John Antony Townley (6 November 1912 – 27 September 1984), known professionally as Toke Townley, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Biography

Townley was born on 6 November 1912 at

Great Dunmow Great Dunmow is a historic market town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is situated on the north of the A120 road, approximately midway between Bishop's Stortford and Braintree, five miles east of London Stanst ...

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 ...

; his father was a vicar. His first name, "John", was changed to "Toke" shortly after his birth. After he left school he worked as a clerk in a factory, acting in his spare time. He did not become a professional actor until his early 30s, first appearing at

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre c ...

. He appeared in many BBC television programmes during the early pioneering days at

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...

. Between 1951 and 1970, in the heyday of the British studios, Townley appeared in almost thirty films, including ''

Lady Godiva Rides Again ''Lady Godiva Rides Again'' is a 1951 British comedy film starring Pauline Stroud, George Cole and Bernadette O'Farrell, with British stars in supporting roles or making cameo appearances. It concerns a small-town English girl who wins a local ...

'', '' Doctor at Sea'', ''

The Quatermass Xperiment ''The Quatermass Xperiment'' (a.k.a. ''The Creeping Unknown'' in the United States) is a 1955 British science fiction horror film from Hammer Film Productions, based on the 1953 BBC Television serial ''The Quatermass Experiment'' written by Ni ...

'', ''

The Admirable Crichton ''The Admirable Crichton'' is a comic stage play written in 1902 by J. M. Barrie. Origins Barrie took the title from the sobriquet of a fellow Scot, the polymath James Crichton, a 16th-century genius and athlete. The epigram-loving Ernest is p ...

'', '' Carry on Admiral'', '' Doctor in Distress'' and ''

Scars of Dracula ''Scars of Dracula'' is a 1970 British horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker for Hammer Films. It stars Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, along with Dennis Waterman, Jenny Hanley, Patrick Troughton, and Michael Gwynn. Although disparaged by ...

''. He went on to appear in many film and television roles over the years, including '' The Avengers''. He was also an accomplished

flautist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

and played the instrument on screen. Many of his roles were country bumpkins, so it was an appropriate move when Townley joined ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...

'' (known from 1972 until 1989 as Emmerdale Farm) as Annie Sugden's father,

Sam Pearson Sam Pearson may refer to: * Sam Pearson (Emmerdale) * Sam Pearson (footballer) See also * Samuel Pearson, English entrepreneur and founder of Pearson plc {{hndis, Pearson, Sam ...

, complete with cloth cap and collarless shirt, when the serial began in 1972. Although Sam was said to have been born in the 1890s, Townley was actually just seven years older than

Sheila Mercier Sheila Betty Mercier ('' née'' Rix; 1 January 1919 – 4 December 2019) was an English actress, of stage and television, best known for playing Annie Sugden in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'' for over 20 years, from the programme's first episode i ...

, who played his daughter. He appeared in over 800 episodes of ''Emmerdale Farm''. Loved and admired by the rest of the cast of the rural soap opera, Townley was said to be a private person, living alone at a

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

hotel, near where the programme was filmed. He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

whilst still in the soap so his character was killed off.

Partial filmography

* ''

'' (1951) - Lucille's husband * '' Treasure Hunt'' (1952) - William Burke * ''

Time Gentlemen, Please! ''Time Gentlemen, Please!'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Eddie Byrne, Jane Barrett and Raymond Lovell. It was produced by Group 3 Films with funding from the NFFC and distributed by ABPC. It was shot at ...

'' (1952) - Potman * ''

Meet Me Tonight ''Meet Me Tonight'' is a 1952 omnibus British comedy film adapted from three one act plays by Noël Coward: ''Red Peppers'', ''Fumed Oak'' and '' Ways and Means''; which are part of his '' Tonight at 8.30'' play cycle. The film was released as ...

'' (1952) - Stage Manager - Red Peppers * ''

My Wife's Lodger ''My Wife's Lodger'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Dominic Roche, Olive Sloane and Leslie Dwyer. The screenplay concerns a who soldier returns home after the Second World War only to find a spiv lodger has es ...

'' (1952) - Soldier * ''

Cosh Boy ''Cosh Boy'' (released in the United States as ''The Slasher'') is a 1953 British film noir directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring James Kenney and Joan Collins. It was made at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. Plot Based on an original play ...

'' (1953) - Mr. 'Smith' (uncredited) * ''

Turn the Key Softly ''Turn the Key Softly'' is a 1953 British drama film directed by Jack Lee and starring Yvonne Mitchell, Joan Collins, Kathleen Harrison, and Terence Morgan. Lee and producer Maurice Cowan also wrote the screenplay, based on the 1951 novel of ...

'' (1953) - Prison Guard (uncredited) * '' The Broken Horseshoe'' (1953) - Fred Barker, Hall Porter * ''

Innocents in Paris ''Innocents in Paris'' is a 1953 British-French international co-production comedy film produced by Romulus Films, directed by Gordon Parry and starring Alastair Sim, Ronald Shiner, Claire Bloom, Margaret Rutherford, Claude Dauphin, and Jimmy ...

'' (1953) - Airport Porter (uncredited) * ''

Meet Mr. Lucifer ''Meet Mr. Lucifer'' is a black-and-white British comedy satire film released in 1953 starring Stanley Holloway. It was filmed at Ealing Studios, London, and is one of the Ealing comedies. The film is based on the play ''Beggar My Neighbour'' by ...

'' (1953) - Trumpet Player * ''

The Million Pound Note ''The Million Pound Note'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gregory Peck, Ronald Squire, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Jane Griffiths. It is based on the 1893 Mark Twain short story ''The Million Pound Bank Note'', ...

'' (1954) - Revivalist (uncredited) * '' Fast and Loose'' (1954) - Alfred * ''

The Runaway Bus ''The Runaway Bus'' is a 1954 British comedy film produced, written, and directed by Val Guest. It stars Frankie Howerd, Margaret Rutherford and Petula Clark and an ensemble cast of character actors in a story about a bus caught in fog while ...

'' (1954) - Henry Waterman * ''

Bang! You're Dead ''Bang! You're Dead'' is a 1954 British psychological drama film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Jack Warner, Anthony Richmond, Veronica Hurst, Derek Farr and Sean Barrett. The film takes as its subject the accidental killing of a m ...

'' (1954) - Jimmy Knuckle * ''

The Men of Sherwood Forest ''The Men of Sherwood Forest'' is a 1954 British adventure film directed by Val Guest and starring Don Taylor, Reginald Beckwith, Eileen Moore and David King-Wood. The film follows the exploits of Robin Hood and his followers. Doreen Carwit ...

'' (1954) - Father David * '' Doctor at Sea'' (1955) - Jenkins * ''

John and Julie ''John and Julie'' (1955) is a British comedy film, starring Colin Gibson, Lesley Dudley, Noelle Middleton and Moira Lister, and featuring Peter Sellers and Sid James in early screen roles. Plot The film is set in 1953 in the week leading up t ...

'' (1955) - Booking Clerk * ''

'' (1955) - The Chemist (uncredited) * '' The Blue Peter'' (1955) - Pub Barman (uncredited) * '' Now and Forever'' (1956) - Garage Hand (uncredited) * ''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a tw ...

'' (1956) - Meek Man (Maze) * '' Carry on Admiral'' (1957) - Steward * ''

'' (1957) - Lovegrove * '' Barnacle Bill'' (1957) - Timmins * ''

Innocent Sinners ''Innocent Sinners'' is a 1958 British black and white film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Flora Robson. It was based on the 1955 novel '' An Episode of Sparrows'' by Rumer Godden. Plot Olivia Chesney is too sick to leave home, somew ...

'' (1958) - Bates (uncredited) * '' Law and Disorder'' (1958) - Sidney Rumpthorne * ''

A Cry from the Streets ''A Cry from the Streets'' is a 1958 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert. It was entered into the 1st Moscow International Film Festival, and Vernon Harris's screenplay received a BAFTA nomination. Plot When a man is hanged for murder ...

'' (1958) - Mr. Daniels * ''

Look Back in Anger ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...

'' (1959) - Spectacled Man * ''

Libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

'' (1959) - Associate * ''

The World of Suzie Wong ''The World of Suzie Wong'' is a 1957 novel by British writer Richard Mason. The main characters are Robert Lomax, a young British artist living in Hong Kong, and Suzie Wong, the title character, a Chinese woman who works as a prostitute. ...

'' (1960) - Waiter (uncredited) * ''The Missing Note'' (1961) - Mr. Parker * '' The Avengers'' (1961, TV series) * ''

A Chance of Thunder ''A Chance of Thunder'' is a 1961 British television series written by John Hopkins and produced by the BBC. It was transmitted in six episodes.Baskin p. 59 The BBC later wiped the series, and none of the six episodes are thought to survive. C ...

'' (1961, TV series) - Frank White * ''

H.M.S. Defiant ''H.M.S. Defiant'' (released as ''Damn the Defiant!'' in the United States) is a British naval war CinemaScope and Technicolor film from 1962 starring Alec Guinness and Dirk Bogarde. It tells the story of a mutiny aboard the fictitious ship ...

'' (1962) - Silly Billy * ''

The Fast Lady ''The Fast Lady'' is a 1962 British comedy film, directed by Ken Annakin. The screenplay was written by Henry Blyth and Jack Davies, based on the 1925 novel of the same name by Keble Howard. Don Sharp directed second unit. "The Fast Lady" is th ...

'' (1962) - Angry Motorist * '' Doctor in Distress'' (1963) - Clerk of Works (uncredited) * ''

The Chalk Garden ''The Chalk Garden'' is a play by Enid Bagnold that premiered in the US in 1955 and was produced in Britain the following year. It tells the story of the imperious Mrs St Maugham and her granddaughter Laurel, a disturbed child under the care of ...

'' (1963) - Shop Clerk * ''

'' (1970) - Elderly Waggoner

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Townley, Toke 1912 births 1984 deaths English male film actors English male television actors People from Great Dunmow 20th-century English male actors