John Castle

Born in Croydon, Castle was educated at Brighton College and Trinity College, Dublin, and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).{{cite magazine |last1=Etherington |first1=Jan |title=Illusionist With No Illusions |magazine=TV Times Magazine |date=November 1986 |url=https://www.angelfire.com/realm/mine2/johncastle/Illusionist_article.html }}

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.{{cite web |title=John Castle |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/john_castle/ |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher= Fandango Media |access-date=24 February 2016}} 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.

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).{{cite web |title=The Crucifer of Blood |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/d2d899417eb14dcbb5914d222d9d5c8f |website=BBC Genome Project |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=2 March 1996 |id=BBC Programme Index }}

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).{{multiref2|1={{cite magazine |last1=Angelini |first1=Sergio |title=Miss Marple (1984-92) |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/976602/index.html |magazine=BFI Screenonline |publisher=British Film Institute}}|2={{cite web |title=Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side |id=BBC Programme Index |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/5aee3cab4b594f779dd27912867a8f35 |website=BBC Genome Project |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=27 December 1992}}|3={{cite web |title=A Murder is Announced |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/8c0a7af5294f4885a6d32583d9e1e902 |website=BBC Genome Project |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |id=BBC Programme Index |date=22 August 1992}}}} 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.{{multiref2

|1={{cite web |title=Thorne Investigates: Unto the Grave |id=BBC Programme Index |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/78fcbe13587046d6b2f44df7028f1fe5 |website=BBC Genome Project |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=1 March 1993}}

|2={{cite web |title=Thorne Investigates: Mortal Term |website=BBC Genome Project |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/9b2a925750ef4221aabb96a809de7b9e |date=8 March 1993 |id=BBC Programme Index}}

|3={{cite web |title=Thorne Investigates: Double Negative |id=BBC Programme Index |website=BBC Genome Project |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/43b078ef6d0f4d54858c28847afd2294 |date=15 March 1993}} }} Castle appeared in other TV series, including Ben Hall and Lost Empires.{{cite web |title=Ben Hall |id=BBC Programme Index |date=2 July 1977 |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/27e6fc7cc2f7429489ea5f1e3f19183a |website=BBC Genome Project |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation}}

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.{{multiref2

|1={{cite book |last1=Stoller |first1=Terry |title=Tales of the Tricycle Theatre |date=December 2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury Methuen Drama |location=London |isbn=978-1-4725-3629-7 |page=236}}

|2={{cite book |last1=Campbell |first1=Guerney |title=Gandhi: A Play in Two Acts |orig-date=First issued 1970 |date=1982}}

|3={{cite web |title=Past Productions 1980–1989: Gandhi by Guerney Campbell |url=https://kilntheatre.com/whats-on/gandhi/ |website=Kiln Theatre}}

|4={{citation |title=Production management file for Gandhi |work=Tricycle Theatre Company Archive |quote=Play by Guerney Campbell, produced by Tricycle Theatre, directed Peter Stevenson, Feb 1982 |via=V&A Theatre and Performance Collections Archives Hub |id=item GB 71 THM/317/3/1/15 – Production and event management records}}. [https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/f840621e-1ea9-3ae8-8245-80b219636f05?component=1f6a6904-0f59-3efa-8e21-40cc7e93a383 Link to the Archives Hub description of records held]}}

Castle is married to writer Maggie Wadey.{{cite web |title=Sandstone Press: Maggie Wadely |url=https://sandstonepress.com/authors/maggie-wadey |website=www.sandstonepress.com |access-date=14 January 2020 |archive-date=29 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429181907/https://sandstonepress.com/authors/maggie-wadey |url-status=dead }}

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• 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

{{Div col end}}

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• 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

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{{reflist|28em}}

• {{cite encyclopaedia |editor-last=Herbert |editor-first=Ian |title=Castle, John 1940–{{nbsp}} |encyclopaedia=Who's Who in the Theatre |date=1981 |publisher=Pitman; Gale |location=Detroit |isbn=978-0-8103-0235-8 |edition=17th}}
• {{cite web |last1=Winnert |first1=Derek |title=Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1992) |url=https://www.derekwinnert.com/miss-marple-the-mirror-crackd-from-side-to-side-1992-joan-hickson-claire-bloom-barry-newman-classic-movie-review-9646/ |website=Winnert: Classic Movie Reviews |date=17 April 2020 |id=(Classic Movie Review 9,646)}}

• {{IMDb name|0145284|name=John Castle}}
• {{cite web|title=A Murder is Announced|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087756/|publisher=IMDb}}
• [https://www.angelfire.com/realm/mine2/johncastle_home.html Unofficial John Castle website]

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Category:1940 births

Category:Living people

Category:English male film actors

Category:English male television actors

Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Category:Alumni of Trinity College Dublin

Category:Actors educated at Brighton College

Category:Actors from the London Borough of Croydon

Category:People from Croydon