John Graham Robinson was born on the 11th of November 1903 in Liverpool.
His first professional appearance came in his home city in 1929, at the
Liverpool Playhouse and he appeared in a variety of stage productions in
London throughout the 1930s. These included 'Black Limelight' by Gordon
Sherry at the Q Theatre in 1937, where his role as Peter Charrington was
described by The Times newspaper's critic as "a skilful, reticent
sketch". He made his film debut in 1936 in 'The Scarab Murder Case', and
had also began appearing on radio and the new medium of television. In
1939 he played Fortinbras in John Gielgud's production of 'Hamlet' which
was the final play to be performed at the Lyceum Theatre before its
closure.
In the Second World War he took part in the D-Day
landings in 1944, a member of the Reconnaisssamce Corps. He returned to
acting in 1949, as John Beresford in the TV production of 'Elizabeth of
Ladymead' which saw him appearing increasingly on television again. He
also appeared in several films with one of his best film roles, with
higher billing than usual, as the villain with redeeming qualities in
'Hammer the Toff' (1952). He was mostly cast in minor supporting roles
both on TV and film as a serious-looking and perpetually frowning
character actor often playing stern paternal roles or hard-nosed
business types. These included uncredited roles in 'Lawrence of Arabia'
and 'The Longest Day' both in 1962. Notable television appearances
included starring roles on 'The Broken Horseshoe' (1952) and 'The Small
House at Allington' (1960) as well as two guest appearances on 'The
Saint' opposite Roger Moore. He was also a regular performer on both the
BBC's Sunday Night Theatre from 1951-1959, and ITV's Armchair Theatre
from 1956-1965.
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| as Professor Quatermass |
He is best remembered for being the second actor
to play the famous television science-fiction role of Professor Bernard
Quatermass in the 1955 BBC Television serial 'Quatermass II'. In August
1955, the actor Reginald Tate died the month before he was due to start
work on 'Quatermass II', having played the part of the Professor in the
first instalment of the series, 'The Quatermass Experiment. With only a
short amount of time to cast a replacement, director Rudolph Carter
offered Robinson the role, as the only suitable actor available.
Robinson had some difficulty with the technical dialogue he was required
to learn, and was also uneasy about taking over a role that had been
established by Tate. However he was not available to reprise the part for the
third serial, 'Quatermass and the Pit' (1958). with the English actor
André Morell taking over the role.
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| With Leslie Caron in 'The Doctor's Dilemma' |
John also appeared in 'The Doctor's
Dilemma' (1958) and 'And The Same To You' (1960). In the 1960s he
starred in another science-fiction series. 'R3', as Sir Michael Gerrard,
the adventures of the staff of Research Centre Number Three (R3),
headed by director Sir Michael Gerrard, and its trouble-shooting
department the Consultancy Service. Over time John Robinson compiled 56
film and television credits to his name.
His final screen role
was in the television series 'Fall of Eagles' in 1974. John died of
cancer in London in March 1979, aged 70.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2023/07/a-history-of-liverpool-thespians-brian.html
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