John Wilson Stratton (7 November 1925 – 25 October 1991) was a British actor, born in Clitheroe,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

, where he kept his permanent home. He is perhaps best known for his early film roles during the fifties, where he played the young apprentice parts of Ferraby and Ward opposite Jack Hawkins in both '' The Cruel Sea'' (1953) and '' The Long Arm'' (1956) respectively. He played a similar role on television in the third Quatermass serial ''

Quatermass and the Pit ''Quatermass and the Pit'' is a British television science-fiction serial transmitted live by BBC Television in December 1958 and January 1959. It was the third and last of the BBC's ''Quatermass'' serials, although the chief character, Prof ...

'', essaying the role of Captain Potter opposite André Morell's Professor Bernard Quatermass. Older and less boyish by the sixties, he emerged as character actor of some range, playing numerous roles in many television programmes of the decade including the part of alcoholic journalist Fred Blane in ''

It's Dark Outside ''The Odd Man'' was a police series produced by Granada Television, running over four series between 1960 and 1963. The character of pompous police Chief Inspector Charles Rose (William Mervyn) at the start of series 3 cemented the show's pop ...

''. Other TV appearances include '' Dixon of Dock Green'', '' The Avengers'', '' Armchair Theatre'', '' The Man in Room 17'', '' Public Eye'', ''Mr. Rose'', ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it deb ...

'', ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

'' (playing Inspector Athelney Jones), ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'', ''

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are ide ...

'' ( "E.S.P." episode), '' The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes'', '' Hadleigh'', '' The Forgotten Story'', '' Softly, Softly'', '' The Pallisers'', '' Fall of Eagles'', ''

Backs to the Land ''Backs to the Land'' is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 15 April 1977 to 1 September 1978. Starring Philippa Howell, Terese Stevens and Marilyn Galsworthy, ''Backs to the Land'' is set during World War II. It was written by David Cl ...

'', '' The Professionals'', ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' (in the serial '' The Two Doctors''), '' Juliet Bravo'', The Trinity Tales and ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

''.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Small Back Room ''The Small Back Room'', released in the United States as ''Hour of Glory'', is a 1949 film by the British producer-writer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger starring David Farrar and Kathleen Byron and featuring Jack Hawki ...

'' (1949) - Young Army Officer at Committee Meeting (uncredited) * '' The Cure for Love'' (1949) - Sam * '' Seven Days to Noon'' (1950) - Army Mechanic (uncredited) * '' Appointment with Venus'' (1951) - 1st.R.A.F. Officer * '' The Happy Family'' (1952) - David * '' The Cruel Sea'' (1953) - Lieutenant Ferraby * '' The Long Arm'' (1956) - Detective Sergeant Ward * ''

The Man in the Sky ''The Man in the Sky'' (released in the U.S. as ''Decision Against Time'') is a 1957 thriller drama film starring Jack Hawkins and produced by Ealing Films, Michael Balcon's new company, set up after Rank had sold Ealing Studios in Ealing Gree ...

'' (1957) - Peter Hook * ''

Seven Waves Away ''Seven Waves Away'' (alternate U.S. titles: ''Abandon Ship!'' and ''Seven Days From Now'') is a 1957 British adventure film directed by Richard Sale and starring Tyrone Power, Mai Zetterling, Lloyd Nolan, and Stephen Boyd. When his ship goes ...

'' (1957) - Jimmy 'Sparks' Clary * '' The Challenge'' (1960) - Rick * '' Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell'' (1974) - Asylum Director

References

External links

* 1925 births 1991 deaths English male television actors People from Clitheroe 20th-century English male actors {{UK-tv-actor-1920s-stub