Nicky Henson

Nicky Henson ( Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson; 12 May 1945 – 15 December 2019) was a British actor.

Early life

Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson was born in London, the son of Harriet Martha ( Collins) and comedian Leslie Henson. Adam Henson, a farmer and regular presenter on BBC TV's '' Countryfile'', is the son of Nicky's brother, Joe Henson.

He attended St. Bede's Prep School, Eastbourne, and Charterhouse in Godalming. He trained as a stage manager at RADA, and first appeared on stage himself as a guitarist. As a member of the Young Vic Company he played Pozzo in Samuel Beckett's '' Waiting for Godot.''

Career

Television

Henson appeared in various television roles, including guest roles in '' Fawlty Towers'', '' Minder'', ''Boon'', '' Inspector Morse'', '' A Touch of Frost'', '' Heartbeat'', '' After You've Gone'', ''Lovejoy'' and '' Doctors''. In 1990 he played the doctor in the BBC’s adaptation of Kingsley Amis’ Ghost story The Green Man. He played the eponymous hero in '' Shine On Harvey Moon'' when the series was revived in 1995.

In 2005 he played Hugo, an antique dealer, in ''Bad Girls''. In February 2006, Henson joined the cast of the BBC1 soap opera ''EastEnders'', playing Jack Edwards. Henson left the production towards the end of the year due to health problems.

Henson played three different characters in the police drama series ''The Bill'', the first in 1991, the second in 1998, and the third in 2007. In 2010, he appeared as Charles Grigg, a former acquaintance of Carson the butler, in an episode of the ITV period drama '' Downton Abbey'' and appeared in two further episodes in 2013.
He also played Randolph Mepstead, the older brother of David Jason's character in the pilot episode of the mid-1970s series '' Lucky Feller''.

Henson played the role of Mr. Johnson in the '' Fawlty Towers'' episode " The Psychiatrist". He stated that despite his 50 years of professional acting, his tombstone will probably read "Here lies Nicky Henson – he was in one episode of ''Fawlty Towers''". He was paid a modest appearance fee, and told he might earn the same again in repeats fees.

Films

Henson's film appearances include '' Witchfinder General'' (1968), '' There's a Girl in My Soup'' (1970), ''Mosquito Squadron'' (1970) and '' Psychomania'' (1973). He graduated to lead roles in '' The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones'' (1976) and ''No. 1 of the Secret Service'' (1977), before returning to supporting roles in ''Vera Drake'' (2004) and George Clooney's '' Syriana'' (2005).

Theatre

On stage, Henson played many Shakespearean characters (including a period with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1977) and had leading roles in '' Look Back in Anger'', '' Man and Superman'', '' Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead'', ''She Stoops to Conquer'', '' Noises Off'' and others. He appeared as Mordred in the original 1964 London version of ''Camelot'' opposite Laurence Harvey as King Arthur. Henson made his Broadway debut in a production of Oscar Wilde's ''An Ideal Husband'', opposite Stephanie Beacham. He was nominated for a 1998 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical of 1997 for his role in '' Enter the Guardsman''.

He started directing with a Restoration workshop at LAMDA with a production of '' The Provok'd Wife''. In 2009 he directed the Jack Shepherd play ''Only When I Laugh'' at the Arcola Theatre in London and Alan Ayckbourn's ''Intimate Exchanges'' at Sheringham Little Theatre.

Radio

Henson played Lemuel "Chipper" Barnet in ''Space Force'' series 1 and 2 (1984–85).

Personal life

Henson married actress Una Stubbs (who incidentally played his sister-in-law Caroline Bishop in ''EastEnders''). The couple had two sons, Joe and Christian, both of whom are composers. The marriage ended after Henson began an affair in 1974 with actress Susan Hampshire, his co-star in several stage productions.

He then married ballerina Marguerite Porter, by whom he had a third son, Keaton, a musician and illustrator.

Health

Henson was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. Surgeons removed tumours from around his spleen, but a routine check-up in 2006 showed that other tumours had grown and it would be dangerous to remove them. Henson was put on a regime of chemotherapy, and worked regularly to raise funds for cancer charities, especially Marie Curie Cancer Care.

He died on 15 December 2019 from cancer, aged 74.

Partial filmography

* 1964 '' Father Came Too!'' as Motorcyclist
* 1965 '' Every Day's a Holiday'' as Tailor's Shop Customer (uncredited)
* 1966 '' Doctor in Clover'' as Boutique Assistant
* 1967 '' The Jokers'' as Man At Party
* 1968 '' Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush'' as Craig Foster
* 1968 ''30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia'' as Paul
* 1968 '' Witchfinder General'' as Swallow
* 1969 '' Crooks and Coronets'' as Lord Freddie Fitzmore
* 1969 ''Mosquito Squadron'' as Flight Sergeant Wiley Bunce
* 1970 '' There's a Girl in My Soup'' as Jimmy
* 1972 '' All Coppers Are...'' as Barry
* 1973 '' Psychomania'' as Tom Latham
* 1973 ''The Love Ban'' as Baker
* 1973 '' Penny Gold'' as Roger
* 1974 '' Vampira'' as Marc
* 1974 '' Bedtime with Rosie'' as Fantasy Man
* 1976 '' The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones'' as Tom Jones
* 1977 ''No. 1 of the Secret Service'' as No. 1 / Charles Bind
* 1985 ''The Secret of Seagull Island'' as Martin Foster
* 1988 ''Star Trap'' as Adam Blunt
* 1998 ''Parting Shots'' as Askew
* 2001 '' Me Without You'' as Ray
* 2001 '' Death, Deceit & Destiny Aboard the Orient Express'' as Tom Finlay
* 2002 ''Flyfishing'' as Howard
* 2004 ''Vera Drake'' as Private Doctor
* 2005 '' Syriana'' as Sydney Hewitt
* 2006 '' A Quiet Drink'' (Short) as Peter
* 2011 '' Blitz'' as Superintendent Brown
* 2011 '' Truth or Dare'' as Mr. Hautbois (uncredited)
* 2012 '' Run for Your Wife'' as Man In Hospital
* 2014 '' We Still Kill the Old Way'' as Jack Houghton
* 2015 ''Draw on Sweet Night'' as Sir Thomas Kytson
* 2015 '' Narcopolis'' as Chief Ballard
* 2016 ''Gozo'' as Tony
* 2016 ''We Still Steal the Old Way'' as Jack Houghton
* 2017 ''The Holly Kane Experiment'' as Marvin Greenslade
* 2018 ''Tango One'' as Latham (final film role)

References

External links

*

Nicky Henson
Aveleyman)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henson, Nicky
1945 births
2019 deaths
Male actors from London
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
English male film actors
English male radio actors
English male soap opera actors
English male stage actors
People educated at St. Bede's Prep School
People educated at Charterhouse School
Deaths from cancer
Royal Shakespeare Company members
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors