John Lovell Horsley (21 July 1920 – 12 January 2014) was a British actor.
He was born in
Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea (often abbreviated to Westcliff) is an inner city area of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is on the north shore of the lower Thames Estuary, about 34 m ...
,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, England. The son of a doctor, he made his acting debut at the Theatre Royal in
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
. After appearing in repertory theatres he was called up for military service in the
Royal Devon Yeomanry
The Royal Devon Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1920. It participated in the Second World War and now forms a squadron of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry.
History Formation
Following the experience of the First World W ...
, in which he served in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. He then contracted
hepatitis
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pa ...
and become a member of an Army drama company that toured military units.
Horsley's early career as a professional career saw him playing a succession of doctors and policemen, including a doctor in the film ''
Hell Drivers'' (1957) and a policeman in the television show ''
Big Breadwinner Hog'' (1969). He was more prolific in television from the 1960s, and played character roles in many series and programmes including ''
The Lotus Eaters'' (1972–73) and ''
The Duchess of Duke Street
''The Duchess of Duke Street'' is a BBC television drama series set in London between the late 1800s and 1925. It was created by John Hawkesworth (producer), John Hawkesworth, previously the producer of the ITV (TV network), ITV period drama ' ...
'' (1976–77). He is perhaps best known for his role as Doc Morrissey 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. ...
...
'' in 1996. He also starred in the 1980s comedy series ''
''. He played Sir Ralph Shawcross in the BBC sitcom ''
'' (1984). He appeared as Professor Wanstead in ''
'', in 1995.