John Carlisle (actor)
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John Carlisle (6 September 1935 – 7 December 2011) was an English television and stage actor.


Early life

Carlisle was born in London and named John Roxburgh Clark. He decided in his early teens that he wanted to become an actor. He started acting in amateur productions until he was called up for
National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...
. Upon his release he worked odd jobs, determined to finance an acting course at
RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...
. Eventually he found himself with enough money, only to discover all his hard work had been unnecessary, for he had been entitled to a council grant all along. On completion of his training at RADA, Carlisle joined Harrogate Repertory and subsequently appeared in repertory all over the country, including at Ipswich, Birmingham and Liverpool. ''Grand Theatre Wolverhampton: Relatively Speaking'', Programme April 1968. http://www.grandmemories.co.uk/Memory.aspx?MemoryId=238&FileId=2666#Images


Television and film

While appearing in repertory at Birmingham, Carlisle was spotted by an ATV casting director and asked to audition for the hospital drama series '' Emergency Ward 10''. Carlisle first assumed the role of the young doctor Lester Large in episode 533, in 1962. His character became a regular in the show, and Carlisle made numerous appearances including in the final episode of the long-running series in 1967. He starred alongside
John Woodvine John Woodvine (born 21 July 1929) is an English actor who has appeared in more than 70 theatre productions, as well as a similar number of television and film roles. Early life Woodvine was born in South Shields, the son of Rose (née Kelly) ...
in the
London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT; now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00&nbs ...
crime series ''
New Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...
'' from 1972 to 1973. He played the opinionated and sometimes callous Detective Inspector (later Sergeant) Alan Ward and referred to having played the role "in kind of a
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
way, beating up criminals and things like that". The portrayal led to letters of complaint, so that the character was toned down in subsequent series."British TV soap actor switches to Shakespeare" in ''Record Journal'', 30 November 1984, p. 17. In 1979, Carlisle appeared in the
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 ...
series '' The Omega Factor'' as the morally ambiguous
psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...
Dr. Roy Martindale. In 2002 he portrayed the important supporting role of James Forsyte, father of Soames Forsyte, in ''
The Forsyte Saga ''The Forsyte Saga'', first published under that title in 1922, is a series of three novels and two interludes published between 1906 and 1921 by the English author John Galsworthy, who won the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature. They chronicle th ...
''. He also made one-off appearances in series such as '' The Avengers'', ''
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 and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...
'', '' Strange Report'', ''
Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...
'', ''
Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery fiction, mystery series, based on the Lovejoy (novel series), novels by John Grant (Lovejoy), John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six ser ...
'', ''
The Black Adder ''The Black Adder'' is the first series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, directed by Martin Shardlow and produced by John Lloyd. The series was originally aired on BBC1 from 15 June 1983 to 20 Ju ...
'', '' Hustle'', ''
Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...
'', ''
Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
'', '' The Catherine Tate Show'', ''
Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...
'', '' Between the Lines'', '' The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries'', '' The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes'' and ''
Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...
''. On film, Carlisle played the elderly Private Mirus in the 2001 horror film '' The Bunker''. He also had small roles in Richard E. Grant's '' Wah-Wah'' (2005) and in '' Forget Me Not'' (2010). Carlisle died in London, England, UK on 7 December 2011, aged 76.


Later work in theatre

Carlisle joined the
Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
(RSC) in 1979, rather unusually for an actor who until then had predominantly worked in television. He then performed extensively on stage (see 'Selected stage work'). He appeared on Broadway in the RSC productions ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (both 1985) and '' The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (1986) as well as ''A Doll's House'' (1997). As an Associate Artist with the RSC he appeared in a great number of plays, including ''The Taming of the Shrew'', ''Love's Labour's Lost'', ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', ''The Seagull'' and ''Per Gynt''. In later years he worked prominently at the National Theatre.


Selected stage work

*1970 – ''The Boys in the Band'' (as director and actor) *1978 – ''Every Good Boy Deserves Favour'' *1980 – ''Timon of Athens'' *1980/1981 – ''Richard III'' *1981 – ''The Maid's Tragedy'' *1981 – ''The Fool'' *1981 – ''Troilus and Cressida'' *1982 – ''The Taming of the Shrew'' *1982–85 – ''Much Ado About Nothing''"Much Ado About Nothing: RSC Staging History 1960–2007" *1983 – ''Molière'' *1984 – ''Softcops'' *1984 – ''Cyrano de Bergerac'' *1984 – ''Love's Labour's Lost'' *1984–1985 – ''Henry V'' *1984–1986 – ''Richard III'' *1986 – '' The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' *1987 – ''Hyde Park'' *1987 – ''The New Inn'' *1987/1988 – ''The Jew of Malta'' *1987/1988 – ''The Merchant of Venice'' *1987–1988 – ''Twelfth Night'' *1988 – ''A Question of Geography'' *1989 – ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' *1989 – ''Cymbeline'' *1990 – ''Two Shakespeare Actors'' *1990 – ''The Seagull'' *1990/1991 – ''Much Ado About Nothing'' *1991/1992 – ''A Woman of No Importance'' *1993 – ''Elgar's Rondo'' *1994 – ''Ghosts'' *1994/1995 – ''Alice's Adventures Underground'' *1995 – ''Cain'' *1996 – ''The Painter of Dishonour'' *1997 – ''A Doll's House'' *1997/1998 – ''The Invention of Love'' *1999 – ''King Lear'' *2000 – ''Semi Monde'' *2002 – ''The Coast of Utopia'' *2003/04 – ''His Dark Materials'' *2005 – ''Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2'' *2005 – ''As You Desire Me''


Audio work

*1994 – ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'' (abridged, Naxos AudioBooks) *1994 – ''Fast Coach To Gneixendorf'' (BBC) *1995 – ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (BBC) *1996 – ''Framely Parsonage'' (BBC) *1997 – ''A House By The Sea'' (BBC) *1998 – ''The Birds Fall Down'' (
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
) *1999 – ''The Invention of Love'' (
BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
) *2001 – ''King Lear'' (BBC R3) *2002 – ''His Dark Materials: The Subtle Knife'' (BBC R4) *2002 – ''Wife To Mr. Milton'' (BBC R4) *2003 – ''Our Kath'' (BBC R4) *2003 – ''Strangers and Brothers'' (BBC R4) *2004 – ''Miracle Postponed'' (BBC R4) *2005 – ''Fragments'' (BBC R4) *2006 – ''Street And Lane'' (BBC R4) *2007 – ''Felix Holt, The Radical'' (BBC) *??? – ''Byron'' (ballet by Paul Reid) (BBC)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carlisle, John English male television actors English male stage actors 1935 births 2011 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art