Larry Dann (born 15 May 1941 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England) is a British film and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

. His acting career began by a fluke, with "a chance knock at the door looking for kids to work in films." He made his film debut age five in ''

Adam and Evelyn ''Adam and Evelyne'', released in the U.S. as ''Adam and Evalyn'', is a 1949 romance film starring Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons. According to Robert Osborne, host of Turner Classic Movies, this suited the stars, as they were romantically invo ...

'' (1946) with

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and afte ...

and

Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...

, and worked as an extra before training at the Corona Stage Academy. As a youngster he had a cameo playing a schoolboy in ''

Carry On Teacher ''Carry On Teacher'' is a 1959 British comedy film, the third in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It was released at the Plaza Cinema in London on 3 September 1959. It features Ted Ray in his only ''Carry On'' role, alongsi ...

'' (1959), and appeared in two films with Sir

Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring a hapless onscreen character often called Norman ...

, '' Trouble in Store'' (1953) and '' The Bulldog Breed'' (1960). He later rejoined the famous Carry On series of films for '' Carry On Behind'' (1975), '' Carry On England'' (1976) and ''

Carry On Emmannuelle ''Carry On Emmannuelle'' is a 1978 British comedy film, the 30th release in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film was to be the final ''Carry On'' for many regulars, including Kenneth Williams (in his 26th ''Carry On'') ...

'' (1978). His other film roles included '' What a Crazy World'' (1963), '' All Neat in Black Stockings'' (1968), '' The Body Stealers'' (1969), '' Before Winter Comes'', (1969), '' Ghost Story'' (1974) and '' The Bunker'' (1981). From 1984 to 1992, he played Sergeant Alec Peters in 227 episodes of the ITV police series ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

''. In 2020, Dann shared his memories of his early work on ''The Bill'' for the book
Witness Statements: Making The Bill (Series 1-3)
'. A follow-up volume,
Witness Statements: Making The Bill (1988)
' was published in 2022, also featuring memories from Dann about his time as Sgt. Peters during the earliest half-hour episodes of the programme. Dann joined the Theatre Workshop in 1962 and appeared in numerous plays directed by

Joan Littlewood Joan Maud Littlewood (6 October 1914 – 20 September 2002) was an English theatre director who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and is best known for her work in developing the Theatre Workshop. She has been called "The Mother of ...

including ''

Oh, What a Lovely War! ''Oh, What a Lovely War!'' is an epic musical developed by Joan Littlewood and her ensemble at the Theatre Workshop in 1963. It is a satire on World War I, and by extension on war in general. The title is derived from the "somewhat satirical" ...

'' in London, Paris and New York.

References

External links

*
Larry Dann biography

The Bill Podcast Larry Dann Interview
1941 births Living people English male television actors {{england-tv-actor-stub