Colin Jeavons
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Colin Abel Jeavons (born 20 October 1929) is a retired British television actor.


Career

Jeavons' earliest television role was as Jules Neraud in an episode of the 1956 anthology series of teleplays ''Nom-de-Plume''. Broadcast live, it is unknown if any recordings of the production exist. He began an association with Dickens productions on
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Television in 1959 with ''
Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and ...
'' as Richard Carstone, and '' Great Expectations'' (for the first time) as Herbert Pocket. The same year he played Prince Hal/Henry V in the BBC's ''The Life and Death of Sir John Falstaff''. In 1963 he played the extremely reluctant hero Vadassy forced into espionage in '' Epitaph for a Spy'' for BBC Television. Jeavons portrayed Uriah Heep in the BBC's ''
David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...
'' (1966). Only one episode featuring him (episode 11, "Umble Aspirations") is known to exist. He appeared in a host of 1960s and 1970s TV programmes including '' Doctor Who'' (in "
The Underwater Menace ''The Underwater Menace'' is the half-missing fifth serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 14 January to 4 February 1967. In this seri ...
"), ''
Adam Adamant Lives! ''Adam Adamant Lives!'' is a British adventure television series that ran from 1966 to 1967 on BBC 1, starring Gerald Harper in the title role. The series was created and produced by several alumni from ''Doctor Who''. Proposing that an adventur ...
'' as a murderous fashion designer, as the undertaker Shadrack in '' Billy Liar'' (1973), as businessman Leonard Gold in '' The Sweeney'' (in the 1978 episode "The Bigger They Are"), as shop owner Ellery in '' Shoestring'' in the episode "Where Was I?" (1980) and '' The Avengers'' (in " A Touch of Brimstone" and " The Winged Avenger"). Pete Stampede and Alan Hayes wrote of Jeavons in the latter series as "one of those under-rated, ever-present supporting actors who ''never'' turn in a bad performance." On children's TV, he hosted '' Play School'' for a time, and read "The Black Vicar" on '' Jackanory''. He also appeared in the 1981 Doctor Who spin-off ''
K-9 and Company ''K-9 and Company'' is a one-episode television pilot, for a proposed 1981 television spin-off of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It features former series regulars Sarah Jane Smith, an investigative journalist ...
'', and he narrated two BBC children's animated series, namely ''
Barnaby Barnaby is an Old English surname composed of the Saxon element ''beorn'' 'young warrior' and the Danish suffix ''by'' meaning 'settlement'. As a given name, it means "son of consolation" and is etymologically linked with the New Testament name Bar ...
'' and ''Joe''. He appeared in the '' Play For Today'' production of David Edgar's play about British neo-Nazis, ''Destiny'' (1978). The same year he played the part of Mr Johnson, a schoolteacher, in
Peter McDougall Peter McDougall (born 1947, Greenock, Scotland) is a Scottish television playwright whose major success was in the 1970s. McDougall claims to have had very little schooling and to rarely read books, He began his working life at the age of fourte ...
's BBC supernatural drama ''Tarry-Dan Tarry-Dan Scarey Old Spooky Man''. He appeared as Samson Brass in another BBC Dickens production, ''
The Old Curiosity Shop ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' is one of two novels (the other being ''Barnaby Rudge'') which Charles Dickens published along with short stories in his weekly serial ''Master Humphrey's Clock'', from 1840 to 1841. It was so popular that New York r ...
'' (1979), and in another version of '' Great Expectations'' (1981), this time as Wemmick. The same year he played a recurring UFO-obsessed character in the sci-fi comedy ''
Kinvig ''Kinvig'' is a 1981 sci-fi comedy television series made by London Weekend Television which ran for one series of seven episodes. It was the only sit-com written by Nigel Kneale who was more famous for creating serious science fiction dramas su ...
''. His most critically acclaimed role during this period was as the neglected and abused child, Donald, in
Dennis Potter Dennis Christopher George Potter (17 May 1935 – 7 June 1994) was an English television dramatist, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his BBC television serials '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Singing Detective'' (198 ...
's '' Blue Remembered Hills'' (1979). In the 1980s, he was involved with two dramatisations of Sherlock Holmes stories. He played "with chilling authority" in the words of writer
David Stuart Davies David Stuart Davies (born 1946) is a British writer. He worked as a teacher of English before becoming a full-time editor, writer, and playwright. Davies has written extensively about Sherlock Holmes, both fiction and non-fiction. He is the edi ...
, Professor Moriarty in ''
The Baker Street Boys ''The Baker Street Boys'' is a British television series made by the BBC and first shown in 1983. The series recounts the adventures of a gang of street urchins living in Victorian London who assist the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes in solv ...
'' (1982), and "with great panache"
Inspector Lestrade Detective Inspector G. Lestrade, or Mr. Lestrade ( or ), is a fictional character appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Lestrade's first appearance was in the first Sherlock Holmes story, the novel '' ...
in the Granada Television series ''
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of twelve short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, w ...
'' (featuring Jeremy Brett as Holmes). Producer Michael Cox of the Granada Television series stated frankly that they were given the best Lestrade of his generation. In the 1981 TV production of ''
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...
'', he portrayed Max Quordlepleen, an entertainer who hosts at Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. Jeavons was Briggs, the lawyer who halts the marriage between Jane and Rochester, in a BBC version of ''
Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...
'' (1983). In 1984, he played the existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard in the "Prometheus Unbound" episode of
Don Cupitt Don Cupitt (born 22 May 1934) is an English philosopher of religion and scholar of Christian theology. He has been an Anglican priest and a lecturer in the University of Cambridge, though is better known as a popular writer, broadcaster and comm ...
's '' Sea of Faith'' for BBC. The following year he played
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in '' Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil''. He played the solicitor Vholes in another BBC adaptation of ''
Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and ...
'' in 1985. In 1986 he was seen in ''
Paradise Postponed ''Paradise Postponed'' (1986) is a British 11-episode TV serial based on the 1985 novel by writer John Mortimer. The series covered a span of 30 years of postwar British history, set in a small village. Plot The series explores the mystery of ...
''. Jeavons featured in the 1990 television drama ''
House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structu ...
'' by
Michael Dobbs Michael John Dobbs, Baron Dobbs (born 14 November 1948) is a British Conservative politician and author, best known for his ''House of Cards'' trilogy. Early life and education Michael Dobbs was born on 14 November 1948 in Cheshunt, Hertfordsh ...
, as Tim Stamper, Tory Whip and ally of
Ian Richardson Ian William Richardson (7 April 19349 February 2007) was a Scottish actor. He portrayed the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's '' House of Cards'' (1990–1995) television trilogy. Richardson was also a leading S ...
's Francis Urquhart. The character returned - promoted initially to Chief Whip, then to Party Chairman - in the 1993 sequel, ''
To Play the King ''To Play the King'' is a 1993 BBC television serial and the second part of the '' House of Cards'' trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed, the serial was based on Michael Dobbs' 1993 novel of the same name and adapted for television by Andrew Davies. ...
''. Jeavons played Del Boy's lawyer, Solly Atwell, in ''
Only Fools And Horses ''Only Fools and Horses....'' is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas ...
''. He also played the role of
Genrikh Yagoda Genrikh Grigoryevich Yagoda ( rus, Ге́нрих Григо́рьевич Яго́да, Genrikh Grigor'yevich Yagoda, born Yenokh Gershevich Iyeguda; 7 November 1891 – 15 March 1938) was a Soviet secret police official who served as director ...
in the 1992 television film ''
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
''. Jeavons also appeared in many films over the years, often as priests or vicars. These included roles in ''
The Devil's Daffodil ''The Devil's Daffodil'' (also known as ''Daffodil Killer'' or german: Das Geheimnis der gelben Narzissen/ ''Secret of the Yellow Daffodils'') is a 1961 British-West German black-and-white crime film directed by Ákos Ráthonyi. The film was pro ...
'' (1961), ''
Frankenstein Created Woman ''Frankenstein Created Woman'' is a 1967 British Hammer horror film directed by Terence Fisher. It stars Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein and Susan Denberg as his new creation. It is the fourth film in Hammer's ''Frankenstein'' series. Where ...
'' (1967), ''
The Other People ''The Other People'' (also known as ''Sleep is Lovely'' and ''I Love You, I Hate You'') is a 1968 British film. The film appears to have never been released, and is considered a lost film. It was discovered at Paramount in 2017 and will be pres ...
'' (1968), '' The Oblong Box'' (1969), '' The Games'' (1970), ''
Bartleby "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story by the American writer Herman Melville, first serialized anonymously in two parts in the November and December 1853 issues of '' Putnam's Magazine'' and reprinted with minor tex ...
'' (1970), '' Diagnosis: Murder'' (1975), '' Schizo'' (1976), '' The Island'' (1980), ''
The French Lieutenant's Woman ''The French Lieutenant's Woman'' is a 1969 postmodern historical fiction novel by John Fowles. The plot explores the fraught relationship of gentleman and amateur naturalist Charles Smithson and Sarah Woodruff, the former governess and indep ...
'' (1981), '' Absolute Beginners'' (1986) and ''
Secret Friends ''Secret Friends'' is a 1991 British film written and directed by Dennis Potter and starring Alan Bates, Gina Bellman and Ian McNeice. It was based on Potter's novel ''Ticket to Ride (novel), Ticket to Ride''. The screenplay concerns a man whose ...
'' (1991). Jeavons retired from acting in 1993; his final role was a
reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repe ...
of Tim Stamper in ''
To Play the King ''To Play the King'' is a 1993 BBC television serial and the second part of the '' House of Cards'' trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed, the serial was based on Michael Dobbs' 1993 novel of the same name and adapted for television by Andrew Davies. ...
''.


Personal life

Jeavons' elder son Barney managed the British rock band
Reuben Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob. Variants include Rúben in European Portuguese; Rubens in Brazilian Portugue ...
, and in 2007 Jeavons emerged from retirement, heavily bearded, to appear as the enigmatic General in Reuben's Rock video "Blood, Bunny, Larkhall". In a behind-the-scenes short, Jeavons explained briefly some of the highlights of his acting career. Barney Jeavons is the former Arts Centre Director of the West End Centre in
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...
. Aldershot Civic Society Meeting with Barney Jeavons from the West End Centre - 25 October 2016
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References


Bibliography

* ''Starring Sherlock Holmes'', David Stuart Davies; Titan Books 2001


External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeavons, Colin 1929 births Living people English male television actors BBC television presenters People from Newport, Wales 20th-century English male actors Welsh actors