John Warner (actor)

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[[Image:John-Warner-Cruel-Sea.jpg|thumb|right|John Warner in ''[[The Cruel Sea (1953 film)|The Cruel Sea]]'' (1953)]]
'''John Hickson Warner''' (1 January 1924 – 19 May 2001) was a British film, television and stage actor whose career spanned more than five decades. His most famous role was that of Timothy Dawes in ''[[Salad Days (musical)|Salad Days]]'', which premiered in the UK at the [[Bristol Old Vic|Theatre Royal]] in 1954, and transferred to the [[Vaudeville Theatre]] in London in the same year.

==Early years==
Born the son of a clergyman in [[George, Western Cape|George]] in [[Union of South Africa|South Africa]], Warner was educated at [[Brighton College]] after his family returned to [[UK|Britain]] in 1929.<ref name=guardian/> He decided to become an actor while watching his father in an amateur production of the play ''[[Berkeley Square (play)|Berkeley Square]]'' on [[Worthing Pier]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1331986/John-Warner.html|title=John Warner|website=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> His first job in 1939 was at the Little Theatre in [[Bristol]].<ref name=guardian/> After service in the [[Royal Navy]] during the [[Second World War]] on board ''HMS Rattlesnake'' (he rose to the rank of [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]]), which included working on the [[Arctic convoys of World War II|Russian convoys]], he resumed his acting career.

==Film and television==
His first television appearance was in 1946. Later television appearances include ''The Winslow Boy'' (1958), ''Duty Bound'' (1958), ''[[Sunday Night Theatre]]'' (BBC, 1950–1958), ''[[Ivanhoe (1958 TV series)|Ivanhoe]]'' (1958), ''[[BBC Sunday-Night Play]]'' (1960), ''[[An Age of Kings]]'' (1960), ''[[Softly, Softly (TV series)|Softly, Softly]]'' (1966), ''[[The Man in Room 17]]'' (1966), ''[[Theatre 625]]'' (1967), ''[[Doctor in the House (TV series)|Doctor in the House]]'' (1969), ''[[Paul Temple (TV series)|Paul Temple]]'' (1969), ''[[Comedy Playhouse]]'' (1970), ''[[The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (TV series)|The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes]]'' (1971), ''[[The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club]]'' (1972), ''[[Son of the Bride (TV series)|Son of the Bride]]'' (1973), ''[[Doctor in Charge]]'' (1973), ''[[Prince Regent (TV series)|Prince Regent]]'' (1979) and ''[[Cribb]]'' (1980).<ref name=IMDB/>

He played 'Tolly' Tolliver in 18 episodes of ''[[Potter (TV series)|Potter]]'' (1979–1983) starring [[Arthur Lowe]], and the Reverend Austin Doyle in 14 episodes of the sitcom ''[[Terry and June]]'' between 1979 and 1987.<ref name=IMDB>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0912505/ Warner] on the [[Internet Movie Database]]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-510vvn/potter/|title=Potter (TV Series)|website=Radio Times}}</ref>

Other television appearances include ''[[The Treaty (film)|The Treaty]]'' (1991), ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot]]'' (1992), ''[[Lovejoy]]'' (1992), ''[[Mr. Bean]]'' (1992), ''[[Shakespeare: The Animated Tales]]'' (1992–94)<ref>[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/566312/index.html 'Hamlet On Screen'] – the [[British Film Institute]] website</ref> and ''[[Desmond's]]'' (1994).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=52162|title=John Warner|website=www.aveleyman.com}}</ref>

Warner's film appearances include ''[[The Cruel Sea (1953 film)|The Cruel Sea]]'' (1953), ''[[Isadora (film)|Isadora]]'' (1968), ''[[Sunday Bloody Sunday (film)|Sunday Bloody Sunday]]'' (1971), ''The Trouble with 2B'' (1972), ''Got It Made'' (1974), ''[[Little Dorrit (1987 film)|Little Dorrit]]'' (1987) and ''[[Without a Clue]]'' (1988).<ref name=bfi>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba5ae9e43|title=John Warner|website=BFI}}</ref>

==Theatre==
Warner's first [[William Shakespeare|Shakespearean]] role was that of the Chief Fairy in a production of ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor]]'' directed by [[Tyrone Guthrie]] in 1942.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/play/1b/the-merry-wives-of-windsor/production/7r6|title=Production of The Merry Wives of Windsor | Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref> He appeared in [[Peter Brook]]'s productions of ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' and ''[[Love's Labour's Lost]]'' at the [[Royal Shakespeare Theatre]] in 1947.<ref name=guardian>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/jun/08/guardianobituaries|title=Obituary: John Warner|date=8 June 2001|website=the Guardian}}</ref> In the 1950s Warner spent some years at the [[Bristol Old Vic]] when it regularly transferred productions to the [[Old Vic]]. In 1951 he played Osric and Reynaldo to [[Alec Guinness]]'s ''[[Hamlet]]'' at the [[Noël Coward Theatre|New Theatre]] in London.<ref name=guardian/>

Warner created the role of Timothy Dawes in ''[[Salad Days (musical)|Salad Days]]'' which premiered in the UK at the [[Bristol Old Vic|Theatre Royal]] in Bristol in June 1954, and transferred to the [[Vaudeville Theatre]] in London on 5 August 1954,<ref>[http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_s/salad_days.htm "Salad Days History, Story, Roles and Musical Numbers"] guidetomusicaltheatre.com. Retrieved 16 March 2012</ref> running for 2,283 performances to become the longest-running show in musical theatre history until overtaken by ''[[My Fair Lady]]'' in the US (1956) and ''[[Oliver!]]'' in the UK (1960).<ref>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=szASEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT85&lpg=PT85&dq=salad+days+running+for+2,283+performances+the+longest-running+show+in+musical+theatre+history+until+overtaken+by+%27%27%5B%5BMy+Fair+Lady%5D%5D%27%27+in+the+US+(1956)+and+%27%27%5B%5BOliver!&source=bl&ots=R3Khh-jNCa&sig=ACfU3U3xETPktpaakOAcBBM7r3FT-D6Auw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjcq4v71M30AhXGOcAKHTomBRsQ6AF6BAgkEAM#v=onepage&q=salad%20days%20running%20for%202%2C283%20performances%20the%20longest-running%20show%20in%20musical%20theatre%20history%20until%20overtaken%20by%20 Odd Boy Out: The ‘hilarious, eye-popping, unforgettable’ Sunday Times bestseller 2021]''%5B%5BMy%20Fair%20Lady%5D%5D''%20in%20the%20US%20(1956)%20and%20''%5B%5BOliver!&f=false</ref> He appeared in ''A Man of Distinction'' at the [[Shaftesbury Theatre|New Theatre]] in 1957.<ref name=guardian/>

Other stage appearances included Canon Fulbert in [[Ronald Millar]]'s ''Abelard and Heloise'' at [[Wyndham's Theatre]] (1970), the [[Royal Shakespeare Company|RSC]]'s ''[[Becket]]'' and ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'' (both 1961), [[George Bernard Shaw|Shaw]]'s ''[[Widowers' Houses]]'' at the [[Theatre Royal Stratford East]] (1965) and ''[[Ring Round the Moon]]'' at the [[Haymarket Theatre]] (1968).<ref name=theatricalia>{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/person/26c/john-warner|title=John Warner | Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref><ref name=guardian/> Warner played 'Rattie' four times in productions of ''[[Toad of Toad Hall]]'', and he regularly appeared at the [[Chichester Festival production history|Chichester Festival]] from 1978.<ref name=guardian/>

With the London Shakespeare Group he went on an international tour of ''[[Twelfth Night]]'', which travelled through Pakistan, Jordan and Iraq in 1974. He acted in ''[[Guys And Dolls#1982 London revival|Guys and Dolls]]'' at the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] in 1982, and in ''[[London Assurance]]'' (1989).<ref name=theatricalia/>

For a period he lived at 5 Thayer Street in [[Marylebone]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.notableabodes.com/person-abode-details/10274/john-warner-actor_5-thayer-street-marylebone-london|title=Warner on the 'Notable Abodes' website}}</ref> He was the Vice-President of the Actors' Benevolent Fund.

John Warner died of [[Heart Attack]] on 19 May 2001 in [[Canterbury]], Kent aged 77.<ref name=bfi/> He never married.<ref name=guardian/>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1953|| ''[[The Cruel Sea (1953 film)|The Cruel Sea]]'' || Baker ||
|-
|1959|| ''[[The Captain's Table]]'' || Henry Lomax ||
|-
|1959|| ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream (1959 film)|A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' || Egeus || Voice
|-
|1968|| ''[[Isadora (film)|Isadora]]'' || Mr. Stirling || Uncredited
|-
|1971|| ''[[Sunday Bloody Sunday (film)|Sunday Bloody Sunday]]'' || Party Guest #4 ||
|-
|1972|| ''The Trouble with 2B'' || Headmaster ||
|-
|1974|| ''Got It Made'' || Rector ||
|-
|1987|| ''[[Little Dorrit (1987 film)|Little Dorrit]]'' || Bootmaker ||
|-
|1988|| ''[[Without a Clue]]'' || Peter Giles ||
|-
|1990|| ''The Fool'' || ||
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1331986/John-Warner.html# Warner's obituary] in ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''
*[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/jun/08/guardianobituaries Warner's obituary] in ''[[The Guardian]]''
*[http://www.culturegrid.org.uk/static/showResource/2686732 The John Warner Collection at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Warner, John}}
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:People educated at Brighton College]]
[[Category:British male film actors]]
[[Category:British male stage actors]]
[[Category:British male television actors]]
[[Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members]]
[[Category:Royal Navy officers of World War II]]

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John Warner (actor)