John Castle

British actor

Maggie Wadey

(m. 1963)

Children1

John Michael Frederick Castle (born 14 January 1940) is an English actor. He is best known for his film and television work, most notably playing Bill in Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup (1966) and Geoffrey in The Lion in Winter (1968). Other significant credits include Man of La Mancha (1972), I, Claudius (1976) and RoboCop 3 (1993).

Early life

Born in Croydon, Castle was educated at Brighton College and Trinity College, Dublin, and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).^[1]

Work

Castle's first appearance was as Westmoreland on stage in Henry V on 5 June 1964, at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park. He was 24 years old. His first Broadway theatre appearance was in February 1970 as "Jos" in the short-lived musical Georgy.

His screen debut was in Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film Blowup playing David Hemmings' artist friend, Bill. In 1968, he portrayed the plotting Prince Geoffrey in the film adaptation of The Lion in Winter, starring Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn. According to Rotten Tomatoes, The Lion in Winter is Castle's "highest-rated" film.^[2] Also in 1967, he appeared in the British TV series The Prisoner as Number 12, a sympathetic guardian in the episode, entitled "The General". Castle also played the role of Octavius Caesar in Charlton Heston's film version of Antony and Cleopatra (1972), as well as the role of Postumus Agrippa in the 1976 BBC series I, Claudius.^[2]

Castle made two appearances in the hard-hitting police drama The Professionals. In his first appearance he played CI5 Officer Tommy McKay in the episode "Heroes", whilst his subsequent appearance saw him in the role of Peter Crabbe, an underworld hitman in the episode "Man Without a Past".

Castle appeared as Carruthers, the most honourable of a trio of schemers in an episode of Granada Television's series Sherlock Holmes ("The Solitary Cyclist", 1984). His association with Sherlock Holmes continued with his role as Nigel St Clair in the film version of The Crucifer of Blood (1991).^[2]^[3]

He played Inspector Craddock in an adaptation of the Agatha Christie story A Murder is Announced (1985), a role he recreated in the Miss Marple mystery The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1992).^[4] He also played the title role in the 2000 made-for-TV version of Christie's Lord Edgware Dies. In 1990 Castle starred as Superintendent George Thorne in the BBC's radio adaptations of John Penn's novels.^[5] Castle appeared in other TV series, including Ben Hall and Lost Empires.^[1]^[6]

Among Castle's stage performances was his role as Oswald in the Royal Shakespeare Company's revival of Ibsen's Ghosts in 1967. He played the title character in the play about Mohandas Gandhi (Gandhi, by Guerney Campbell), performed in 1982 at the Tricycle Theatre in London, under the direction of Peter Stevenson.^[7]

Personal life

Castle is married to writer Maggie Wadey.^[8]

Selected filmography

Film

Blowup (1966) – Bill
The Lion in Winter (1968) – Geoffrey
The Promise (1969) – Marat Yestigneyev
Antony and Cleopatra (1972) – Octavius Caesar
Made (1972) – Father Dyson
Man of La Mancha (1972) – Sanson Carrasco / The Duke
The Incredible Sarah (1976) – Damala
Eliza Fraser (1976) – Captain Rory McBride
Eagle's Wing (1979) – The Priest
Never Never Land (1980) – Jim
King David (1985) – Abner
Dealers (1989) – Frank Mallory
RoboCop 3 (1993) – Paul McDaggett
Sparrow (1993) – Giuseppe
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1995) – Mr. Havisham
Merisairas (1996) – Chief Engineer Josif Mantz
Gods and Generals (2003) – Brig. Gen. William N. Pendleton
I Against I (2012) – Tommy Carmichael

Television

The Prisoner (1967) – Number Twelve in the episode "The General"
The Shadow of the Tower (1972) – Thomas Flamank
Softly, Softly (1973) – Billy Mason
Ben Hall (TV series) (1975, ABC, BBC, 20th Century Fox) – Frank Gardiner
Warship (1975) – Lieutenant-Commander Peter Tremayne, officer commanding the Royal Navy submarine HMS Ovid in the episode "Under the Surface"
I, Claudius (1976) – Agrippa Postumus
The New Avengers (1976) – Colonel Miller in the episode "Dirtier by the dozen"
The Three Hostages (1977) – Dominick Medina
1990 (1977) – Philip Carter
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1978) – Teddy Lloyd
Lillie (1978) – Prince Louis of Battenberg
The Professionals (1978) — CI5 Agent Tommy McKay ('Shotgun Tommy') in A05 "Heroes"; Peter Crabbe in B04 "Man Without a Past"
Tales of the Unexpected - "Fat Chance" (1980) - John Burge
Strangers (1982) – Martin Hargreaves
Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983) – Count Massino
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes "The Solitary Cyclist" (1984) - Carruthers
Miss Marple Series 1 Episode 1: "A Murder is Announced" (1985) – Detective Inspector Craddock
Lost Empires with Laurence Olivier and Colin Firth (1986)
Tales of the Unexpected
The Crucifer of Blood (1991) – Neville St Clair
Inspector Morse Series 5 Episode 3: "Who Killed Harry Field?" (1991) – Tony Doyle
Miss Marple "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" (1992) – Detective Inspector Craddock
Lovejoy (1994) Series 6, Episode 2: Day of Reckoning – Max Hunter
Bramwell (1994) - Guy Le Saux
Pie in the Sky (1996) – Charles Rider
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1997) – Mark in the episode "A Dark Blue Perfume"
Wycliffe (1998, HTV for ITV) - Land's End - Peter Selby
Catherine Cookson's A Dinner of Herbs (2000) - Alfred Cottle
Agatha Christie's Poirot Season 8 Episode 2: "Lord Edgware Dies" (2000) – Lord Edgware
Nova (2000, Public Broadcasting Service) – David Irving
Casualty (2004) – Brian 'Bullet' Taylor
The Princes in The Tower (2005, Channel 4 production) – Dr John Argentine
Spooks (2006) – Jocelyn Myers
Midsomer Murders Series 10 Episode 3: King's Crystal (2007) – Charles King
A Touch of Frost (2008) Mind Games - Charlie Collingham
The Tractate Middoth (2013, BBC) – John Eldred

References

^ ^a ^b Etherington, Jan (November 1986). "Illusionist With No Illusions". TV Times Magazine.
^ ^a ^b ^c "John Castle". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
^ "The Crucifer of Blood". BBC Genome Project. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 March 1996. BBC Programme Index.
^
- Angelini, Sergio. "Miss Marple (1984-92)". BFI Screenonline. British Film Institute.
- "Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side". BBC Genome Project. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 December 1992. BBC Programme Index.
- "A Murder is Announced". BBC Genome Project. British Broadcasting Corporation. 22 August 1992. BBC Programme Index.
^
- "Thorne Investigates: Unto the Grave". BBC Genome Project. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 March 1993. BBC Programme Index.
- "Thorne Investigates: Mortal Term". BBC Genome Project. British Broadcasting Corporation. 8 March 1993. BBC Programme Index.
- "Thorne Investigates: Double Negative". BBC Genome Project. British Broadcasting Corporation. 15 March 1993. BBC Programme Index.
^ "Ben Hall". BBC Genome Project. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 July 1977. BBC Programme Index.
^
- Stoller, Terry (December 2013). Tales of the Tricycle Theatre. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. p. 236. ISBN 978-1-4725-3629-7.
- Campbell, Guerney (1982) [First issued 1970]. Gandhi: A Play in Two Acts.
- "Past Productions 1980–1989: Gandhi by Guerney Campbell". Kiln Theatre.
- "Production management file for Gandhi", Tricycle Theatre Company Archive, item GB 71 THM/317/3/1/15 – Production and event management records – via V&A Theatre and Performance Collections Archives Hub, Play by Guerney Campbell, produced by Tricycle Theatre, directed Peter Stevenson, Feb 1982. Link to the Archives Hub description of records held
^ "Sandstone Press: Maggie Wadely". www.sandstonepress.com. Retrieved 14 January 2020.