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John Carson (actor)
English actor (–)
For other people with the same name, see John Carson (disambiguation).
John Carson | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Derek Carson-Parker ()28 February Colombo, Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) |
| Died | 5 November () (aged&#;89) Cape Town, South Africa |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years&#;active | – |
| Spouse | Luanshya Greer |
| Children | 6 |
John Derek Carson-Parker[citation needed] (28 February &#; 5 November ), known as John Carson, was an English actor known for his appearances in film and television.
Early life and education
Born to English parents in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where his father worked on tea and rubber plantations, he was educated in Australia and went to Britain to do national service as an artillery officer in an anti-aircraft regiment between and [1] He then studied law at Queen's College, Oxford before leaving for New Zealand, where he worked in amateur theatre before returning to Britain to begin his professional career.[2] His stage appearances included the original productions of A Man For All Seasons and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg.[3][2]
Career
Making his film debut in , Carson carved out a career appearing in low-budget British films such as Seven Keys (), Smokescreen (), and Master Spy ().
His saturnine looks and sinister voice (sometimes compared with James Mason) led to him starring in a number of horror films including The Night Caller (), The Plague of the Zombies (), The Man Who Haunted Himself (), Taste the Blood of Dracula (), and Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter ().[1][4]
Beside his appearances in horror films he was also known for his many villainous turns in adventure series of the s, such as The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Avengers, The Saint, Adam Adamant Lives!, The Baron, Man in a Suitcase, The Champions and Department S.[5]
His long and varied list of television credits include Emergency - Ward 10, Ivanhoe, William Tell, Armchair Theatre, Maigret, Out of the Unknown, Emma (as Mr.
Knightley), Dixon of Dock Green, Crown Court, The New Avengers, Telford's Change, Secret Army, Special Branch, The Professionals, Tales of the Unexpected, Hammer House of Horror, Doctor Who (Snakedance), Shaka Zulu and Poirot.[6] He was also the voice-over performer in Sunsilk TV commercials.[1]
Personal life
Carson moved with his family to South Africa in and continued to work in film and television.[7] He died at his home in Cape Town on 5 November at the age of Married twice, he was survived by his second wife, novelist Luanshya Greer, a British actress, who is best known for her roles on television during the s.[8] In , she had changed her forename from Pamela to Luanshya, and become a writer for TV shows including Dixon of Dock Green, Thriller and Triangle.
Carson was also survived by his six children, four from his first marriage, Richard, Chris, Katie and Harry, and two from his second marriage, Ben and Suzanna.[9]