John Keith Patrick Allen (17 March 1927 – 28 July 2006) was a British actor.

Life and career

Allen was born in

Nyasaland Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasala ...

(now

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

), 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 McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. 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 ''Dial M for Murder'' is a 1954 American crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams. Both the screenplay and the successful stage play on which it was b ...

'' (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 ''The Sea Wolves'' is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film, which is based on the 1978 book ''Boarding Party'' by James Leasor, is a fictionalised account of Operation Creek during the Second World War. ...

'', ''

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 ...

''. 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 m ...

in ''

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of twelve short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, w ...

'' and '' The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. He made regular appearances in ITC television series during the 1960s and early 1970s, including '' The Baron'', ''

The Champions ''The Champions'' is a British espionage thriller/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure television series. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company, and consists of 30 episodes broadcast in the UK on ITV ...

'', ''

Gideon's Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. J. Marric'). The series was made at Elstree Studios in twin production with '' ...

'' 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 ''Timelash'' is the fifth serial of the 22nd season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on BBC1 on 9 and 16 March 1985. In the serial, the Borad (Robert Ashby), the mu ...

" 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, notably appearing as Mr Gradgrind in a television production of Dickens' '' Hard Times'' in 1977. In 1967 he and his wife Sarah Lawson appeared together playing a married couple in the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

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 noveli ...

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

John Creasey John Creasey (17 September 1908 – 9 June 1973) was an English crime writer, also writing science fiction, romance and western novels, who wrote more than six hundred novels using twenty-eight different pseudonyms. He created several charac ...

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 Lenard George Green (15 July 1931 – 19 June 2021), better known as Leon Greene, was an English actor and singer. At the age of 20, Greene joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and sang bass with them for just over a year. After leaving the D' ...

, 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 Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

into the single "

Two Tribes "Two Tribes" is an anti-war song by British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records on 4 June 1984. The song was later included on the album '' Welcome to the Pleasuredome''. Presenting a nihilistic, gleeful lyric ...

" by the band

Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English synth-pop band formed in Liverpool in 1980. The group's best-known line-up comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Peter Gill (drums, percussion), Mark O'Toole (bass guit ...

. He was also the voiceover artist for

Vic and Bob Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...

's comedy series ''

Vic Reeves Big Night Out ''Vic Reeves Big Night Out'' was a cult British comedy stage show and later television series which ran on Channel 4 for two series in 1990 and 1991, as well as a New Year special. Its live incarnation marked the beginnings of the collaboration ...

'', ''

The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer ''The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer'' is a BBC TV sketch show written by and starring double act Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. Its first series appeared in 1993 following the duo's move to the BBC after parting company with Channel 4. The show d ...

'' and '' Shooting Stars'', and appeared in and voiced numerous commercials for house builder

Barratt Homes Barratt Developments plc is one of the largest residential property development companies in the United Kingdom operating across England, Wales and Scotland. It was founded in 1958 as Greensitt Bros., but control was later assumed by Sir L ...

and car manufacturers

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

and

British Leyland British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...

among many others. His voice-over work led him to start up his own business, running a very 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 "The Black Seal" is the sixth and final episode of ''The Black Adder'', the first serial in the BBC Television '' Blackadder'' series. Set in late 15th-century England, the episode concludes the alternate history of the last years of the Hou ...

' 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''. Allen remained uncredited for his work, which was revealed in an interview with the show's producer

Robert D. Cardona Robert Daniel Cardona (born March 7, 1930) is an American television writer, producer, director and animator. He co-founded Clearwater Features, along with David Mitton, in 1980. Career Cardona has been based in the United Kingdom for much of ...

. 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. That year, he did an altered re-recording of the ''Two Tribes'' version of the ''

'' narration for German

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. Ne ...

''Welcome to the Pleasuredome'', which is featured in their live performances. He was also the voice of the ''

Christian O'Connell Christian Liam O'Connell (born 7 April 1973 in Winchester, Hampshire) is a British radio disc jockey, television host, writer, and comedian living in Australia. He presents ''The Christian O'Connell Show'' on weekday mornings on Gold 104.3 in ...

Breakfast Show'' on XFM, 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, Engl ...

and briefly

Virgin Radio Virgin Radio launched in the United Kingdom in 1993. In 2008, Virgin Radio UK was sold to TIML, a subsidiary of The Times of India group, and the name was changed to Absolute Radio; the Virgin Radio name was not included in the sale. In 2001, ...

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 ''Blackbeard the Pirate'' is a 1952 Technicolor adventure film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Robert Newton, Linda Darnell, William Bendix, Keith Andes, and Torin Thatcher. The film was made by RKO Radio Pictures and produced by Edmun ...

'' (1952) - Undetermined Role (uncredited) * '' Battle Circus'' (1953) - British Officer (uncredited) * '' World for Ransom'' (1954) - Soldier (uncredited) * ''

'' (1954) - Detective Pearson * ''

Confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...

'' (1955) - Corey * '' Cross Channel'' (1955) - Hugo Platt * '' King's Rhapsody'' (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 ''Wicked as They Come'' (''Portrait in Smoke'' in the United States) is a 1956 British film noir directed by Ken Hughes and starring Arlene Dahl, Philip Carey and Herbert Marshall. Plot Poor girl from the slums Katherine Allenbourg trades on ...

'' (1956) - Willie * ''

The Baby and the Battleship ''The Baby and the Battleship'' is a colour 1956 British comedy film directed by Jay Lewis and starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough and André Morell. It is based on the 1956 novel by Anthony Thorne with a screenplay by Richard De Roy, ...

'' (1956) - Mate (uncredited) * ''

High Tide at Noon ''High Tide at Noon'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. ''High Tide at Noon'' was based on the first of a series of novels by Elisabeth Ogilvie, set in Maine. Location w ...

'' (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'' (1958) - Col. Mathers * ''

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 ''Never Take Sweets from a Stranger'' (US ''Never Take Candy from a Stranger'') is a 1960 British film, directed by Cyril Frankel and released by Hammer Film Productions. The screenplay was developed by John Hunter from the play ''The Pony Trap ...

'' (1960) - Peter Carter * ''

The Sinister Man ''The Sinister Man'' is a 1961 British crime drama film directed by Clive Donner and starring Patrick Allen and John Bentley. It was one of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries, British second-features, produced at Merton Park Studios in the 19 ...

'' (1961) - Dr. Nelson Pollard * '' The Traitors'' (1962) - John Lane * '' Captain Clegg'' (1962) - Captain Collier * '' Flight from Singapore'' (1962) - John Scott * '' The Big Job'' (1965) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * ''

The Night of the Generals ''The Night of the Generals'' is a 1967 World War II mystery film directed by Anatole Litvak and produced by Sam Spiegel. It stars Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Tom Courtenay, Donald Pleasence, Joanna Pettet and Philippe Noiret. The screenplay ...

'' (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 ''Carry On Up the Khyber'' is a 1968 British comedy film, the 16th in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It stars ''Carry On'' regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butt ...

'' (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 o ...

'' (1969) - Bob Megan * ''

The Assassination Bureau ''The Assassination Bureau Limited'' (also known as ''The Assassination Bureau'' in the United States) is a 1969 British Technicolor black comedy adventure film, produced by Michael Relph, directed by Basil Dearden, and starring Oliver Reed, D ...

'' (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 ''When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth'' (titled ''When Dinosaurs Ruled the World'' in the U.K.) is a 1970 British prehistoric dinosaur film from Hammer Films, written and directed by Val Guest, and starring Victoria Vetri. It was produced by Aida Yo ...

'' (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 D ...

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

The Domino Principle ''The Domino Principle'' is a 1977 neo-noir thriller film starring Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, Mickey Rooney and Richard Widmark. The film is based on the novel of the same name and was adapted for the screen by its author Adam Kennedy (actor), ...

'' (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) * ''

'' (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'' (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 ''The Magic Roundabout'' is an English-language children's television programme that ran from 1965 to 1977. It used the footage of the French stop motion animation show ''Le Manège enchanté'' but with completely different scripts and characte ...

'' (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