Johnny Shannon (29 July 1932 – 17 March 2017) was an English actor. Best known for his role as gangster Harry Flowers in the cult film ''Performance'', he appeared in numerous television and film productions over a 35-year period, often playing policemen or villains in crime dramas.

Early life and career

Johnny Shannon did not take up acting until he was in his late 30s. Previously, he had worked on market stalls in London and as a night driver for newspaper wholesalers. As a young man he had also been a talented amateur boxer in the heavyweight division. During his national service in the army Shannon fought numerous bouts, including against such future British boxing luminaries as Joe Erskine and

Henry Cooper Sir Henry Cooper (3 May 19341 May 2011) was a British heavyweight boxer. He was undefeated in British and Commonwealth heavyweight championship contests for twelve years and held the European heavyweight title for three years. In a 1963 fi ...

. Boxing out of the Fitzroy Lodge Club, Lambeth, he won the south-east London divisional heavyweight final in 1955 and reached the semi-finals of the all-London championship that same year. In the 1960s, Shannon managed a betting shop while also working part-time as a boxing trainer. He was in Henry Cooper's corner as a second when Cooper fought

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

for the first time in 1963. Shannon helped James Fox prepare for his role in the film

Performance A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...

(1970) by arranging sparring sessions in a London gym, and by reading the script with him to get the accent right. Shannon was subsequently auditioned for the part of crime boss Harry Flowers in the film.

gained mixed reviews on initial release, but even those who disliked the film praised Shannon's work in it and he was said to have brought a new level of authenticity to the portrayal of the London gangster. On this foundation he was able to build an acting career in film and on television which lasted through the 1970s and 1980s, with occasional parts thereafter. Among Shannon's other notable film roles were as Jack in ''

That'll Be the Day "That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison. It was first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes in 1956 and was re-recorded in 1957 by Holly and his new band, the Crickets. Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes' ver ...

'' (1973), the Agent in ''

Slade In Flame ''Slade in Flame'' (also known as ''Flame'') is a 1975 musical film starring the British rock band Slade. It was directed by Richard Loncraine and written by Andrew Birkin with additional dialogue by Dave Humphries. The film includes supporting ...

'' (1975), the caged music executive in ''

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'', also known as ''The Great Rock and Roll Swindle'', is a 1980 British mockumentary film directed by Julien Temple and produced by Don Boyd and Jeremy Thomas. It centres on the British punk rock band Sex P ...

'' (1980),

Peter Rachman Perec "Peter" Rachman (16 August 1919 – 29 November 1962) was a Polish-born landlord who operated in Notting Hill, London, England, in the 1950s and early 1960s. He became notorious for his exploitation of his tenants, with the word "Rachmanis ...

in ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...

'' (1989), and as a landlord in '' Stoned'' (2005). He also appeared as a policeman in the music video of Sade's Smooth Operator (1984), directed by

Julien Temple Julien Temple (born 26 November 1953) is a British film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll ...

. On television, Shannon had a substantial role in the

Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

comedy drama series

Beryl's Lot ''Beryl's Lot'' is a British comedy drama about a woman approaching middle-age and embarking on a programme of personal development. It was written by Kevin Laffan (who also created ''Emmerdale''), produced by David Cunliffe and Peter Willes, an ...

(1973 - 1977). He played bookie Wacky Waters, appearing in 44 of the 52 episodes broadcast. Between 1971 and 1976, he played 6 different characters in 6 separate episodes of

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 ...

. Shannon also appeared as several characters in the

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

comedy-drama series ''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

.'' His first appearance was in the episode ''A Tethered Goat,'' in which he appeared as George Lewis, the owner of an

escort agency An escort agency is a company that provides escorts for clients, usually for sexual services. The agency typically arranges a meeting between one of its escorts and the client at the customer's house or hotel room (outcall), or at the escort' ...

. He later played ''"Roly-Poly Peter"'' in the episode ''Second Hand Pose''. Other television appearances included: ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

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 ...

'', ''

Fawlty Towers ''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, originally broadcast on BBC Two in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The series is set in Fawlty Towers, a dysfunctional fictional ...

'', ''

The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a British police drama television series focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective ...

,'' ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'' and as

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...

Charlie Turkel in '' The Professionals'' episode ''Old Dog with New Tricks.''

Later life and death

In 2012 Johnny Shannon was photographed for John Claridge's series of portraits of members of the London Ex-Boxers Association. He died in Lambeth on 17 March 2017, at the age of 84.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shannon, Johnny 1932 births 2017 deaths English male film actors English male television actors Actors from the London Borough of Lambeth Male actors from London People from Lambeth