Biographie

A very handy fellow, John rewired and replumbed his 17th century Cornwall farmhouse, made all the cupboards, and created a well-laid-out vegetable garden. (Source: Mail on Sunday (London), Jan. 23, 2005)

Suffered a torrent of abuse from the public before real police were called when he handed out IRA leaflets on the streets of London. He was filming a thriller but no one could see the cameras. "It was dramatic and very frightening," he said.

After a critic for the Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) savaged the production of "The Woman in Black" in which he had co-starred at the Spoleto Festival, spring 1996, John wrote a 600-word rebuttal letter, which the newspaper published on June 7. Excerpt: "There is an unspoken pact between the audience and the actors - one of suspension of disbelief for a few hours. Let us take you into our world and, if we are able, we will provide you with some harmless entertainment. ... It would seem that Ms. Furtwangler is incapable of this leap of imagination or is too jaded by her job. I've never been quite sure what that job is, but there seems to be an ever-growing school of reviewers who seem only to want to carp."

His dog Rufus played the part of Susan's dog (also Rufus) in part 5 of "The Day of the Triffids."

Youngest of five sons; father died when John was 5 years old.