John Castle

John Castle (born 14 January 1940, Croydon, Surrey, England) is an English film, stage, and television actor.

He is known for his role as Agrippa Postumus in the BBC television adaptation of I, Claudius (1976) and for playing Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, in the film The Lion in Winter (1968). He also played Dr Carrasco as well as the prisoner called "The Duke" in the film Man of La Mancha (1972), and the villainous Paul McDagget in RoboCop 3 (1993).

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).

Work

Castle's first appearance was as Westmoreland on stage in Henry V on 5 June 1964, at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park. His first Broadway theatre appearance was in February 1970, as Jos in the short-lived musical Georgy.

In 1967 he made his screen debut as the plotting Prince Geoffrey in the big-screen adaptation of The Lion in Winter. The role garnered him much praise and set him on his way as a supporting actor in London and Hollywood. According to Rotten Tomatoes, The Lion in Winter is Castle's "highest-rated" film.[1] 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 played the role of Octavius Caesar in Charlton Heston's poorly reviewed version of Antony and Cleopatra (1972).

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),[2] 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 I Claudius, Ben Hall, and Lost Empires.[3]

Among Castle's stage performances was his role as Oswald in the Royal Shakespeare Company's revival of Ibsen's Ghosts in 1967, with Dame Peggy Ashcroft as Oswald's mother Mrs Alving and Gandhi in the play Gandhi at the Tricycle theatre London.

Personal life

Castle is married to writer Maggie Wadey.

Selected filmography

Film

Television

References

  1. ↑ "John Castle". Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "A Murder is Announced". IMDb.
  3. ↑ "John Castle". Unofficial John Castle Website. Angel Fire. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  • Who's Who in the Theatre, 17th ed, 1981
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