John Alderton
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - John Alderton
OR:
John Alderton on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

John Alderton (born 27 November 1940) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', ''
Thomas & Sarah ''Thomas & Sarah'' is a British drama series that aired on ITV in 1979. A spin-off from the BAFTA Award-winning series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', it stars John Alderton and Pauline Collins reprising their ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' roles. Back ...
'', ''
Wodehouse Playhouse ''Wodehouse Playhouse'' is a British television comedy series based on the short stories of P. G. Wodehouse. From 1974 to 1978, a pilot and three series were made, with 21 half-hour episodes altogether in the entire series. The series has been ...
'', ''
Little Miss "Little Miss" is a song written and recorded by the American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in November 2010 as the second single from the album '' The Incredible Machine''. Before the album's release, the song charted on the ''B ...
'' (original television series), ''
Please Sir! ''Please Sir!'' is a British television sitcom created by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and featuring actors John Alderton, Deryck Guyler, Penny Spencer, Joan Sanderson, Noel Howlett, Erik Chitty and Richard Davies. Produced by London Week ...
'', ''
No, Honestly ''No, Honestly'' is a British television sitcom that starred real-life married couple John Alderton and Pauline Collins as Charles ("C.D.") Danbee and Claira Burrell. It depicted their meeting and courtship up to their first wedding anniversar ...
'' and ''
Fireman Sam ''Fireman Sam'' (Welsh: ') is a Welsh animated children's television series about a fireman named Sam, his fellow firefighters, and other residents in the fictional Welsh rural village of Pontypandy (a portmanteau of two real towns, Pontypridd ...
'' (the original series). Alderton has often starred alongside his wife,
Pauline Collins Pauline Collins (born 3 September 1940) is a British actress who first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973) and its spin-off, ''Thomas & Sarah'' (1979). In 1992, she published her autobiography, ...
.


Early life

Alderton was born on 27 November 1940 in
Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
,
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
, the son of Ivy (née Handley) and Gordon John Alderton.John Alderton Biography (1940–)
/ref> He grew up in Hull where he attended Kingston High School.


Career

Alderton first became familiar to television viewers in 1962, when he played Dr Moone in the ITV soap opera, ''
Emergency – Ward 10 ''Emergency Ward 10'' is a British medical soap opera series shown on ITV between 1957 and 1967. Like ''The Grove Family'', a series shown by the BBC between 1954 and 1957, ''Emergency Ward 10'' is considered to be one of British television's fi ...
''. After an uncredited role in ''
Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
'' (1963), and appearing in British films such as '' The System'' (1964), '' Assignment K'' (1968), '' Duffy'' (1968) and '' Hannibal Brooks'' (1969), he played the lead in the comedy series ''
Please Sir! ''Please Sir!'' is a British television sitcom created by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and featuring actors John Alderton, Deryck Guyler, Penny Spencer, Joan Sanderson, Noel Howlett, Erik Chitty and Richard Davies. Produced by London Week ...
'', as hapless teacher Mr Hedges, which later resulted in him also playing the character in the 1971 feature film of the same name. He was cast by Richard Lester in the title role of a film version of ''Flashman'' but the project was abandoned. In 1972, he appeared with
Hannah Gordon Hannah Campbell Grant Gordon
Film reference website (born 9 April 1941) is a Scottish actress and presenter ...
in the
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 exam. ...
...
comedy series ''
My Wife Next Door ''My Wife Next Door'' is a British sitcom created by Brian Clemens and written by Richard Waring. It was shown on BBC1 in 1972, and ran for 13 episodes. The programme is about a couple, George Basset (John Alderton) and Suzie Basset ( Hannah G ...
'' which ran for 13 episodes, and for which he won a
Jacob's Award The Jacob's Awards were instituted in December 1962 as the first Irish television awards. Later, they were expanded to include radio. The awards were named after their sponsor, W. & R. Jacob & Co. Ltd., a biscuit manufacturer, and recipients ...
in 1975. He then transferred to another top-rated ITV series when he played
Thomas Watkins Thomas David Watkins ( – ?) is a fictional character in the ITV (TV network), ITV drama ''Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), Upstairs, Downstairs'' and its spin-off ''Thomas & Sarah''. He was portrayed by John Alderton. Greenwich Tho ...
, the chauffeur, in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', opposite his wife,
Pauline Collins Pauline Collins (born 3 September 1940) is a British actress who first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973) and its spin-off, ''Thomas & Sarah'' (1979). In 1992, she published her autobiography, ...
. They had a daughter (the actress Kate Alderton) and two sons and also acted together in spin-off series, ''
Thomas & Sarah ''Thomas & Sarah'' is a British drama series that aired on ITV in 1979. A spin-off from the BAFTA Award-winning series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', it stars John Alderton and Pauline Collins reprising their ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' roles. Back ...
'', and another sitcom, ''
No, Honestly ''No, Honestly'' is a British television sitcom that starred real-life married couple John Alderton and Pauline Collins as Charles ("C.D.") Danbee and Claira Burrell. It depicted their meeting and courtship up to their first wedding anniversar ...
'', as well as in ''
Wodehouse Playhouse ''Wodehouse Playhouse'' is a British television comedy series based on the short stories of P. G. Wodehouse. From 1974 to 1978, a pilot and three series were made, with 21 half-hour episodes altogether in the entire series. The series has been ...
'' (1975–78), a series that featured adaptations of short stories by
P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...
(primarily the '' Mr. Mulliner'' stories.) In the meantime, he appeared on the big screen against-type as 'Friend' in
John Boorman Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, best known for feature films such as ''Point Blank'' (1967), ''Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), ''Zardoz'' (1974), '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'' (1977), ...
's cult sci-fi film ''
Zardoz ''Zardoz'' is a 1974 science fantasy film written, produced, and directed by John Boorman and starring Sean Connery and Charlotte Rampling. It depicts a post-apocalyptic world (which Boorman says, in the audio commentary, may or may not be mat ...
'' (1974), before returning to more familiar territory, as 1930s
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
vet
James Herriot James Alfred Wight (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author. Born in Sunderland, Wight graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939, returning to Engl ...
in the 1976 film, ''
It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet ''It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet'' (in the United States also known as ''All Things Bright and Beautiful''), is a 1976 sequel to the 1975 film '' All Creatures Great and Small''. Although having the same title as James Herriot's second novel, the ...
''. He was a subject of the television programme '' This Is Your Life'' in 1974 when he was surprised by
Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...
.


Stage roles

He graduated from the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...
in 1961 and appeared in their production of The Doctor and The Devils by
Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...
. He made his first stage appearance with the repertory company of the Theatre Royal, York in August 1961, in ''Badger's Green'' by R.C. Sherriff. After a period in repertory, he made his first London appearance at the
Mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
, November 1965, as Harold Crompton in '' Spring and Port Wine'', later transferring with the production to the
Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
. At the
Aldwych Aldwych (pronounced ) is a street and the name of the List of areas of London, area immediately surrounding it in central London, England, within the City of Westminster. The street starts Points of the compass, east-northeast of Charing Cros ...
. In March 1969, he played Eric Hoyden in the RSC's production of ''Dutch Uncle''. At the
Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,
, July 1969, he played Jimmy Cooper in ''The Night I Chased the Women with an Eel''. At the Howff, October 1973, he played Stanley in ''Punch and Judy Stories'', and played the same part in "Judies" at the Comedy, January 1974. At the Shaw, January 1975, he played Stanley in Pinter's '' The Birthday Party''. At the Apollo, May 1976, he played four parts in Ayckbourn's '' Confusions''. During the 1980s and 1990s, Alderton had few roles. He narrated
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
's children's original animated series ''
Little Miss "Little Miss" is a song written and recorded by the American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in November 2010 as the second single from the album '' The Incredible Machine''. Before the album's release, the song charted on the ''B ...
'' in 1983 (with his wife
Pauline Collins Pauline Collins (born 3 September 1940) is a British actress who first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973) and its spin-off, ''Thomas & Sarah'' (1979). In 1992, she published her autobiography, ...
) and, from 1987 to 1994, narrated and voiced all the characters in the original series of ''
Fireman Sam ''Fireman Sam'' (Welsh: ') is a Welsh animated children's television series about a fireman named Sam, his fellow firefighters, and other residents in the fictional Welsh rural village of Pontypandy (a portmanteau of two real towns, Pontypridd ...
''. In 1988, he starred as Surgeon Robert Sandy in '' Tales of the Unexpected'', in the episode
The Surgeon ''The Surgeon'' is a 2005 Australian television medical drama. It screened at 9:30pm on Thursdays on Network Ten and in Ireland early morning on RTÉ One. The show was based at a fictional hospital named Sydney General Hospital. The first s ...
, and from 1989 to 1992 he starred in the series ''
Forever Green ''Forever Green'' is a television programme originally broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom from 26 February 1989 to 24 May 1992. It was made for London Weekend Television by Picture Partnership Productions, now named Carnival Films. Cast *P ...
'' as the character Jack Boult. he also appeared in the film ''
Clockwork Mice ''Clockwork Mice'' is a 1995 British drama film directed by Vadim Jean and starring Ian Hart, Catherine Russell and James Bolam. The film score was composed by David Hughes and John Murphy. Plot A teacher manages to bond with a special needs ...
'' in 1995. Alderton played opposite his wife Pauline in '' Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War'' in 2002 and made something of a comeback in the 2003 film, ''
Calendar Girls ''Calendar Girls'' is a 2003 British comedy film directed by Nigel Cole. Produced by Touchstone Pictures, it features a screenplay by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi, based on a true story of a group of middle-aged Yorkshire women who produ ...
''. Then, in 2004 he played a role in the BBC series of
Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope (; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'', which revolves ar ...
's ''
He Knew He Was Right ''He Knew He Was Right'' is an 1869 novel written by Anthony Trollope which describes the failure of a marriage caused by the unreasonable jealousy of a husband exacerbated by the stubbornness of a wilful wife. As is common with Trollope's work ...
''. Also in 2004, Alderton starred in the first series of ITV 1's ''
Doc Martin ''Doc Martin'' is a British medical comedy drama television series starring Martin Clunes as Doctor Martin Ellingham. It was created by Dominic Minghella after the character of Dr Martin Bamford in the 2000 comedy film '' Saving Grace''. The ...
'' in an episode entitled "Of All The Harbours in All The Towns" as sailor John Slater, a friend and former lover of Aunt Joan. He played Christopher Casby in the 2008 BBC adaptation of
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
' ''
Little Dorrit ''Little Dorrit'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea prison for debtors in London. Arthur Cl ...
''.


Personal life

Alderton married actress Jill Browne in 1964, but they divorced. In 1969, he married actress
Pauline Collins Pauline Collins (born 3 September 1940) is a British actress who first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973) and its spin-off, ''Thomas & Sarah'' (1979). In 1992, she published her autobiography, ...
and they have three children, a daughter (Kate, who is also an actress.) and two sons.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

*
John Alderton
(Aveleyman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Alderton, John 1940 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors Jacob's Award winners Living people People from Gainsborough, Lincolnshire