Jonathan Edmund Fulford "John" Turner (9 November 1951 – 16 June 2020), better known by his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

John Benfield, was a British character actor.

Early life and education

Benfield was born in Wanstead, Essex, the son of margarine sales representative Fred Turner and his wife Joan, née White. He was educated at Loughton school, then the town's further education college; after four years as an ambulance driver in London, he studied history at the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

, during which time he discovered a passion for acting with the drama society. After training at the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehen ...

from 1976 to 1978, with there already an actor called "John Turner", he assumed the stage name "John Benfield", the surname coming from his mother's side.

Career

Benfield appeared in 75 television episodes or films starting in 1981 with small parts in

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

drama adaptations, such as ''The Winter's Tale'' and ''The Day of the Triffids''.

Personal life

Benfield lived in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

with his wife, Lilian, née Lees. They had one son, Freddie. He died of

sarcoma A sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that arises from cells of mesenchymal origin. Originating from mesenchymal cells means that sarcomas are cancers of connective tissues such as bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, or vascular tissues. Sarcom ...

in June 2020 at the age of 68.

Filmography

Film

*''Breakout'' (1984) as Minder *'' Whoops Apocalypse'' (1986) as Secret Service Agent *'' Buster'' (1988) as Jimmy *''

Hidden Agenda Hidden Agenda or Hidden Agendas may refer to: Video games * ''Hidden Agenda'' (1988 video game), a 1988 text-based game * ''Hidden Agenda'' (2017 video game), a thriller video game developed by Supermassive Games for the PlayStation 4 Film * ...

'' (1990) as Maxwell *''

In the Name of the Father ''In the Name of the Father'' is a 1993 biographical crime drama film co-written and directed by Jim Sheridan. It is based on the true story of the Guildford Four, four people falsely convicted of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed fo ...

'' (1993) as Chief Prison Officer Barker *'' Beautiful Thing'' (1996) as Rodney Barr *''

101 Dalmatians 101 Dalmatians may refer to: * '' The Hundred and One Dalmatians'', a 1956 novel written by Dodie Smith * 101 Dalmatians (franchise), a Disney film franchise based on the novel ** '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'', a 1961 animated film based on ...

'' (1996) as Doorman *''

Owd Bob ''Owd Bob: The Grey Dog of Kenmuir'', also titled ''Bob, Son of Battle'' for US editions, is a children's book by English author Alfred Ollivant (writer), Alfred Ollivant. It was published in 1898 and became popular in the United Kingdom and ...

'' (1998) as Blake *'' Cousin Bette'' (1998) as Dr. Bianchon *'' You're Dead'' (1999) as Badger *'' 24 Hours in London'' (2000) as Insp. Duggan *'' Lover's Prayer'' (2001) as Nirmansky *''Endgame'' (2001) as Dunston *''Den tredje vågen'' (2003) as Stevens *'' Evilenko'' (2004) *''

Flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

'' (2007) as Frank *''

Cassandra's Dream ''Cassandra's Dream'' is a 2007 crime thriller drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. Shot in England, the film is a co-production between the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. The film premiered in secret in Avilés, Spai ...

'' (2007) as Brian Blaine *''

Speed Racer ''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuo Yoshida. It was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in form by Sun Wide Comics and later re-re ...

'' (2008) as Cruncher Block *'' The Best Offer'' (2013) as Barman *'' Cold Skin'' (2017) as Captain Axel *'' Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle'' (2018) as Wolf Elder (voice) *'' The Coldest Game'' (2019) as Dr. Peter (final film role)

TV

*''

Eurocops ''Eurocops'' is a European television crime TV-series produced between 1988 and 1992. It is a co-production between seven European TV stations in which each station produced a number of episodes which were then pooled, dubbed and otherwise adapte ...

'' (1988-1990) as DC George Jackson *''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...

'' (1990 TV Movie) as Black Dog *''

Prime Suspect ''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television series devised by Lynda La Plante. Broadcast on ITV between 1991 and 2006, it stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater Lo ...

'' (1991-1995) as Superintendent Michael Kernan *''

Maigret Jules Maigret (), or simply Maigret, is a fictional French police detective, a '' commissaire'' ("commissioner") of the Paris ''Brigade Criminelle'' ('' Direction Régionale de la Police Judiciaire de Paris:36, Quai des Orfèvres''), created ...

'' (1993) as Henri Lautier *''

Sharpe's Revenge ''Sharpe's Revenge'' is the nineteenth historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series written by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1989. The peace of 1814 formally ends the Peninsular War, but it does not end all hostilities among individual ...

'' (1997) as General Calvet *''

Hippies A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...

'' (1999) *'' The Worst Week of My Life'' (2004) as Ron Steel

Other

*'' Doctor Who: Circular Time'' (Audio Drama)

References

External links

* 1951 births 2020 deaths British male film actors British male television actors {{UK-screen-actor-stub