John Woodvine (born 21 July 1929) is an English stage and screen actor who has appeared in more than 70 theatre productions, as well as a similar number of television and film roles.
Woodvine was born in South Shields, County Durham, England, the son of Rose (née Kelly) and John Woodvine. He was educated at Lord William's School, Thame, Oxon, and trained for the stage at RADA.
Woodvine worked with the Old Vic company in the 1950s and had a long career with the Royal Shakespeare Company, in 1976 appearing opposite Ian McKellen and Judi Dench as Banquo in the acclaimed Trevor Nunn production of Macbeth, which was later recorded for television. He also appeared in the RSC's1980 landmark production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, starring as the story's primary antagonist, Ralph Nickleby.
Woodvine frequently played police officers from early in his career, including in the seminal British drama series Z Cars in the 1960s and Softly, Softly in the 1970s. One of his better-known roles was Detective Chief Superintendent Kingdom in the 1970s police drama New Scotland Yard. He is also particularly remembered as the disgruntled former policeman who took the lead character hostage in a 1983 episode of Juliet Bravo.
Woodvine played MacDuff in the 20 September 1970 Play of the Month television broadcast of Macbeth, the Marshal in the 1979 Doctor Who serial The Armageddon Factor and Chief Superintendent Ross in Edge of Darkness, and appeared in several episodes of the 1985 television adaptation of The Tripods. He also played a memorable role as Prior Mordrin in the 1987 ITV children's serial Knights of God. More recently he played Frank Gallagher's father, Neville, in the Channel 4 offbeat drama Shameless, and PC Tony Stamp's father Norman in The Bill. In 2008, he appeared in the BBC2 comedy Never Better and as Joe Jacobs in the ITV1 soap Emmerdale.
His film roles include the 1981 John Landis film An American Werewolf in London {he later re-created his film role for the BBC Radio One adaptation of the film). He also appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1972 Richard Attenborough film Young Winston. Woodvine also starred as "Arthur Birling" in the BBC World Service radio adaptation of An Inspector Calls and the BBC Radio 4 macabre comedy series The Cabaret of Dr Caligari as "Dr Caligari".
John Woodvine made apprentice appearances with James Cooper's Renegades Theatre Company in Ilford, where he played such parts as the Conjur Man in "Dark of the Moon" and Claudius in "Hamlet" (a role he repeated with Prospect Theatre Company).
In 1954 he played Caspar Darde in Captain Carvallo on a tour of service establishments.
He joined the Old Vic company in September 1954, ‘walking on’ in Macbeth. Later in the same season he played Vincentio in The Taming of the Shrew (November 1954); Duke (Senior) in As You Like It (March 1955); Vernon in Part 1 and Lord Chief Justice in Part 2 of Henry IV (April 1955); Flavius in Julius Caesar (September 1955); Rugby in The Merry Wives of Windsor (September 1955); Cleomenes in The Winter's Tale (November 1955); and the Bishop of Ely and Macmorris in Henry V (December 1955).
In 1956 his roles for the company included Roderigo in Othello (February); Calchas in Troilus and Cressida (April); Murderer in Macbeth (May); Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet (June); and Lord Scroop of Berkeley in Richard II (July). These four last-named productions toured, including a three-week season at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York in December 1956 and January 1957. Returning to the company in September 1959, he played Careless in The Double Dealer (William Congreve); Mowbray in Richard II; and Nym in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
His subsequent roles have included:
John Woodvine is married to actress Lynn Farleigh and is the father of actress Mary Woodvine.
