, and then in the United States, in ''How Green Was My Valley'' (1 ...
in the American TV musical film ''The Legend of Robin Hood'' (1968) and the American TV film parody ''
The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood
''The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1984 American made-for-television comedy film directed by Ray Austin and starring George Segal, Morgan Fairchild, Roddy McDowall, Janet Suzman and Tom Baker. It is a parody of the Robin Hood story.
Pl ...
'' (1984)
*
Tim Preece
Tim Preece (born 5 August 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared on British television since the 1960s and also acted on stage.
Early life
Preece was born in Shrewsbury in Shropshire and was educated at the Priory Grammar School for Boys, S ...
in the BBC series ''
Ivanhoe
''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...
'' (1970)
*
David Dixon
David Dixon (born 28 October 1947) is an English actor and screenwriter. He was born at the Nightingale Maternity Home in Derby, near his father's shop in London Road, and brought up there before the family moved to Normanton in 1959.
Dixon's ...
in the BBC series ''
The Legend of Robin Hood The Legend of Robin Hood may refer to:
* ''The Legend of Robin Hood'' (1968 film), an NBC television musical
* ''The Legend of Robin Hood'' (album), a 2021 album by Chris de Burgh
* ''The Legend of Robin Hood'' (board game)
* ''The Legend of Ro ...
'' (1975)
*
Ron Rifkin
Ron Rifkin (born Saul M. Rifkin; October 31, 1939) is an American actor best known for his roles as Arvin Sloane on the spy drama ''Alias'', Saul Holden on the drama '' Brothers & Sisters'', and District Attorney Ellis Loew in ''L.A. Confidentia ...
in the American comedy series ''
When Things Were Rotten
''When Things Were Rotten'' is an American sitcom television series created in 1975 by Mel Brooks. It aired for half a season on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network. A parody of the Robin Hood legend, the series starred Dick Gautier (w ...
'' (1975), about Robin Hood
*
Paul Spurrier
Paul Spurrier (born 23 May 1967 Suffolk) is a British former child actor on stage, television, and film, and a screenwriter and film director. He appeared in more than thirty different roles, with credits including ''Anna Karenina'' and ''The Lost ...
(as a boy) and
John Duttine
John Arthur Duttine (born 15 March 1949) is an English actor noted for his roles on stage, films and television. He is well known for his role as Sgt George Miller in '' Heartbeat'' and also Bill Masen in the TV series ''The Day of the Triffid ...
(as an adult) in the BBC TV drama series ''
The Devil's Crown
''The Devil's Crown'' is a BBC television series which dramatised the reigns of three medieval Kings of England: Henry II and his sons Richard I and John. It is also known as ''La couronne du Diable'' in French.
The series was written by Jack ...
'' (1978), which dramatised his reign and those of his father and brother
*
Ronald Pickup
Ronald Alfred Pickup (7 June 1940 – 24 February 2021) was an English actor. He was active in television, film, and theatre, beginning with a 1964 appearance in ''Doctor Who''. Theatre critic Michael Billington described him as "a terrific sta ...
in the British TV film ''
Ivanhoe
''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...
'' (1982)
*
John Slade in the "An Arrow Pointing East" episode of the American time travel series ''
Voyagers!
''Voyagers!'' is an American science fiction television series about time travel that aired on NBC from October 3, 1982, to July 10, 1983, during the 1982–1983 season. The series starred Jon-Erik Hexum and Meeno Peluce.
Opening narration
Pl ...
'' (1982)
*
Gerald Flood
Gerald Robert Flood (21 April 1927 – 12 April 1989) was a British actor of stage and television.
Early life
Flood was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, but lived for most of his life in Farnham, Surrey, where he regularly appeared on stage at ...
in "
The King's Demons
''The King's Demons'' is the sixth and final serial of the 20th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was originally broadcast on BBC1 on 15 and 16 March 1983. This serial introduced Kamelion, voiced by Ge ...
" story of the BBC series ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' (1983), in which John was impersonated by the shape-shifting robot
Kamelion
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme ''Doctor Who'' and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels or shares adventures with the Doctor. In most ''Doctor Who'' stories, the primary companion acts ...
*
Phil Davis in the British series ''
Robin of Sherwood
''Robin of Sherwood'' is a British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. Created by Richard Carpenter, it was produced by HTV in association with Goldcrest, and ran from 28 April 1984 to 28 June 1986 on the ITV network. In the ...
'' (1984–1986)
*
Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter (21 October 1926 – 5 October 1984) was an English actor. He had a long career in the theatre but achieved his highest profile for his television comedy roles starring as Rupert Rigsby in the ITV series ''Rising Damp'' from ...
in the
BBC Shakespeare
The ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' is a series of British television adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and broadcast by BBC Television. Transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to ...
''The Life and Death of King John'' (1984)
*
Forbes Collins
Forbes Collins (born 29 July 1941) is a British actor.
He is best known for his role as King John in the popular comedy ''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men''. He also starred in the episode '' All About Scoring, Innit?'' in the drama, ''Minder'', p ...
in the BBC children's comedy series ''
Maid Marian and her Merry Men
''Maid Marian and her Merry Men'' is a British children's television series created and written by Tony Robinson and directed by David Bell. It began in 1989 on BBC1 and ran for four series, with the last episode shown in 1994. The show was a pa ...
'' (1989) plays John as a cowardly, overweight, dimwitted buffoon.
*
Michael Rudder
Michael Rudder (born June 14, 1950) is a Canadian film, television, theatre and voice actor. Rudder was injured in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Acting work
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Rudder was a Genie Award nominee in 1989 for Best ...
(voice) in the American animated children's series ''
Young Robin Hood
''Young Robin Hood'' is an animated series produced for television by Hanna-Barbera, CINAR and France Animation and aired in syndication from 1991 to 1992. It ran for two seasons as part of the Sunday-morning programming block, ''The Funtastic W ...
'' (1992)
*
Ian Falconer
Ian Woodward Falconer (born August 25, 1959) is an American author and illustrator of children's books, and a designer of sets and costumes for the theater. He has created 30 covers for ''The New Yorker'' as well as other publications. Falconer wro ...
in the TV film ''
Young Ivanhoe
''Young Ivanhoe'' is a 1995 romantic adventure TV movie based on the 1819 novel by Sir Walter Scott. It was directed by Ralph L. Thomas and starred Kristen Holden-Ried as Ivanhoe. Other starring actors were Stacy Keach, Margot Kidder, Nick Man ...
'' (1995)
*
Andrew Bicknell
Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...
in the American series ''
The New Adventures of Robin Hood
''The New Adventures of Robin Hood'' is an action adventure television series that premiered on January 13, 1997, on TNT. The show was based on the legend of Robin Hood, the English folk hero, and was filmed in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was produce ...
'' (1997–1998)
*
Ralph Brown
Ralph William John Brown (born 18 June 1957) is an English actor and writer, known for playing Danny the drug dealer in ''Withnail and I'', the security guard Aaron (a.k.a. "85") in ''Alien 3'', DJ Bob Silver in ''The Boat That Rocked'' aka ' ...
in the British series ''
Ivanhoe
''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...
'' (1997)
*
Cameron Rhodes
Cameron Rhodes (born 1 August 1967) is a New Zealand film and theatrical actor and director.
Life and career
Rhodes graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1987 with a Diploma in Acting. He has appeared in various TV shows (in ...
in the British series ''
Dark Knight'' (2000), based on ''Ivanhoe''
*
Jonathan Hyde
Jonathan Stephen Geoffrey King (born 21 May 1948), known professionally as Jonathan "Nash" Hyde, is an Australian-English actor. Hyde is perhaps best known for roles as Herbert Arthur Runcible Cadbury in the 1994 comedy film '' Richie Rich'', Sa ...
in the American TV film ''
Princess of Thieves
''Princess of Thieves'' is a romantic adventure TV movie starring Keira Knightley, produced by Granada Productions in 2001 and first broadcast on ''The Wonderful World of Disney'' on ABC in the United States that same year. Co-starring in the ...
'' (2001), which depicts Prince John trying to seize the throne from the rightful heir,
Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...
, an illegitimate son of King Richard
*
Soma Marko (as a boy) and
Rafe Spall (as an adult) in the TV film adaptation of ''
The Lion in Winter
''The Lion in Winter'' is a 1966 play by James Goldman, depicting the personal and political conflicts of Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their children and their guests during Christmas 1183. It premiered on Broadway at the ...
'' (2003)
*
Toby Stephens
Toby Stephens (born 21 April 1969) is an English actor who has appeared in films in the UK, US and India. He is known for the roles of Bond villain Gustav Graves in the 2002 James Bond film ''Die Another Day'' (for which he was nominated for the ...
in the 2009 season of the BBC's ''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
'' series, playing John as a manipulative, insecure, spoilt brat who resents his elder brother and desires the throne of England whilst constantly demanding affirmation that he is loved by his people, despite his vindictive treatment of them.
*
Jim Howick
James "Jim" Howick (born 14 May 1979) is an English actor and writer, known for his appearances in television series such as ''Peep Show'', ''Horrible Histories'', ''Stag'', ''Ghosts'' and '' Here We Go''.
Early life
Howick was born in Chiches ...
and
Ben Miller
Bennet Evan Miller (born 24 February 1966) is an English actor, comedian, and author. He rose to fame as one half of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller. Miller is also known for playing the lead role of DI Richard Poole in the first two serie ...
in the historical sketch show ''Horrible Histories''.
Radio
John has been portrayed on radio by:
*
Robert Farquharson
Robert Donald William Farquharson (born 1969) is an Australian man convicted of murdering his three sons on 4 September 2005, by deliberately driving his car into a farm dam.
Farquharson was convicted in an earlier trial and was sentenced to ...
in a 1931 BBC Radio London performance of Shakespeare's ''The Life and Death of King John''.
*
Carleton Hobbs
Carleton Percy Hobbs, OBE (18 June 1898 – 31 July 1978) was an English actor with many film, radio and television appearances. He portrayed Sherlock Holmes in 80 radio adaptations in a series of Sherlock Holmes radio dramas (1952–1969), ...
in a 1944 BBC Radio broadcast of Shakespeare's ''The Life and Death of King John'' (with
Ralph Richardson
Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...
playing Philip Faulconbridge).
*
Robert Harris in a 1958 BBC Radio broadcast of Shakespeare's ''The Life and Death of King John''.
*
Robert Eddison
Robert Leadam Eddison, OBE (10 June 1908 – 14 December 1991) was an English actor, who despite his lengthy career as a classical stage actor, is probably most widely remembered in the role of the Grail Knight in ''Indiana Jones and the Last C ...
in a 1967 BBC Radio broadcast of Shakespeare's ''The Life and Death of King John''.
*Hadyn Jones in the 1971 play ''John, By the Grace of God'' by Lydia Ragosin, Haydn Jones and
Beatrix Lehmann
Beatrix Alice Lehmann (1 July 1903 – 31 July 1979) was a British actress, theatre director, writer and novelist.
Early life and family
Lehmann was born in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire. She came from a family of notable achievers: the third o ...
. This play depicts John as being secretly a pagan.
*
Jack Shepherd in a 1990 BBC Radio "modern-dress" adaption of Shakespeare's ''The Life and Death of King John''.
*
Neil Stuke
Neil Robert Stuke (born 22 February 1966 in Deal, Kent) is an English actor best known for his role of Matthew in the TV sitcom '' Game On'' and more recently for playing Billy Lamb in the BBC legal drama ''Silk''.
Career
Stuke played Matthew i ...
in
Mike Walker's
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
series ''
Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet () was a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. The family held the English throne from 1154 (with the accession of Henry II at the end of the Anarchy) to 1485, when Richard III died in batt ...
'' (2010).
Comics
King John was depicted in a 1955 ''
Classics Illustrated
''Classics Illustrated'' is an American comic book/magazine series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as ''Les Misérables'', ''Moby-Dick'', ''Hamlet'', and ''The Iliad''. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in 1 ...
'' adaption of Scott's ''Ivanhoe''.
[Jones, William B. ''Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, with Illustrations''. McFarland, 2002. (pgs. 49 , 163)]
References
{{King John
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
John, King of England
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...