John Bown

John Bown
Born(1934-07-01)1 July 1934
Corfe Mullen, Dorset, England, UK
Died5 November 2017(2017-11-05) (aged 83)
London, England, UK
OccupationActor
Years active1955–2006
Spouse
Sibylla Kay
​
(m. 1960)​
[1]

John Bown (1 July 1934 – 5 November 2017) was a British actor, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Commander Neil Stafford in the final season of the television series Doomwatch.

Life and career

John Bown was born on 1 July 1934 in Corfe Mullen, Dorset[2] and educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Wimborne Minster.[3] He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and some time after went into repertory in Salisbury and Birmingham.[3] He played Jack Hunter in the British premiere of The Rose Tattoo, performed by the New Shakespeare Theatre Company under the direction of Sam Wanamaker in November 1958,[4] and continued in the role when the company transferred the production to the New Theatre, London in 1959.[5][6] His performance was described as "impressive" by one critic,[7] with another saying "the love-scene between Miss Feller and Mr Bown, for all its wild abandon on her part and desperate abstentions on his, has a rare and tender radiance."[4] Earlier the same year, he had appeared as Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with the same company. A critic wrote "One will not quickly forget ... that interminable second act showdown between the life-loving father (Leo McKern) and the wife-hating son (John Bown), each condemned to suffer in the way that hurts most."[8] In 1960, his performance as Richard Rich in the premiere of A Man for All Seasons was described by a critic in The Stage as "notable".[9]

In the 1960s, he directed and wrote the screenplay for the short (11-minute) film North West Confidential and the feature film Monique, which starred his wife Sibylla Kay in the title role;[10][11] they had married in 1960.[1] Afterwards, Bown was planning his next project titled Hey, You! but could not find the backing for it. He resumed acting.[12]

From 1974 to 1975 he played Colonel Maurel in the play Grand Manoeuvres by A. E. Ellis at The Old Vic, London.[13] Also in 1975, he appeared with the Oxford Playhouse Company in The Caretaker[14] and Death of a Salesman, of which a critic wrote that Bown and Richard Durden "give passionate accounts of the sons. The blood pressure never drops."[15] From 1976 to 1979 he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company,[12] appearing in 16 productions in seven major theatres.[16] Among them was the play Half an hour please! which he wrote and acted in, with the production designed by Judi Dench.[17] One reviewer described it as "a jewel of a piece [that] would lend itself superbly to television."[18]

On television, he appeared in Dr. Who and the Daleks as Antodus (1965),[19] in Doomwatch as Commander Neil Stafford (1972),[19] and as the lead character Detective Inspector Tom Masefield in Margot Bennett's 1965 series The Big Spender.[20][21] He also appeared in such television series as The Four Just Men, No Hiding Place, The Baron, The Champions and Blake's 7.

Bown had two children with his wife Sibylla.[10] He died in Hampstead in 2017.[22]

Selected stage performances

YearTitleAuthorTheatreRoleCompany
1955Both Ends MeetArthur MacraeSpa Theatre, Whitby[23]
1956The Spring PatternMargaret LucePlayhouse, Salisbury[24]
1956The School for WivesMolièreAlexandra Theatre, BirminghamHoraceAlexandra Repertory Company [25]
1957The Touch of FearDorothy and Campbell ChristieAlexandra Theatre, BirminghamMichael StanhamAlexandra Repertory Company[26]
1957Plaintiff in a Pretty HatHugh Williams and Margaret WilliamsAlexandra Theatre, BirminghamLord PlynlimmonAlexandra Repertory Company[27]
1958Cat on a Hot Tin RoofTennessee WilliamsNew Shakespeare Theatre, LiverpoolBrickNew Shakespeare Theatre Company[28][8]
1958The DesertersNorman Thaddeus VaneRoyal Court Theatre, LiverpoolEddy[28][29]
1958Bus StopWilliam IngeNew Shakespeare Theatre, LiverpoolBeauregard "Bo" DeckerNew Shakespeare Theatre Company[28]
1958The Rose TattooTennessee WilliamsNew Shakespeare Theatre, LiverpoolJack HunterNew Shakespeare Theatre Company; British premiere [7][4]
1959The Rose TattooTennessee WilliamsNew Theatre, LondonJack HunterDonmar Productions Ltd, Gilda Dahlberg and Sam Wanamaker Productions Ltd, and New Shakespeare Theatre Club[6][5]
1960A Man for All SeasonsRobert BoltGielgud Theatre, LondonRichard RichPremiere[9]
1961The Bird of TimePeter MayneSavoy Theatre, LondonCaptain Alan CraigAllan Davis Company[30]
1962In the Jungle of CitiesBertolt BrechtTheatre Royal Stratford EastGeorge Garga[31]
1966The BirdwatcherGeorges Feydeau, translated and adapted by Richard CottrellHampstead Theatre ClubDuchotelHampstead Theatre Club[32][33]
1966The Clandestine MarriageColman and GarrickChichester Festival TheatreLovewell[34]
1973A Winter's TaleShakespeareLudlow FestivalLeontes[35]
1974The Front PageBen Hecht and Charles MacArthurHer Majesty's Theatre, Sydney; Comedy Theatre, Melbourne; Her Majesty's Theatre, AdelaideRoyal National Theatre[36]
1975Death of a SalesmanArthur MillerGreenwood Theatre, King's College London; Arts Theatre, LondonBiff LomanOxford Playhouse Company[15][37][38]
1975The CaretakerHarold PinterWarwick Arts CentreAstonOxford Playhouse Company [14][39]
1976MacbethShakespeareThe Other Place, Stratford-upon-AvonLennoxRoyal Shakespeare Company[40][41]
1977Half an Hour, PleaseJohn BownGulbenkian Studio, Newcastle upon TyneDresserRoyal Shakespeare Company (Bown wrote and performed in this play as part of the Newcastle 'Fringe') [18]
1977MacbethShakespeareRoyal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonLennoxRoyal Shakespeare Company [42]
1977The AlchemistBen JonsonThe Other Place, Stratford-upon-AvonRoyal Shakespeare Company [43]
1977MacbethShakespeareRSC Warehouse, London; Young Vic, LondonLennoxRoyal Shakespeare Company [41][44]
1979Every Good Boy Deserves FavourTom StoppardOxford PlayhouseAlexanderOxford Music Theatre [45]
1987This Savage ParadeAnthony ShafferKing's Head Theatre, LondonOphir[46]

Filmography

Actor

Director and screenwriter

  • North West Confidential (1969)
  • Monique (1970)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Maxford, Howard (2019). Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 448. ISBN 9781476629148.
  2. ↑ "John Bown". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  3. 1 2 Bown, John (2011). Aquaruis Dawning. Austin Macauley Publishers. ISBN 9781849630429.
  4. 1 2 3 S.J. (November 5, 1958). "City ovation for "The Rose Tattoo"". Liverpool Daily Post. Liverpool, Merseyside, England. p. 4. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  5. 1 2 Cookman, Anthony (28 January 1959). "A vintage Williams play". The Tatler. p. 46. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  6. 1 2 R.B.M. (22 January 1959). "Tennessee Williams at his best leaves something out". The Stage. p. 9. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  7. 1 2 W.D.A. (November 11, 1958). "New Shakespeare". Liverpool Daily Post. Liverpool, Merseyside, England. p. 5. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  8. 1 2 N.S. (May 29, 1958). "New Shakespeare Theatre. "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"". The Guardian. London, England. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  9. 1 2 R.B.M. (7 July 1960). "'A Man for All Seasons' is a play for today". The Stage. p. 17. Retrieved 1 June 2025. John Bown, as Richard Rich, who smilingly sells his soul for material gains ... [is] also notable.
  10. 1 2 Pepper, Janet (July 10, 1970). "Sibylla was nervous before filming. Nude scene - by order of her husband". The Guardian Journal. Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. p. 8. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  11. ↑ Fleet, Patrick (July 11, 1970). "Another sequel bites the dust". Evening Post. Bristol, Avon, England. p. 16. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  12. 1 2 McGillivray, David (1992). Doing Rude Things. Sun Tavern Fields. p. 107. ISBN 9780951701225.
  13. ↑ "Production of Grand Manoeuvres; Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
  14. 1 2 Clayton, James (November 19, 1975). "Arts Review: The Caretaker ... at Warwick University Centre for the Arts". The Birmingham Post. Birmingham, West Midlands, England. p. 2 The Arts. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  15. 1 2 Marcus, Frank (October 5, 1975). "Researching times past". Sunday Telegraph. London, England. p. 16. Retrieved 27 May 2025. John Bown and Richard Durden give passionate accounts of the sons.
  16. ↑ "RSC: John Bown". Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  17. ↑ "RSC: Half an hour please". Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  18. 1 2 Coen, Harry (March 31, 1977). "Fun fare on the 'fringe'". Northern Echo. Darlington, Durham, England. p. 2. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Search: "John Bown"". BBC Programme Index. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  20. 1 2 North, Max (December 3, 1965). "Talking TV - Thriller". Manchester Evening News. Manchester, England. p. 3. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  21. 1 2 Carter, Will (December 4, 1965). "Curtain Up on Armchair Theatre". Lancashire Telegraph. Blackburn, Lancashire, England. p. 6. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  22. ↑ "Old Winburnians newsletter – Spring 2020" (PDF). Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  23. ↑ "An Actor All The Time. Spa Theatre, Whitby". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 13 September 1955. p. 10. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  24. ↑ "'The Spring Pattern'". The Stage. 22 March 1956. p. 7. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  25. ↑ Foxon, Ellen (October 5, 1956). "This Week's Show. Alexandra Theatre". Birmingham Weekly Post and Midland Pictorial. Birmingham, West Midlands, England. p. 6. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  26. ↑ W.H.W. (May 14, 1957). "The mystery of the two mysteries". Birmingham Evening Mail. Birmingham, West Midlands, England. p. 4. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  27. ↑ Foxon, Ellen. "On the Stage". Birmingham, West Midlands, England. October 18, 1957. p. 10. Retrieved 27 May 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  28. 1 2 3 "Theatre Notes. New Shakespeare". Liverpool Daily Post. Liverpool, Merseyside, England. September 19, 1958. p. 10. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  29. ↑ "First Drama in Trilogy Indicting War". The Stage. 14 August 1958. p. 12.
  30. ↑ Hope-Wallace, Philip (June 1, 1961). "Missing the houseboat". The Guardian. London, England. p. 9. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  31. ↑ A.H.A. (June 15, 1962). "First Night. A Malayan in Chicago. Brecht's jungle at Stratford, E." The Daily Telegraph. London, England. p. 16. Retrieved 30 May 2025. John Bown's Garga, his opponent, helps to tide over the play's rough edges with consistent strength.
  32. ↑ Hope-Wallace, Philip (January 11, 1966). "Feydeau's "The Birdwatcher" at Hampstead Theatre Club". The Guardian. London, England. p. 9. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  33. ↑ Shulman, Milton (January 11, 1966). "Farce in the very French style". Evening Standard. London, England. p. 4. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  34. ↑ Hope-Wallace, Philip (June 2, 1966). "The Clandestine Marriage at the Chichester Festival Theatre". The Guardian. London, England. p. 9. Retrieved 30 May 2025. Some excellent playing is supplied by the four young people, Sarah Badel and Ann Beach, John Bown who is the secret bridegroom and the excellent John Standing as the perfidious young Melvil.
  35. ↑ "Ludlow's 'Winter's Tale'". The Stage. 12 July 1973. p. 21. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  36. ↑ "National's first visit to Australia". The Stage. 11 April 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  37. ↑ Harvey, Deryck (October 3, 1975). "The Great American Nightmare". Cambridge Evening News. Cambridge, England. p. 5. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  38. ↑ Billington, Michael (October 4, 1975). "Greenwood Theatre. Death of a Salesman". The Guardian. London, England. p. 8. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  39. ↑ Isaacs, David (November 19, 1975). "Not Pinter-sized". Coventry Evening Telegraph. Coventry, West Midlands, England. p. 3. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  40. ↑ "On the Way". The Stage. 26 August 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  41. 1 2 Brown, Langdon (1986). Shakespeare Around the Globe: A Guide to Notable Postwar Revivals. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 382. ISBN 9780313237560. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  42. ↑ "On the way". The Stage. 14 April 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  43. ↑ H P-S (27 May 1977). "Royal Shakespeare Company. The Alchemist at The Other Place". Stratford-upon-Avon Herald. p. 3. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  44. ↑ "On the way". The Stage. 8 September 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  45. ↑ "Theatre, music and fun". Banbury Guardian. 24 May 1979. p. 13. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  46. ↑ Osborne, Charles (September 9, 1987). "Theatre. Thriller with a painful moral". The Daily Telegraph. London, England. p. 10. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  47. ↑ Our Television Critic (June 10, 1959). "A Worthwhile Revival: Mauriac's "Asmodee"". The Guardian. London, England. p. 7. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
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