A History Of Liverpool Thespians - Jeremy Young

 

John Henry Young was born on the 28th of July in Liverpool and was known professionally as Jeremy Young. His inspiration to become an actor came from his late grandfather, who acted as his mentor until he was 9. He went to the Liverpool Institute where he wanted to be in the school plays but was told, 'No you can’t be in the school play because you don’t talk right, you don’t talk properly’. At the age of 18 he did his National Service and while in the army he directed plays and put plays on. On leaving the army he went up to Peterborough and presented himself at Peterborough Community Theatre, following a recommendation from an army friend who was then a newspaper reporter in the area. Without professional experience he was rejected but stuck around in Peterborough and became a furniture salesman. He got to know one of the young actresses at the Rep and she suggested he looked in The Stage newspaper as they advertised for actors. He applied and got a job which included ASM, assistant stage management duties, went down to Tunbridge for the princely sum of four pounds a week where, performing in Agatha Christie plays and farces, he befriended another actor Donald Sartain who then left to work with Joan Littlewood after a couple of months. Jeremy stayed with Jack Bradley's rep before meeting up again with Donald Sartain, who, with a friend, had decided to start a company down at Lyme Regis called The Renaissance Theatre Company and Donald asked him to join him down there. They took over a little theatre which had been closed for years and painted it themselves for the summer season. With it being a holiday audience they did four play in ten days, with a children's play in the morning as well.

Donald continued with that company for the next year but Jeremy left because he wanted to stretch himself even further and there was a company further down the coast, a three weekly company The West of England Theatre company, quite a well known company where Joan Plowright had worked. There he worked on Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde and Shakespeare plus contemporary plays as well, but about then there was a complete revolution in the theatre with 'Look Back in Anger' (1956), and television had started, so suddenly audiences demanded more realism. Regional accents became fashionable all of a sudden and he moved in the end from the West of England and graduated finally to Birmingham, because the Mecca for regional actors in those years was Birmingham Rep. After Birmingham Rep. where he played 'Hamlet' (1959), he went down to Guildford Rep, staying for about a year, playing very good parts but then decided in 1961 that he'd been in theatre for about six years and wanted to get into television which was very up and coming at that time. He gave in his notice, putting himself out of work, and came into London and got a flat with his newly married wife Coral Atkins opposite Holloway prison.

As Kai in Dr. Who

Struggling for money, he went for an interview for a new ATV television series called 'Deadline Midnight' (1960-61). The casting director had seen him in rep and liked what he saw. As well as his TV work he continued in theatre and whilst playing Macduff in 'Macbeth' at the Edinburgh Festival he was offered a part in the first series of 'Dr. Who' which provided him with his first claim to fame as the very first villain in 'Dr Who' (1963-65) as Kai. After an uncredited appearance as a Police Constable in 'A Hard Day's Night' (1964), his next major TV part was in the series 'The Three Musketeers' (1966-67) and 'The Further Adventures of the Musketeers' (1967), as Athos alongside Jeremy Brett (D'Artagnan), Brian Blessed (Porthos) and Gary Watson (Aramis). Numerous guest spots on TV followed, most often as authority figures. including 'Z-Cars' (1962-69), 'The Avengers' (1966-68), 'Softly Softly' (1967-68), 'The Saint' (1966-69), 'Canterbury Tales' (1969), 'Dixon of Dock Green'(1969-72) and 'Space:1999' (1977). Following his divorce from Coral Atkins he married the actress Kate O'Mara in 1971 before their divorce in 1976. Other noteable TV appearances where 'Dick Barton: Special Agent' (1979), 'On The Line' (1982) and 'Brat Farrar' (1982).

As Benny Lewis in Coronation Street

He also had long appearances in popular soap series, firstly in 'Coronation Street' (1972) when he appeared as Bernard 'Benny' Lewis, a Liverpool-born businessman who opened up a Betting Shop in the precinct.Then he was in 'Eastenders'1988-89) as Officer Stone, a Prison Officer in HM Prison Dickens Hill who first meets Den Watts when he is sent there on remand before his trial.
Jeremy Young died on the 9th of April 2022 at the age of 88. 

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2023/09/a-history-of-liverpool-thespians_21.html