John Nettleton (actor)

John Slade Nettleton (5 February 1929 – 12 July 2023) was an English actor best known for playing Sir Arnold Robinson, Cabinet Secretary in Yes Minister (1980–1984) and President of the Campaign for Freedom of Information in the follow-up Yes, Prime Minister (1985–1988).[1][2] Another political role for Nettleton was as Conservative Party MP Sir Stephen Baxter in the sitcom The New Statesman.[3]

John Nettleton
Born(1929-02-05)5 February 1929
Sydenham, London, England
Died12 July 2023(2023-07-12) (aged 94)
OccupationActor
Years active1956–2010
Spouse
Deirdre Doone
(m. 1954)
Children3

Early life

edit

Nettleton was born in Sydenham, London, and graduated from RADA in 1951.[4]

Career

edit

Nettleton's most high profile role was as Sir Arnold Robinson, Cabinet Secretary in Yes Minister (1980–1984) and President of the Campaign for Freedom of Information in the follow-up Yes, Prime Minister (1985–1988).[1][2] He also played a Conservative Party Member of Parliament (Sir Stephen Baxter) in the sitcom The New Statesman.[3]

His other television roles included a Ministry of Defence department chief in The Avengers (episode "The See-Through Man", 1967), a police sergeant in Please Sir! (1969), Alfred Booker in The Champions (episode "Full Circle", 1969), Froggett in the office comedy series If It Moves File It (1970), Francis Bacon in Elizabeth R (1971), a Detective Superintendent in Doctor at Large in 1971, George Pattinson in a now lost episode ("The Uninvited") of Out of the Unknown (also in 1971), as Arthur Bellamy, brother to Viscount Bellamy, in Upstairs, Downstairs (1972), The Country Wife (1977), Brideshead Revisited (1981), The Flame Trees of Thika (1981), The Citadel (1983), Martin Luther, Heretic (1983), Brass (1983), East of Ipswich (1987), Major Membury in A Perfect Spy (1987), Reverend Ernest Matthews in the Doctor Who serial Ghost Light (1989), Longitude (2000), Midsomer Murders (2005) and Kingdom (2008).[5][6][7] In the 1960s and 1970s, Nettleton was the reader of various illustrated stories on children's television programme Blue Peter. Often these were about historical figures, such as Florence Nightingale.[8]

On stage, Nettleton appeared in the Lyttelton Theatre at the Royal National Theatre in the 2006 productions of Harley Granville-Barker's The Voysey Inheritance, directed by Peter Gill. He also appeared at the Olivier Theatre in the 1990 production of Alan Bennett's Wind in the Willows, directed by Nicholas Hytner.[9] He also voiced Grandpa in the PC video game The Scruffs.

Personal life and death

edit

Nettleton married actress Deirdre Doone in 1954.[4] They had three daughters. Nettleton and Doone were members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.[10] He died on 12 July 2023, at the age of 94.[11][12]

Filmography

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1966 A Man for All Seasons Jailer
1969 The Last Shot You Hear Det. Inspector Nash
1970 Some Will, Some Won't Wagstaff
And Soon the Darkness Gendarme
1971 Black Beauty Sir William
1975 All Creatures Great and Small Head Waiter
1982 Anyone for Denis? Jenkins TV version
1983 Martin Luther, Heretic Andreas Karlstadt TV movie
1988 Burning Secret Doctor Weiss
1991 American Friends Rev. Groves
1998 Jinnah General Gracie
2005 Oliver Twist 1st Magistrate
2007 Fishtales Professor Coulter

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "BFI Screenonline: Yes Minister (1980-84)". screenonline.org.uk.
  2. ^ a b "BBC Two – Yes, Prime Minister, Series 1, One of Us". BBC.
  3. ^ a b "BFI Screenonline: New Statesman, The (1987-92) Credits". screenonline.org.uk.
  4. ^ a b Morrison, John. "The Importance of Being Earnest review at Greenwich Theatre – Review – Theatre".
  5. ^ "John Nettleton". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017.
  6. ^ "John Nettleton". aveleyman.com.
  7. ^ "John Nettleton – Movies and Filmography". AllMovie.
  8. ^ "John was the god of children's TV". Swindon Advertiser. 3 April 2008.
  9. ^ Billington, Michael (26 April 2006). "The Voysey Inheritance, National, London". The Guardian.
  10. ^ "John Nettleton obituary". The Guardian. 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  11. ^ Clarke, Naomi (14 July 2023). "Former Yes Minister star John Nettleton dies aged 94". The Scotsman. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  12. ^ "John Nettleton, RSC stalwart and character actor who played Sir Arnold in Yes Minister – obituary". The Telegraph. 14 July 2023. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
edit