John Robinson (11 November 1908 – 6 March 1979) was an English actor, who was particularly active in the

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

.Pixley, p. 18. Mostly cast in minor and supporting roles in

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

, he is best remembered for being the second actor to play the famous television science-fiction role of Professor Bernard Quatermass, in the 1955

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

serial ''

Quatermass II ''Quatermass II'' is a British science fiction serial, originally broadcast by BBC Television in the autumn of 1955. It is the second in the ''Quatermass'' series by writer Nigel Kneale, and the oldest of those serials to survive in its entire ...

''.

Biography

Robinson was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England. His first professional appearance came in his home city in 1929, at the

Liverpool Playhouse The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actress ...

. He appeared in a variety of stage productions in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

throughout the 1930s. These included ''Black Limelight'' by Gordon Sherry at the

Q Theatre The Q Theatre was a British theatre located near Kew Bridge in Brentford, west London, which operated between 1924 and 1958. It was built on the site of the former Kew Bridge Studios. The theatre, seating 490 in 25 rows with a central aisle, wa ...

in 1937, where his role as Peter Charrington was described by ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' newspaper's critic as "a skilful, reticent sketch". In 1939 he played

Fortinbras Fortinbras is either of two minor fictional characters from William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Hamlet''. The more notable is a Norwegian crown prince with a few brief scenes in the play, who delivers the final lines that represent a hopeful future ...

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...

's production of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', the final play to be performed at the Lyceum Theatre before its closure. He made his film debut in 1936 in ''

The Scarab Murder Case ''The Scarab Murder Case'' (1929) is a classic whodunit written by S. S. Van Dine. In this book, detective Philo Vance's murder investigation takes place in a private home that doubles as a museum of Egyptology, and the solution depends in part ...

'', and during the 1930s he also began appearing on

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

and in the newer medium of

. In 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 took part in the

D-Day landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

in 1944, as a member of the

Reconnaissance Corps The Reconnaissance Corps, or simply Recce Corps, was a corps of the British Army, formed during the Second World War whose units provided reconnaissance for infantry divisions. It was formed from infantry brigade reconnaissance groups on 14 Janu ...

. He returned to acting in 1949, as John Beresford in the TV production of ''

Elizabeth of Ladymead ''Elizabeth of Ladymead'' is a 1948 British Technicolor drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Hugh Williams, Isabel Jeans and Bernard Lee. It charts the life of a British family between 1854 and 1945 and their involveme ...

'', appearing in several films and increasingly on television again. One of his best film roles (with higher billing than usual) was as the villain with redeeming qualities in ''

Hammer the Toff ''Hammer the Toff'' is a 1952 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley and Patricia Dainton. The film was based on the 1947 novel of the same name by John Creasey, the 17th in the series featuring upper-class sle ...

'' (1952). In August 1955, the actor

Reginald Tate Reginald Tate (13 December 1896 – 23 August 1955) was an English actor, veteran of many roles on stage, in films and on television. He is remembered best as the first actor to play the television science-fiction character Professor Ber ...

died the month before he was due to start work on ''Quatermass II'', having played the part of the Professor in the first instalment of the series, ''

The Quatermass Experiment ''The Quatermass Experiment'' is a British science fiction serial broadcast by BBC Television during the summer of 1953 and re-staged by BBC Four in 2005. Set in the near future against the background of a British space programme, it tells th ...

''.Murray, p. 50. With only a short amount of time to cast a replacement, director

Rudolph Cartier Rudolph Cartier (born Rudolph Kacser, renamed himself in Germany to Rudolph Katscher; 17 April 1904 – 7 June 1994) was an Austrian television director, filmmaker, screenwriter and producer who worked predominantly in British television, exc ...

offered Robinson the role, as the only suitable actor available. Robinson had some difficulty with the technical dialogue he was required to learn, and was also uneasy about taking over a role that had been established by Tate. Robinson was not available to reprise the part for the third serial, ''

Quatermass and the Pit ''Quatermass and the Pit'' is a British television science-fiction serial transmitted live by BBC Television in December 1958 and January 1959. It was the third and last of the BBC's ''Quatermass'' serials, although the chief character, Profe ...

'', in 1958, and

André Morell Cecil André Mesritz (20 August 1909 – 28 November 1978), known professionally as André Morell, was an English actor. He appeared frequently in theatre, film and on television from the 1930s to the 1970s. His best known screen roles were as ...

took over the role.Murray, p. 67. In the 1960s Robinson starred in another science-fiction series, '' R3'', which had some similarities to ''Quatermass''. Robinson compiled 56 film and television credits. His film appearances were usually minor parts, including uncredited roles in ''

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–191 ...

'' and '' The Longest Day'' (both 1962). Notable television appearances include starring roles on '' The Broken Horseshoe'' (1952) and '' The Small House at Allington'' (1960) and two guest appearances on ''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

'' opposite

Roger Moore Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the third actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in seven feature films between 19 ...

. He was also a regular performer on both the BBC's ''

Sunday Night Theatre ''Sunday Night Theatre'' was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, pa ...

'' from 1951-1959, and

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

's ''

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Canadi ...

'' from 1956-1965. His final screen role was in the television series ''

Fall of Eagles ''Fall of Eagles'' is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series was created by John Elliot and produced by Stuart Burge. The series portrays historical events from 1848 to 1918, dealing with the ruling dynasties of ...

'' in 1974. He died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in London in March 1979, aged 70.

Partial filmography

* ''

The Heirloom Mystery ''The Heirloom Mystery'' is a 1936 British drama film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Edward Rigby, Mary Glynne and Gus McNaughton. After being secretly commissioned by a man to create a replica piece of furniture so he can sell the valu ...

'' (1936) - Dick Marriott * ''

'' (1936) (lost) - Donald Scarlett * '' Farewell to Cinderella'' (1937) - Stephen Moreley * ''

All That Glitters All That Glitters or All That Glisters may refer to: * '' All that glitters is not gold'', a well-known saying Literature * ''All That Glitters'' (novel), by V. C. Andrews * ''All That Glitters'', a novel by Michael Anthony * ''All That Glitte ...

'' (1936) - Taylor * ''

Q Planes ''Q Planes'' (known as ''Clouds Over Europe'' in the United States) is a 1939 British comedy spy film starring Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier and Valerie Hobson. Olivier and Richardson were a decade into their fifty-year friendship and were ...

'' (1939) - Pilot (uncredited) * ''

The Lion Has Wings ''The Lion Has Wings'' is a 1939 British, black-and-white, documentary-style, propaganda war film that was directed by Adrian Brunel, Brian Desmond Hurst, Alexander Korda and Michael Powell. The film was produced by London Film Productions and ...

'' (1939) - Unnamed Character * ''

Under Your Hat ''Under Your Hat'' is a 1940 British musical comedy spy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge and Austin Trevor. Production The film was an independent production made at Isleworth Studios. It was based on a ...

'' (1940) - Performer * ''

Uneasy Terms ''Uneasy Terms'' is a 1948 British crime thriller film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Michael Rennie, Moira Lister and Faith Brook. It is based on the 1946 novel of the same name by Peter Cheyney. Premise Slim Callaghan is a private ey ...

'' (1948) - Brighton Detective Inspector * ''

The Story of Shirley Yorke ''The Story of Shirley Yorke'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Derek Farr, Dinah Sheridan and Margaretta Scott. The film was based on the play '' The Case of Lady Camber'' by Horace Annesley Vachell. It w ...

'' (1948) - Dr. Bruce Napier * ''

'' (1952) - Linnett * ''

Emergency Call Most public switched telephone networks have a single emergency telephone number (sometimes known as the universal emergency telephone number or the emergency services number) that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assista ...

'' (1952) - Dr. Braithwaite * ''

Ghost Ship A ghost ship, also known as a phantom ship, is a ship, vessel with no living crew aboard; it may be a fictional ghostly vessel, such as the ''Flying Dutchman'', or a physical Flotsam, jetsam, lagan and derelict, derelict found adrift with its cre ...

'' (1952) - Prof. Mansel Martineau * '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1953) - Small Role (uncredited) * ''

The Constant Husband ''The Constant Husband'' is a 1955 British comedy film, directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Rex Harrison, Margaret Leighton, Kay Kendall, Cecil Parker, George Cole and Raymond Huntley. The story was written by Gilliat together with Val ...

'' (1955) - Secretary * ''

Fortune Is a Woman ''Fortune Is a Woman'' is a 1957 black and white British-American film noir crime film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Jack Hawkins and Arlene Dahl. Its plot concerns an attempted insurance fraud that goes badly wrong. In the United Stat ...

'' (1957) - Berkeley Reckitt * ''

The Safecracker ''The Safecracker'' is a 1958 British crime film noir directed by Ray Milland and starring Milland, Barry Jones and Victor Maddern. Plot Colley Dawson lives a quiet life at home with his mother, but he is an expert safecracker at weekends, b ...

'' (1958) - Assistant Chief of Staff * '' The Doctor's Dilemma'' (1958) - Sir Colenso Ridgeon * '' And the Same to You'' (1960) - Archdeacon Humphrey Pomphret * '' The Longest Day'' (1962) - Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay (uncredited) * ''

'' (1962) - Infantry General at Field Briefing (uncredited) * '' Nothing But the Night'' (1973) - Lord Fawnlee

References

Sources

* *

External links

*
John Robinson's Aveleyman page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, John 1908 births 1979 deaths Male actors from Liverpool English male stage actors English male film actors English male television actors 20th-century English male actors British Army personnel of World War II Reconnaissance Corps officers Deaths from cancer in England Military personnel from Liverpool