John Keith Patrick Allen (17 March 1927 – 28 July 2006) was a British actor and voice-over artist.

Life and career

Allen was born in Nyasaland (now Malawi), where his father was a tobacco farmer. After his parents returned to Britain, he was evacuated to Canada during the Second World War where he remained to finish his education at McGill University in Montreal. He gained experience as a local radio broadcaster and appeared on television in plays and documentaries, before returning to Britain. Returning to the UK in 1953, Allen made his film debut in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's '' Dial M for Murder'' (1954). He subsequently appeared in character roles in many films, including '' Captain Clegg'', ''

The Wild Geese ''The Wild Geese'' is a 1978 war film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, and Hardy Krüger. The screenplay concerns a group of mercenaries in Africa. It was the result of a long-held ambit ...

'', '' The Sea Wolves'', ''

Puppet on a Chain ''Puppet on a Chain'' is a novel by Scottish author Alistair MacLean. Originally published in 1969 with a cover by Norman Weaver, it is set in the late 1960s narcotics underworld of Amsterdam and other locations in the Netherlands. Plot intro ...

'', and ''

Who Dares Wins ''Who Dares Wins'' (Latin: ''Qui audet adipiscitur''; el, Ο Τολμών Νικά, ''O tolmón niká''; french: Qui ose gagne; it, Chi osa vince; Portuguese: ''Quem ousa vence''; German: ''Wer wagt, gewinnt'') is a motto made popular in the E ...

''. He was also the lead actor in the Associated Rediffusion adventure series '' Crane'' (1963–65) and in the BBC-1 series ''Brett'' (1971). Allen played Moriarty's deputy

Colonel Sebastian Moran Colonel Sebastian Moran is a fictional character in the stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. An enemy of Sherlock Holmes, he first appears in the 1903 short story "The Adventure of the Empty House". Holmes once described him as "the second most ...

in '' The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' and ''

The Return of Sherlock Holmes ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' is a 1905 collection of 13 Sherlock Holmes stories, originally published in 1903–1904, by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The stories were published in the '' Strand Magazine'' in Britain and ''Collier's'' i ...

''. He made regular appearances in ITC television series during the 1960s and early 1970s, including The Power Game, ''

The Baron Baron is a title of nobility. Baron, The Baron or Barons may also refer to: Places * Barons, Alberta, Canada * Baron, Gard, France * Baron, Gironde, France * Baron, Oise, France * Baron, Saône-et-Loire, France * Baron-sur-Odon, France * Bar ...

'', '' The Champions'', ''

The Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...

'', '' Gideon's Way'' and ''

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

'' (" Timelash" 1971), although he never had an ongoing role in any of these series. He made one episode of ''

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 ...

'' alongside

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 ...

in "The Man Who Could Not Die" broadcast July 1965 in the UK. Allen also worked with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

in a number of stage roles, along with many BBC productions, including appearing as

Mr Gradgrind Thomas Gradgrind is the notorious school board Superintendent in Dickens's 1854 novel '' Hard Times'' who is dedicated to the pursuit of profitable enterprise. His name is now used generically to refer to someone who is hard and only concerned with ...

in a television production of Dickens' ''

Hard Times Hard may refer to: * Hardness, resistance of physical materials to deformation or fracture * Hard water, water with high mineral content Arts and entertainment * ''Hard'' (TV series), a French TV series * Hard (band), a Hungarian hard rock supe ...

'' in 1977. In 1967 he and his wife Sarah Lawson appeared together playing a married couple in the science fiction film ''

Night of the Big Heat ''Night of the Big Heat'' is a science fiction novel written in 1959 by John Lymington. It tells the story of an unnamed British island that is experiencing a bizarre and stifling heatwave. Plot summary The main characters are a former novel ...

''. He and Lawson also played husband and wife in the BBC radio series ''Stand By For West'' based on the John Creasey novels about

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

Chief Inspector Roger West. Allen's distinctive, authoritative voice was familiar across the United Kingdom, even amongst those who did not recognize him as an actor. He dubbed Leon Greene, who played Rex, in the 1968

Hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as w ...

film ''

The Devil Rides Out ''The Devil Rides Out'' is a 1934 novel by Dennis Wheatley telling a disturbing story of black magic and the occult. The four main characters, the Duke de Richleau, Rex van Ryn, Simon Aron and Richard Eaton, appear in a series of novels by Wh ...

''. He narrated the British Government's ''

Protect and Survive ''Protect and Survive'' was a public information campaign on civil defence. Produced by the British government between 1974 and 1980, it intended to advise the public on how to protect themselves during a nuclear attack. The campaign compris ...

'' series of

public information films Public information films (PIFs) are a series of government-commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the United Kingdom. The name is sometimes also applied, ''faute de mieux'', to similar films from other countries, ...

in the 1970s; some of his lines in that production were re-recorded and sampled into the single " Two Tribes" by the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. He also appeared in and voiced numerous commercials for house builder Barratt Homes and car manufacturers Ford and British Leyland among many others. His voice-over work led him to start up his own business, running a successful recording studio for voice-over work. Allen's voice was heard at the beginning of videocassettes distributed in the UK by Video Network in the 1980s, welcoming viewers and reading an anti-copying warning. He also narrated the first series of ''

Blackadder ''Blackadder'' is a series of four period British sitcoms, plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC One from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robins ...

'', and appeared in the last episode ' The Black Seal' as Edmund's nemesis, Phillip of Burgundy – known to his enemies as "The Hawk". He provided the narration (the voice of Captain Star) for the 1989 children's series ''

TUGS A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

''. Allen remained uncredited for his work, which was revealed in an interview with the show's producer Robert D. Cardona. In 2005, he became the voice of the British television channel E4, providing voiceovers for many of its

idents Station identification (ident, network ID or channel ID or bumper) is the practice of radio and television stations and networks identifying themselves on-air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name (sometimes known, particularly in the ...

and promotions. He was also the voice of the '' Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show'' on

XFM Radio X is a British National commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. Radio X launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station, a licensed London-wide station in 1997 and nationally in 2015 ...

, the late show on 103.2 Power FM, Hirsty's Daily Dose on

Galaxy Yorkshire Capital Yorkshire is a regional radio station owned by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcasts to South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire from studios in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Englan ...

and briefly Virgin Radio.

Personal life

Allen married actress Sarah Lawson in 1960, together the couple had two sons, Stephen and Stuart.

Death

Allen died on the morning of 28 July 2006 at age 79.Obituary in Times online, 8 August 2006
/ref> He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Filmography

* '' Blackbeard the Pirate'' (1952) - Undetermined Role (uncredited) * '' Battle Circus'' (1953) - British Officer (uncredited) * ''

World for Ransom ''World for Ransom'' is a 1954 American film noir drama directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Dan Duryea, Patric Knowles, Gene Lockhart, Reginald Denny, and Nigel Bruce (in his final film role). Many of the actors and sets used in the film wer ...

'' (1954) - Soldier (uncredited) * '' Dial M for Murder'' (1954) - Detective Pearson * '' Confession'' (1955) - Corey * '' Cross Channel'' (1955) - Hugo Platt * ''

King's Rhapsody ''King's Rhapsody'' is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall. The musical was first produced at the Palace Theatre, London, on 15 September 1949 and ran for 841 performances, surviving its author, who d ...

'' (1955) - Richard's Companion in Theatre Box (uncredited) * ''

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

'' (1956) - Inner Party Official * '' Wicked as They Come'' (1956) - Willie * '' The Baby and the Battleship'' (1956) - Mate (uncredited) * '' The Adventures of Aggie'' (1956-57) * '' High Tide at Noon'' (1957) - Charles MacKenzie * '' The Long Haul'' (1957) - Joe Easy * ''

The Mark of the Hawk ''The Mark of the Hawk'' (also called ''Accused'') is a 1957 drama film, directed by Michael Audley with a screenplay by Lloyd Young (better known for his sound work on other films) and H. Kenn Carmichael. The film stars Eartha Kitt and Sidney ...

'' (1957) - Gregory * ''

High Hell ''High Hell'' is a 1958 American film set in the Canadian Rockies. It was a British B-movie intended for North American audiences, with exteriors filmed in the Swiss Jungfrau and interiors on a British sound stage. Plot Craig Rhodes and Frank D ...

'' (1958) - Luke Fulgham * '' The Man Who Wouldn't Talk'' (1958) - Jim Kennedy * ''

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Tread Softly Stranger ''Tread Softly Stranger'' is a 1958 British crime drama directed by Gordon Parry and starring Diana Dors, George Baker and Terence Morgan. The film was shot in black-and-white in film noir style, and its setting in an industrial town in norther ...

'' (1958) - Paddy Ryan * ''

I Was Monty's Double ''I Was Monty's Double'' (released in the US as ''The Counterfeit General Montgomery''Jet Storm ''Jet Storm'' (also known as ''Jet Stream'' or ''Killing Urge'') is a 1959 British thriller film directed and co-written by Cy Endfield. Richard Attenborough stars with Stanley Baker, Hermione Baddeley and Diane Cilento. The film is a precurso ...

'' (1959) - Mulliner * '' Never Take Sweets from a Stranger'' (1960) - Peter Carter * '' The Sinister Man'' (1961) - Dr. Nelson Pollard * ''

The Traitors ''The Traitors'' is a reality game show franchise created by the All3Media company IDTV which originally aired on RTL 4 in the Netherlands in 2021. Gameplay The players are divided into two groups: the "Faithfuls" and the "Traitors," with on ...

'' (1962) - John Lane * '' Captain Clegg'' (1962) - Captain Collier * ''

Flight from Singapore ''Flight from Singapore'' is a 1962 British drama film directed by Dudley Birch and starring Patrick Allen, Patrick Holt and William Abney. Plot Two ex-RAF pilots set-up an airline between Singapore and Hong Kong. They run into trouble when the ...

'' (1962) - John Scott * '' The Big Job'' (1965) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * '' The Night of the Generals'' (1967) - Colonel Mannheim * ''

The Viking Queen ''The Viking Queen'' is a 1967 Hammer adventure film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Don Murray. It is set in Roman Britain. The title of the film caused much confusion, because there are no Norse Vikings in the movie. However, there is a ...

'' (1967) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * ''

'' (1967) - Jeff Callum * ''

Oedipus the King ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...

'' (1968) - Chorus Leader (voice, uncredited) * ''

'' (1968) - Rex Van Ryn (voice, uncredited) * '' Carry On Up the Khyber'' (1968) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * ''

The Body Stealers ''The Body Stealers'', also known as ''Thin Air'', is a 1969 British science fiction film directed by Gerry Levy, about the disappearance of British armed forces paratroopers in mid-air whilst on a routine jump. Two investigators try to figure ou ...

'' (1969) - Bob Megan * '' The Assassination Bureau'' (1969) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * ''

The File of the Golden Goose ''The File of the Golden Goose'' is a 1969 British neo noir thriller film directed by Sam Wanamaker and starring Yul Brynner, Charles Gray and Edward Woodward. Its plot involves an American detective being sent to Britain to track down a majo ...

'' (1969) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * '' When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth'' (1970) - Kingsor / Narrator * ''

'' (1971) - Inspector Van Gelder * ''

Persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...

'' (1974) aka ''Sheba'', ''The Graveyard'', ''The Terror of Sheba'' - Robert Masters * ''

The Wilby Conspiracy ''The Wilby Conspiracy'' is a 1975 British adventure thriller film directed by Ralph Nelson and starring Michael Caine, Sidney Poitier, and Nicol Williamson. Filmed in Kenya, it was written by Rodney Amateau, based on the 1972 novel by Peter Dr ...

'' (1975) - District Commissioner * '' The Eagle Has Landed'' (1976) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * '' The Domino Principle'' (1977) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * ''

'' (1978) - Rushton * ''

Force 10 from Navarone ''Force 10 from Navarone'' is a World War II novel by Scottish author Alistair MacLean. It serves as a sequel to MacLean's 1957 '' The Guns of Navarone'', but follows the events of the 1961 film adaptation of the same name. It features vari ...

'' (1978) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * ''

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

'' (1979) - Macro (voice, uncredited) * '' The Sea Wolves'' (1980) - Colin MacKenzie * ''

'' (1982) - Police Commissioner * ''

Bullet to Beijing ''Bullet to Beijing'' is a 1995 made-for-television film that continues the adventures of the fictional spy Harry Palmer, who appeared in the 1960s films ''The Ipcress File'', ''Funeral in Berlin'' and ''Billion Dollar Brain'', based on books b ...

'' (1995) - Col. Wilson * ''

Tugs A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

'' (1989) - Captain Star/Narrator (voice, uncredited) * ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' (1998) - Millionaire * ''Dangerville'' (2003) - Unknown role (voice) * ''Days That Shook the World'' (2004) - Sir John French * '' The Magic Roundabout'' (2005) - Skeletons (voice, uncredited)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Patrick 1927 births 2006 deaths English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors McGill University alumni Malawian emigrants to the United Kingdom 20th-century English businesspeople