John Levene
| John Levene | |
|---|---|
| Born |
John Anthony Woods 24 December 1941 Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, UK |
| Other names | John Anthony Blake (professional name) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Organization | Genesis Communications |
| Television | Doctor Who |
John Levene (born John Anthony Woods, 24 December 1941 in Salisbury, Wiltshire) is an English actor. His best-known role was that of Corporal, and later Warrant Officer, John Benton, of the UNIT in the science-fiction television series Doctor Who.
John Woods was working in a men's clothing store on Regent Street in London when Telly Savalas encouraged him to sign up as an actor for The Dirty Dozen (1967). Although he failed to secure a part in the film, since he was not a union member, he became interested in acting. Upon joining Equity, he adopted the professional name John Levene to avoid confusion with another John Woods who was already registered with the union.
Levene's first acting role was in the television series Adam Adamant Lives! Other TV roles included episodes of Callan (1970) and The Adventurer (1972), and he also appeared in the films Go for a Take (1972), Dark Places (1973), Psychomania (1973), and Permission to Kill (1975). He made an uncredited appearance as a Cyberman in the 1967 Doctor Who serial "The Moonbase" and as a Yeti in "The Web of Fear," before making his first appearance as then-Corporal Benton of UNIT in "The Invasion" (1968). "The Web of Fear" was, incidentally, the serial that introduced Benton's commanding officer, Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, who was only a colonel at the time. Lethbridge-Stewart and UNIT were featured heavily in early 1970s Doctor Who, and the promoted Sergeant Benton also became a regular.
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