John Bennett (actor)

Born in Beckenham, Kent, he was educated at Bradfield College in Berkshire, then trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, followed by a wide repertory theatre experience including Bromley, Bristol Old Vic, Dundee, the Edinburgh Festival and Watford before going to London's West End.

Often cast as a villain, he had many roles on television including Market in Honey Lane, Porridge, Survivors, The Avengers, Strange Report, Bergerac, The Professionals and four episodes of The Saint . He guest-starred in two Doctor Who serials, as General Finch in Invasion of the Dinosaurs (1974) and as the Chinese magician Li H'sen Chang in The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977).[2][3] He is also well remembered as Philip Bosinney in the BBC's adaptation of The Forsyte Saga (1967), but also appeared in over three hundred TV productions including God's Architect; Blake's 7; I, Claudius; Rome; Rosemary & Thyme; Saracen; Honey Lane; Special Branch; Softly, Softly; Mulberry; Tales of the Unexpected and Anna Karenina.[4] One of his last televised roles was in an episode of Jonathan Creek.[5]

His film roles included The House That Dripped Blood (1970), The House in Nightmare Park (1973), The Fifth Element (1997), Charlotte Gray (2001) and Minority Report (2002).[1][6] He also played an undercover detective in Victim, but the role was uncredited.[7]

His theatre roles included Yasha in The Cherry Orchard and Henry Percy (Hotspur) in Henry IV, Part 1 both for John Gielgud, Exton in Richard II and Volscian Senator in Coriolanus (Almeida Theatre), Marley's Ghost in A Christmas Carol (Royal Shakespeare Company) and Uncle in Inner Voices (Royal National Theatre), as well as working extensively at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester.[8] He starred in many West End musicals including On Your Toes (Palace), Marilyn! (Adelphi), The Sound of Music (Apollo Victoria), The King and I (London Palladium), The Baker's Wife (Phoenix) and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for his performance as Louis Epstein in Jolson The Musical (Victoria Palace and Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto).[9] His last stage role was as Conrad in Gates of Gold by Frank McGuinness with William Gaunt at the Finborough Theatre, London, in December 2004.[10]

In radio, he had been a member of the BBC Drama Repertory Company, and his broadcast parts included roles in programmes that ranged from Shakespeare to Paul Temple.[11][12]

Bennett was an enthusiastic amateur flier and an accomplished glider pilot. For many years he was a member of the RAF G.S.A (Gliding and Soaring Association) Centre at RAF Bicester in the 1970s. He flew alongside Warrant Officer Andy Gough (then Chief Flying Instructor) and was a part owner of a number of high performance gliders.[13]

• John Bennett at IMDb
• John Bennett at Find a Grave
• Obituary in The Independent