John Warren (1916–1977) was the stage and pen name of a British screenwriter and support actor. Specialising in comedy writing, he worked with several figures at the forefront of British comedy, such as

Tommy Cooper Thomas Frederick Cooper (19 March 1921 – 15 April 1984) was a Welsh prop comedian and magician. As an entertainer, his appearance was large and lumbering at , and he habitually wore a red fez when performing. He served in the British Army ...

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

, Dick Emery and

Mike and Bernie Winters Mike and Bernie Winters were an English comedy double act, consisting of brothers Mike Winters, born Michael Weinstein (15 November 1926 – 24 August 2013) and Bernie Winters, born Bernard Weinstein (6 September 1930 – 4 May 1991). The act ...

. He had several screenwriting projects with film director Val Guest whom he first encountered as an actor in 1948.

Life

He was born John (Jack) Warner in England on 13 November 1916. In the Second World War he served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

. Following discharge he pursued a career in films but only served in minor roles. He did however make many contacts and moved into scriptwriting in the late 50s, having considerably more success in this field. He died on 9 February 1977 in

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable a ...

Film Scripts

* Up The Creek (1958) *

Further Up the Creek ''Further Up the Creek'' is a 1958 British comedy film written and directed by Val Guest and starring David Tomlinson, Frankie Howerd, Shirley Eaton, Thora Hird, Desmond Llewelyn and Lionel Jeffries. It served as a follow up to '' Up the ...

(1959) * Two-Way Stretch (1960) * Life is a Circus (1960) * Operation Snatch (1962) * The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963) * Rotten to the Core (1965) * Ooh… You Are Awful (1972)

TV Show Scripts

Dave's Kingdom Daves Markets, Inc. (usually referred to as "Dave's") is a family-owned and operated regional supermarket chain in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. It currently has 13 locations. History Dave's was founded in 1930 by Alex Saltzman, who opened a small pro ...

(1964) *

Fire Crackers ''Fire Crackers'' is a British television sitcom that aired from 29 August 1964 to 20 February 1965. Two series were produced, for a total of 13 episodes. The series was produced by Associated Television (ATV), and aired on ITV ITV or iTV may refe ...

(two episodes, 1965) * Cooperama (1966) a showcase for

*Mike and Bernie's Show (1966) comedy showcase for

*Life With Cooper (1966–1968) long-running showcase for

*The Stanley Baxter Show (one episode 1968) long-running showcase for

Stanley Baxter Stanley Livingstone Baxter (born 24 May 1926) is a Scottish actor, comedian, impressionist and author. Baxter began his career as a child actor on BBC Scotland and later became known for his British television comedy shows '' The Stanley Baxte ...

* As Good Cooks Go (seven episodes, 1969–70) *Bernie (1878–1980) a series centred upon

Bernie Winters Bernie Winters (born Bernie Weinstein; 6 September 1930 – 4 May 1991), was an English comedian, actor, musician & TV presenter, and the comic foil of the double act Mike and Bernie Winters with his older brother, Mike. Winters later perfor ...

The Dick Emery Show ''The Dick Emery Show'' is a British sketch comedy show starring Dick Emery. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1963 to 1981. It was directed and produced by Harold Snoad. The show was broadcast over 19 series with 166 episodes. The show experien ...

multiple scripts from 1963 to 1977 *It's Lulu (one episode, 1973) long-running showcase for

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...

*The Dick Emery Christmas Show (1974) *

Dick Whittington Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal, City of London, was an English merchant and a politician of the late medieval period. He is also the real-life inspiration for the English folk tale ''Di ...

TV movie (1972) *Sacha's In Town (two episodes, 1972) showcase for

Sacha Distel Alexandre "Sacha" Distel (29 January 1933 – 22 July 2004) was a French singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor who had hits with a cover version of " Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" in 1970, which reached No 10 in the UK Charts, " Scoubidou ...

*A Christmas Night to Remember, annual show broadcast in UK on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

- 1963, 1970 and 1971 * From a Bird's Eye View (one episode, 1970)

Film Roles

A very frequent actor in support roles Warren was a well-known face but not a well-known name (and often went uncredited). His need to choose a new name stemmed from the pre-existence of the actor Jack Warner who was operating out of the same studios. * When the Bough Breaks (1947) guest at party (uncredited) *

The Mark of Cain The curse of Cain and the mark of Cain are phrases that originated in the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis. In the stories, if someone harmed Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physical ...

(1947) as Mr Wilkins (uncredited) * One Night With You (1948) as ticket collector *

My Brother's Keeper "Am I my brother's keeper?" is a saying from the Bible. It comes from the story of Cain and Abel. After Cain murdered his brother Abel, God asked him where his brother was, and Cain answered: "I know not; am I my brother's keeper?" This quote enter ...

(1948) as motorist at Nora's Garage (uncredited) * Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill (1948) as chauffeur * William Comes to Town (1948) as circus official * Warning to Wantons (1949) (uncredited) * It's Not Cricket (1949) as orderly * Marry Me! (1949) as newspaper reporter (uncredited) * Up for the Cup (1950) as Cartwright * Traveller's Joy (1950) as embassy manager (uncredited) * Seven Days to Noon (1950) (uncredited) * Shadow of the Past (1950) as furniture man *

The Reluctant Widow ''The Reluctant Widow'' is a 1946 Regency romance Regency romances are a subgenre of romance novels set during the period of the British Regency (1811–1820) or early 19th century. Rather than simply being versions of contemporary romance sto ...

(1950) *

The Astonished Heart ''The Astonished Heart'', described by the author as "a tragedy in six scenes", is a short play by Noël Coward, one of ten that make up '' Tonight at 8.30'', a cycle written to be performed across three evenings. One-act plays were unfashionab ...

(1950) as barman * Boys in Brown (1949) signalman (uncredited) * A Case of Poisoning (1949) as the butcher * Diamond City (1949) as the town crier * The Franchise Affair (1951) as Charlie the pub landlord *

Laughter in Paradise ''Laughter in Paradise'' is a 1951 British comedy film, starring Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, George Cole, and Guy Middleton. The film was remade as '' Some Will, Some Won't'' (1970). Plot In his will, notorious practical joker Henry Russell l ...

(1951) as card player (uncredited) * A Case for PC 49 (1951) as Coffee Dan *

High Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

(1951) as barman (uncredited) *

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pr ...

(1951) as ship's officer in "Winter's Cruise" section * Mr. Denning Drives North (1951) as Mr Ash *

Stolen Face ''Stolen Face'' is a 1952 British film noir directed by Terence Fisher and starring Paul Henreid, Lizabeth Scott and André Morell. It was made at Riverside Studios by Hammer Film Productions. Plot Dr. Philip Ritter, a plastic surgeon (Paul He ...

(1952) as railway guard * Gift Horse (1952) as man in crowd (uncredited) * The Lost Hours (1952) as man with dog * Made in Heaven (1952) as Keeper of the Wheel (uncredited) * The Net (1953) as Ted (uncredited) * Top of the Form (1953) as bookie (uncredited) * Glad Tidings (1953) as barman *

Personal Affair ''Personal Affair'' is a 1953 British drama film directed by Anthony Pelissier and starring Gene Tierney, Leo Genn and Glynis Johns.''Monthly Film Bulletin'' review; 1953, page 160. It was made at Pinewood Studios by Two Cities Films. Pl ...

(1953) as man in news room (uncredited) * Meet Mr. Lucifer (1953) as man with hammer (uncredited) * 36 Hours (1953) as clerk (uncredited) * Trouble in Store (1953) as Master of Ceremonies (uncredited) *

Stryker of the Yard ''Stryker of the Yard'' (also known as ''Stryker of Scotland Yard'' and ''Scotland Yard Cases'' ) is a 1953 British crime film directed by Arthur Crabtree and starring Clifford Evans, Susan Stephen, Jack Watling and Eliot Makeham. A second c ...

(1953) *

Hell Below Zero ''Hell Below Zero'' is a 1954 British-American adventure film directed by Mark Robson and starring Alan Ladd, Joan Tetzel, Basil Sydney and Stanley Baker. It was written by Alec Coppel and Max Trell based on the 1949 novel ''The White South'' by ...

(1954) as hotel receptionist * Fast and Loose (1954) as chauffeur * Up to His Neck (1954) as Collins * To Dorothy a Son (1954) as waiter (uncredited) * Police Dog (1955) as Clerk of Works * Passage Home (1955) as Cook * One Good Turn (1955) as ticket collector (with Norman Wisdom) *

Bride of the Monster ''Bride of the Monster'' is a 1955 American Science fiction film, science fiction horror film, co-written, produced and directed by Ed Wood, Edward D. Wood Jr., and starring Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson with a supporting cast featuring Tony McCoy ...

(1955) as Jake * The Woman for Joe (1955) as workman in pub (uncredited) * Secret Venture (1955) as bargee (uncredited) * Portrait of Alison (1955) as postman (uncredited) * Private's Progress as Sgt Major Gradwick * Jumping for Joy (1956) as commentator at racetrack (uncredited) * The Feminine Touch (1956) (uncredited) *

The Iron Petticoat ''The Iron Petticoat'' (aka ''Not for Money'') is a 1956 British Cold War comedy film starring Bob Hope and Katharine Hepburn, and directed by Ralph Thomas. The screenplay by Ben Hecht became the focus of a contentious history behind the pro ...

(1956) as airport official (uncredited) *

Eyewitness Eyewitness or eye witness may refer to: Witness * Witness, someone who has knowledge acquired through first-hand experience ** Eyewitness memory ** Eyewitness testimony Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Eyewitness'' (1956 film), a Britis ...

(1956) as Joe the barman at

British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...

(uncredited) * The Last Man to Hang (1956) as passport official (uncredited) * The Battle of the River Plate (1956) as chief signalman on

HMS Exeter Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Exeter'' after the city of Exeter in Devon. * was a 70-gun third rate launched in 1680. She was damaged in an explosion in 1691 and was hulked. She was broken up in 1717. * was a 60-gun fourth ra ...

(uncredited) * Brothers in Law (1957) as Mr Venner * A Night To Remember (1958) as crewman on Titanic (uncredited) * Up the Creek (1958) as Cooky *

(1959) as Cooky * Free Love Confidential (1970)

TV roles

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th ...

(1949 TV movie) as Stingo and Jeremy *

(1961) *

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

(1967) as Sikorski

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warren, John 1916 births 1977 deaths British actors British male screenwriters 20th-century British screenwriters Royal Navy personnel of World War II