Sir John Ronald Leon, 4th Baronet (born 16 August 1934), known professionally as John Standing, is an English actor.

Early life

Standing was born in London, the son of Kay Hammond (née Dorothy Katherine Standing), an actress, and Sir Ronald George Leon, 3rd Baronet, a stockbroker descended from Sir Herbert Leon, the builder of

Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and Bletchley Park estate, estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire), that became the principal centre of Allies of World War II, Allied World War II cryptography, code-breaking during the S ...

. He succeeded his father as the 4th baronet in 1964, but does not use the title. The Leon family were, until 1937, owners of

, the country house in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

used in the Second World War as a code-breaking centre. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Millfield School Millfield is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) located in Street, Somerset, England. It was founded in 1935. Millfield is a registered charity and is the largest co-educational boarding s ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

. He served in the

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United Sta ...

as a second lieutenant, before going on to study at the

Byam Shaw School of Art The Byam Shaw School of Art, often known simply as Byam Shaw, was an independent art school in London, England, which specialised in fine art and offered foundation and degree level courses. It was founded in 1910 by Byam Shaw, John Liston Bya ...

in London.

Career

Standing began his career in

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

's 1955 production of ''

Titus Andronicus ''The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus'', often shortened to ''Titus Andronicus'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first t ...

'' starring

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

and wife

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; born Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. After completing her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progress ...

and later played leading parts in

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

's ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde, the last of his four drawing-room plays, following ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1892), ''A Woman of No Importance'' (1893) and ''An Ideal Husban ...

'',

Christopher Fry Christopher Fry (18 December 1907 – 30 June 2005) was an English poet and playwright. He is best known for his verse dramas, especially '' The Lady's Not for Burning'', which made him a major force in theatre in the 1940s and 1950s. Biograp ...

's ''

Ring Round the Moon ''Ring Round the Moon'' is a 1950 adaptation by the English dramatist Christopher Fry of Jean Anouilh's '' Invitation to the Castle'' (1947). Peter Brook commissioned Fry to adapt the play and the first production of ''Ring Round the Moon'' was ...

'', ''A Sense of Detachment'' by

John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor, and entrepreneur, who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in post-war theatre. Born in London, he briefly worked as a jo ...

, and

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetuall ...

'', with

Maggie Smith Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (28 December 1934 – 27 September 2024) was a British actress. Known for her wit in both comedic and dramatic roles, she had List of Maggie Smith performances, an extensive career on stage and screen for over seve ...

. He was nominated for an Olivier award (1979) for ''Close of Play'' at the National Theatre. He made his film debut in ''

The Wild and the Willing ''The Wild and the Willing'' (also known as ''Young and Willing'') is a 1962 British romantic drama film, directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Virginia Maskell, Paul Rogers, Ian McShane and Samantha Eggar. It is the film debuts of Ian McShan ...

'' (1962), going on to appear in '' King Rat'' (1965), '' Walk, Don't Run'' (1966), ''The Psychopath'' (1966), '' The Eagle Has Landed'' (1976), ''

The Elephant Man Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890) was an English man known for his severe physical deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "The Elephant Man", and then went to live at the London Hospital, ...

'' (1980), '' Nightflyers'' (1987), ''

Mrs Dalloway ''Mrs Dalloway'' is a novel by Virginia Woolf published on 14 May 1925. It details a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a fictional upper-class woman in post-First World War England. The working title of ''Mrs Dalloway'' was ''The Hours ...

'' (1997) and '' A Good Woman'' (2004). One of his first major television roles was as

Sidney Godolphin Sidney Godolphin is the name of: * Sidney Godolphin (colonel) (1652–1732), Member of Parliament for fifty years * Sidney Godolphin (poet) (1610–1643), English poet * Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of G ...

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 ...

twelve-part serial, '' The First Churchills'' (1969). Other television appearances include '' Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'' (1979); the ITV

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

The Other 'Arf ''The Other 'Arf'' is a British television ITV situation comedy, sitcom series broadcast from 30 May 1980 to 30 March 1984. It stars John Standing as upper class Conservative politician Charles Latimer, MP, who begins a relationship with working ...

'' (1980–84), with Lorraine Chase; ''The Choir'' (1995) and ''King Solomon's Mines'' (2004). In the United States, he made guest appearances in numerous weekly programmes including ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

'', ''Civil Wars'' and ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'', and co-starred briefly with

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor. He is known for starring in the television shows ''It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series), It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch (American TV series), Switch'' (1975–1978), ...

and

Samantha Smith Samantha Reed Smith (June 29, 1972 – August 25, 1985) was an American peace activist and child actress from Manchester, Maine, who became famous for her anti-war outreaches during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. ...

in the action series '' Lime Street'' (1985). In 1976, he also appeared opposite

Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...

in the little-seen BBC thriller film, '' Rogue Male'', directed by Clive Donner. He appeared in the horror film '' Nightflyers'' (1987) adapted from a short story by

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948) also known by the initials G.R.R.M. is an American author, television writer, and television producer. He is best known as the author of the unfinished series of Hi ...

. In 2002, he had a speaking credit on '' Lost Horizons'', the second studio album from the British electronic duo

Lemon Jelly Lemon Jelly are a British electronic music duo from London that formed in 1998 and went on hiatus starting in 2008. Since its inception, the band members have always been Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen. Lemon Jelly has been nominated for awards ...

. On track 1, "Elements", he lists the basic “elements" that make up the world: ash, metal, water, wood, fire and sky. On track 3, "Ramblin' Man", Standing reads a long list of various locations around the world, ranging from small Sussex villages to major world capitals. In July 2010, it was confirmed that he would be appearing as Jon Arryn in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

series ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

'', based on Martin's ''

A Song of Ice and Fire ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a series of high fantasy novels by the American author George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the first volume, ''A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and published it in 1996. Martin, who originally envisioned the ser ...

'' novels.

Filmography

Film roles

* '' A Pair of Briefs'' (1962) – Hubert Shannon * ''

'' (1962) – Arthur * ''

The Iron Maiden ''The Iron Maiden'' is a 1963 British comedy film. The film was directed by Gerald Thomas, and stars Michael Craig (actor), Michael Craig, Anne Helm, Jeff Donnell and Alan Hale Jr. There are minor roles for ''Carry On (series), Carry On'' stal ...

'' (1962) – Humphrey Gore-Brown * '' Hot Enough for June'' (1964) – Men's Room Attendant (uncredited) * '' King Rat'' (1965) – Daven * '' The Psychopath'' (1966) – Mark Von Sturm * '' Walk, Don't Run'' (1966) – Julius D. Haversack * '' Torture Garden'' (1967) – Leo Winston (segment 3 "Mr. Steinway") * '' A Touch of Love'' (1969) – Roger Henderson * '' All the Right Noises'' (1971) – Nigel * '' X Y & Zee'' (1972) – Gordon * ''

Au Pair Girls ''Au Pair Girls'' is a 1972 British sex comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Gabrielle Drake, Astrid Frank, Me Me Lai and Nancie Wait. Part of the British 1970s softcore sex comedy genre, the film also includes appearances by mains ...

'' (1972) – Buster * '' Rogue Male'' (1976) – Major Quive-Smith * '' The Eagle Has Landed'' (1976) – Father Philip Verecker * '' Space: 1999'', '' The Mark of Archanon'' (1976) – Pasc * '' The Legacy'' (1978) – Jason Mountolive * '' The Class of Miss MacMichael'' (1978) – Charles Fairbrother * '' The Sea Wolves'' (1980) – Finley * ''

'' (1980) – Fox * '' Privates on Parade'' (1983) – Captain Sholto Savory * '' To Catch a King'' (1984, TV movie) – Duke of Windsor * ''The Young Visiters'' (1984) – Prince of Wales * ''Invitation to the Wedding'' (1985) – Earl Harry * '' Nightflyers'' (1987) – Michael D'Brannin * ''

Chaplin Chaplin may refer to: People * Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977), English comedy film actor and director * Chaplin (name), other people named Chaplin Films * ''Unknown Chaplin'' (1983) * Chaplin (film), ''Chaplin'' (film) (1992) * Chaplin (2011 fi ...

'' (1992) – Butler * ''

'' (1997) – Richard Dalloway * '' The Man Who Knew Too Little'' (1997) – Gilbert Embleton * '' 8½ Women'' (1999) – Philip Emmenthal * ''

Rogue Trader In financial trading, a rogue trader is an employee authorized to make trades on behalf of their employer (subject to certain conditions) who makes unauthorized trades. It can also involve mismarking of securities. The perpetrator is a legitimat ...

'' (1999) – Peter Baring * ''Mad Cows'' (1999) – Politician * '' Pandaemonium'' (2000) – Rev. Holland * '' The Calling'' (2000) – Jack Plummer * '' Queen's Messenger'' (2001) – Foreign Secretary * ''Witness to a Kill'' (2001) – Foreign Secretary * ''Shoreditch'' (2003) – Jenson Thackery * ''Jack Brown and the Curse of the Crown'' (2004) – Sheldon Gotti * '' A Good Woman'' (2004) – Dumby * ''

Animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...

'' (2005) – Dean Frydman * ''

V for Vendetta ''V for Vendetta'' is a British graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd (comics), David Lloyd (with additional art by Tony Weare). Initially published between 1982 and 1985 in black and white as an ongoing Serial (li ...

'' (2006) – Bishop Anthony Lilliman * ''

Lassie Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a 1938 short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a 1940 full-length novel, '' Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with anot ...

'' (2005) – French * ''

Scoop Scoop, Scoops or The Scoop may refer to: Artefacts * Scoop (machine part), a component of machinery to carry things * Scoop (tool), a shovel-like tool, particularly one deep and curved, used in digging * Scoop (theater), a type of wide area l ...

'' (2006) – Garden Party Guests * ''Rabbit Fever'' (2006) – Ally's dad * ''

Outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

'' (2007) – Captain Mardell * ''

I Want Candy "I Want Candy" is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965 that reached No. 11 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It is a famous example of a song that uses the Bo Diddley beat. Original version "I Want Candy" ...

'' (2007) – Michael de Vere * '' Before the Rains'' (2007) – Charles Humphries * '' Cheerful Weather for the Wedding'' (2012) – Horace Spigott * '' Queen and Country'' (2014) – Grandfather George * '' The Hippopotamus'' (2017) – Podmore * '' The Happy Prince'' (2018) – Dr. Tucker * '' The Great Escaper'' (2023) - Arthur

Television roles

* '' The Avengers'' (1963) – East * '' The Saint'' (1963) – Gendarme * ''

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Ca ...

'' (1964) – Siaru * ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again ...

'' (1965) – James * '' The First Churchills'' (1969) – Sidney Godolphin * '' Space: 1999'' (1976) – Pasc * '' Van der Valk'' (1977) – Ehrlich * ''

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' is a 1974 spy novel by the author and former spy John le Carré. It follows the endeavours of the taciturn, ageing spymaster George Smiley to uncover a Soviet mole in the British Secret Intelligence Service. Th ...

'' (1979, TV mini-series) – Sam Collins * '' Pygmalion'' (1983, TV movie) – Col. Pickering * ''

'' (1987–1990) – Chief Daniel Trent / Arthur Constable * '' The Endless Game'' (1989) – Belfrage * ''

'' (1990) – Nigel Morris * ''

Eerie, Indiana ''Eerie, Indiana'' is an American horror science fiction television series that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1991, to December 9, 1993. The series was created by José Rivera and Karl Schaefer, with Joe Dante serving as creati ...

'' (1992) - Professor Zirchon * '' The Old Boy Network'' (1992) – Peter Duckham * '' Riders'' (1993, TV movie) – Malise Gordon * ''

Gulliver's Travels ''Gulliver's Travels'', originally titled ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'', is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clerg ...

'' (1996, TV mini-series) – Admiral Bolgolam * ''

A Dance to the Music of Time ''A Dance to the Music of Time'' is a 12-volume ''Book series#History, roman-fleuve'' by English writer Anthony Powell, published between 1951 and 1975 to critical acclaim. The story is an often comic examination of movements and manners, power ...

'' (1997, TV mini-series) – Nicholas Jenkins * ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

'' (2000) – Jimmy Cheatham * '' The Real Jane Austen'' (2002) - Mr. Austen * ''

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. ...

'' (2004) - Charles Rust - “Bad Tidings” * '' The Line of Beauty'' (2006) – Lord Kessler *''Midsomer Murders'' (2009) - Will Tunstall - “The Dogleg Murders” * ''

'' (2011) (Episode: " Winter Is Coming") – Jon Arryn (corpse) *''Agatha Christie’s Poirot'' (2013) - Colonel Toby Luttrell - “Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case” * ''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

'' (2016) – Sir Henry Imbert-Terry

Arms

References

External links

*
John Standing, photo, filmography, biography and awards; Juggle.com
*
John Standing
(Aveleyman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Standing, John 1934 births Alumni of the Byam Shaw School of Art English male film actors English male television actors King's Royal Rifle Corps officers 4 Living people People educated at Eton College People educated at Millfield Male actors from London Standing family