John Woodvine - Career

Career

Woodvine worked with The Old Vic company in the 1950s. In 1957, along with Russell Napier, John Carlisle and Edgar Lustgarten, Woodvine appeared in the 63-episode American Broadcasting Company anthology television series, Scotland Yard. Woodvine's role was that of Inspector Kingdom.

Woodvine also had a long career with the Royal Shakespeare Company, having appeared in 1976 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's 1980 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 a regular role in the seminal British drama series Z-Cars as Det. Insp. Witty (1968-69) and guest appearances in Softly, Softly in the 1970s. He re-created his role of Inspector 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. His role as a policeman even extended to playing the traditional village 'bobby', as Constable Tedder in the BBC television adaptation of Arthur Ransome's Big Six, and Coot Club.

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 series 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. In 2010, he appeared as Alan Hoyle in Coronation Street.

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 as "Dr. Byron Caligari" in the BBC Radio 4 macabre comedy series The Cabaret of Dr Caligari. Most recently, he voiced the role of "Prospero" on the 6 May 2012 broadcast of The Tempest on BBC Radio 3.