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Wikipedia / John Castle

John Michael Frederick Castle (born 14 January 1940) is an English actor. He is best known for his film and television work, most notably playing Bill in Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup (1966) and Geoffrey in The Lion in Winter (1968). Other significant credits include Man of La Mancha (1972), I, Claudius (1976) and RoboCop 3 (1993). He is also a noted voice actor and has recorded an audiobook version of Vanity Fair (novel).

Early life

Born in Croydon, Castle was educated at Brighton College and Trinity College, Dublin, and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

Career

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. 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).

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). 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. Castle appeared in other TV series, including Ben Hall and Lost Empires.

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.

Personal life

Castle is married to writer Maggie Wadey.

Selected filmography

Film

Television

References

Further reading