Brian Nissen (20 October 1927 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

– 8 February 2001 in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

) was a British actor and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

continuity announcer In broadcasting, continuity or presentation (or station break in the U.S. and Canada) is announcements, messages and graphics played by the broadcaster between specific programmes. It typically includes programme schedules, announcement of the ...

Biography

Nissen made an early appearance in

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...

's film of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

'', and made many TV,

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

and

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

appearances, including '' The Dam Busters'' (1955), and the television series '' The New Adventures of Charlie Chan'' and '' Sword of Freedom'' in 1957. But he is probably best-remembered as an in-vision announcer for

Southern Television Southern Television was the ITV broadcasting licence holder for the South and South-East of England from 30 August 1958 to 31 December 1981. The company was launched as 'Southern Television Limited' and the title 'Southern Television' was co ...

, where his formal style seemed to sum up the company's aesthetic. He joined Southern at its inception in 1958 and stayed until its demise in 1981, and was kept on by the successor company TVS despite its general policy of breaking with Southern's conservatism. He retired from TVS in August 1987. Nissen died on 8 February 2001 in

at the age of 73.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Day Will Dawn ''The Day Will Dawn'', released in the US as ''The Avengers'', is a 1942 British war film set in Norway during World War II. It stars Ralph Richardson, Deborah Kerr, Hugh Williams and Griffith Jones, and was directed by Harold French from a sc ...

'' (1942) - Page (uncredited) * ''

The Demi-Paradise ''The Demi-Paradise'' (also known as ''Adventure for Two'') is a 1943 British comedy film made by Two Cities Films. It stars Laurence Olivier as a Soviet Russian inventor who travels to England to have his revolutionary propeller manufactured, a ...

'' (1943) - George Tisdall * ''

English Without Tears ''English Without Tears'' is a 1944 British romantic comedy film directed by Harold French and starring Michael Wilding, Penelope Dudley-Ward and Lilli Palmer. It was released in the U.S. under the title ''Her Man Gilbey'', as a reference t ...

'' (1944) - (uncredited) * ''

'' (1944) - Court - Soldier in the English Army * ''

They Were Sisters ''They Were Sisters'' is a 1945 British melodrama film directed by Arthur Crabtree for Gainsborough Pictures and starring James Mason and Phyllis Calvert. The film was produced by Harold Huth, with cinematography from Jack Cox and screenplay ...

'' (1945) - John Watson * '' Badger's Green'' (1949) - Dickie Wetherby * ''

Landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

'' (1949) - Lambert (uncredited) * '' The Browning Version'' (1951) - Head Boy (uncredited) * '' The Dam Busters'' (1955) - Flt / Lt. A. T. Taerum, D.F.C. * ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...

'' (1955) - Messenger to Richard * ''

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cr ...

'' (1957) - Allison * '' Second Fiddle'' (1957) - Jack Carter * ''

Top Floor Girl ''Top Floor Girl'' is a 1959 British drama film directed by Max Varnel and starring Kay Callard, Neil Hallett and Robert Raikes. The screenplay was co-written by Brian Clemens. Premise A ruthlessly ambitious woman becomes involved with the son ...

'' (1959) - Stevens Jr. * '' Man Accused'' (1959) - Derek * ''

Night Train for Inverness ''Night Train for Inverness'' is a black and white 1960 British drama film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Norman Wooland, Jane Hylton and Dennis Waterman. It is notable as the film debut of Dennis Waterman. The film was referenced in a ...

'' (1960) - Police Radio Operator (uncredited) * ''

Dentist on the Job ''Dentist on the Job'' is a 1961 British comedy film directed by C. M. Pennington-Richards, the sequel to ''Dentist in the Chair'' (1960). It was released in the US with the title ''Get On with It!''. The film was co-written by Hugh Woodhouse ...

'' (1961) - City Gent * ''

The Fur Collar ''The Fur Collar'' is a 1962 British thriller film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring John Bentley, Martin Benson and Philip Friend. Plot A man wearing a fur-collared coat is shot on his arrival in Paris. A British journalist is co ...

'' (1962) - Carl Jorgensen * '' The Marked One'' (1963) - Chas Warren * ''

Ring of Spies ''Ring of Spies'' (also known as ''Ring of Treason'') is a 1964 British spy film directed by Robert Tronson and starring Bernard Lee, William Sylvester and Margaret Tyzack. It is based on the real-life case of the Portland Spy Ring, whose activit ...

'' (1964) - Lt. Downes (uncredited)

References

External links

* 1927 births 2001 deaths Radio and television announcers English male television actors English male film actors English male stage actors {{England-actor-stub