John Robinson | |
---|---|
John Robinson in Quatermass II (1955)
|
|
Born |
Liverpool, Lancashire, England |
11 November 1908
Died | 6 March 1979 London, England |
(aged 70)
Years active | 1929–1974 |
John Robinson (11 November 1908 – 6 March 1979) was an English actor, who was particularly active in the theatre. Mostly cast in minor and supporting roles in film and television, he is best remembered for being the second actor to play the famous television science-fiction role of Professor Bernard Quatermass, in the 1955 BBC Television serial Quatermass II.
Robinson was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. His first professional appearance came in his home city in 1929, at the Liverpool Playhouse. He appeared in a variety of stage productions in London throughout the 1930s. These included Black Limelight by Gordon Sherry at the Q Theatre in 1937, where his role as Peter Charrington was described by The Times newspaper's critic as "a skilful, reticent sketch". In 1939 he played Fortinbras in John Gielgud's production of Hamlet, the final play to be performed at the Lyceum Theatre before its closure.
He made his film debut in 1936 in The Scarab Murder Case, and during the 1930s he also began appearing on radio and in the newer medium of television. In the Second World War he took part in the D-Day landings in 1944, as a member of the Reconnaissance Corps. He returned to acting in 1949, as John Beresford in the TV production of Elizabeth of Ladymead, appearing in several films and increasingly on television again.