بیوگرافی
After graduating from drama school in Birmingham in 1970, John spent around a decade working in repertory theatres across England, taking on numerous roles. His engagements included two seasons at the old Derby Playhouse, two seasons at the Lyceum Theatre in Crewe, The Swan Theatre in Worcester, and notably three years with the EMMA Theatre Company based in Loughborough. While with EMMA, John performed throughout the East Midlands in village halls, pubs, schools, and prisons. In the summer of 1973, he worked in weekly repertory, frequently portraying murderers in a wide range of thrillers.
In 1977, John joined Sir Alan Ayckbourn's company in Scarborough, where he remained for three years and returned in 1981 and 1982. During this period, he played leading roles in nine new Ayckbourn plays, as well as significant parts in other productions, such as John Procter in Arthur Miller's The Crucible. His Ayckbourn roles included Roland Crabbe in Taking Steps, Len Coker in Sisterly Feelings, and Richard in Joking Apart. Later, he continued to perform in Ayckbourn's works at venues such as The Palace in Watford, Greenwich Theatre, and The Theatre Royal in Windsor.
In the West End, John appeared in Michael Frayn's Look Look, Sir Peter Hall's revival of Piaf, and Alan Ayckbourn's Communicating Doors. He also took part in two seasons at The Royal National Theatre, featuring as 'Enery in Tons of Money and Desmond in A Small Family Business, among others. John collaborated with Jude Kelly at Leeds and the West Yorkshire Playhouse, where he portrayed Simon Eyre in The Shoemaker's Holiday.
On television, John has appeared numerous times over the past 30-plus years, with notable roles in situation comedies including John in Fresh Fields, Constable Dunstable in Pilgrims Rest (1997), and Phil in Carlton TV's Barbara (1995). His film credits include Thunderpants (2002) and The Abduction Club (2002). He has frequently worked with Mark Gatiss, most notably as Bill Wilson in the BBC 4 film The Worst Journey in the World and as Coil in The Crooked House, also for BBC 4. Since 2017, he has portrayed Bishop Barry in Emmerdale.
John continues to work in theatre; most recently, from 2016 to 2017, he performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing Sir Nathaniel and Antonio in Christopher Luscombe's productions of Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing at The Royal Haymarket Theatre in the West End.
In 2021, he won Best Male Film Actor at the Fisheye Film Festival and Best Actor at the 2021 Dreamers of Dreams Film Festival for his role as Arthur in the short sci-fi film Fearfully Made, directed by Jamie Foreman.
