John Alderton (born 27 November 1940) is an English actor who is best known for his roles in Upstairs, Downstairs, Thomas & Sarah and Please Sir!. Alderton has often starred alongside his wife, Pauline Collins.
Alderton was born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, the son of Ivy (née Handley) and Gordon John Alderton. He grew up in Kingston upon Hull where he attended Kingston High School.
He first became familiar to television viewers when he took the role of Dr Moone in an early ITV soap opera, Emergency Ward 10. He married his co-star, successful actress Jill Browne, but they later divorced. He soon surpassed the fame of his ex-wife, taking the lead in the sitcom Please, Sir!, as hapless teacher Mr Hedges, which later resulted in him also playing the character in the 1971 feature film of the same name. In 1972 he appeared with Hannah Gordon in the BBC comedy series My Wife Next Door which ran for 12 episodes, and for which he won a Jacob's Award in 1975. He then transferred to another top-rated ITV series when he played Thomas Watkins, the chauffeur, in Upstairs, Downstairs, opposite his second wife, Pauline Collins. They had a daughter (the actress Kate Alderton) and two sons (Nic Alderton and Richard Alderton) and also acted together in spin-off series, Thomas & Sarah, and another sitcom, No, Honestly, as well as in a series of short story adaptations called Wodehouse Playhouse (1975-78). In the meantime, he appeared on the big screen against-type as 'Friend' in John Boorman's cult sci-fi movie Zardoz, before returning to more familiar territory, as 1930s Yorkshire vet James Herriot in the film, It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Alderton was little seen, though he did provide the narration for the children's animated series 'Little Miss' in 1983 (with Pauline Collins) and Fireman Sam. He also appeared alongside Pauline Collins in the successful series Forever Green. He made something of a comeback in the 2003 film, Calendar Girls. In 2004, he played a role in the BBC series of Anthony Trollope's He Knew He Was Right.
