Mervyn Johns


Mervyn Johns (18 February 1899 – 6 September 1992) was a Welsh film and television character actor. He was a mainstay of Ealing Studios.

Among his dozens of film roles were Walter Craig in Dead of Night (1945) and Bob Cratchit in Scrooge (1951). He also made many television appearances, in films such as The Avengers, Danger Man and Dixon of Dock Green.

He was twice married:

  • The concert pianist Alys Steele (one daughter, the actress Glynis Johns)
  • The actress Diana Churchill (1976–1992)

A popular misunderstanding is that he was the elder brother of the actor Stratford Johns, but was in fact not related in any way.

Selected films

  • Jamaica Inn (1939) …. Thomas
  • Convoy (1940) …. Minesweeper’s mate
  • Went the Day Well? (1942) …. Charles Sims, the church warder
  • The Foreman Went to France (1942) …. Official, Passport Office
  • The Next of Kin (1942) …. No 23, Mr Davis
  • San Demetrio London (1943) …. Greaser John Boyle
  • My Learned Friend (1943) …. Grimshaw
  • The Bells Go Down (1943) …. Sam
  • The Halfway House (1944) …. Rhys
  • Dead of Night (1945) …. Walter Craig
  • The Captive Heart (1946) …. Private Don Evans
  • Pink String and Sealing Wax (1946) …. Edward Sutton
  • Captain Boycott (1947) …. Watty Connell
  • Quartet (1948) …. Samuel Sunbury (segment “The Kite”)
  • Easy Money …. Herbert Atkins (1948)
  • Edward, My Son (1949) …. Harry Sempkin
  • Scrooge (1951) …. Bob Cratchit
  • The Magic Box (1951) …. Goitz
  • The Master of Ballantrae (1953) …. MacKellar
  • Romeo and Juliet (1954) …. Friar Laurence
  • Moby Dick (1956) …. Peleg
  • 1984 (1956) …. Jones
  • Doctor at Large (1957) …. Smith
  • The Vicious Circle (1957) …. Dr. George Kimber
  • The Devil’s Disciple (1959) …. Rev. Maindeck Parshotter
  • The Sundowners (1960) …. Jack Patchogue, Mayor of Cawndilla
  • Never Let Go (1960) …. Alfie Barnes
  • The Rebel (1961) …. Manager of Art Gallery, London
  • The Day of the Triffids (1962) …. Mr. Coker
  • The Victors (1963) …. Dennis
  • 80,000 Suspects (1963) …. Buckridge
  • 55 Days at Peking (1963) …. Clergyman
  • A Jolly Bad Fellow (1964) …. Willie Pugh-Smith
  • The Heroes of Telemark (1965) …. Col. Wilkinson
  • The National Health (1973) …. Rees
  • House of Mortal Sin (1976) …. Father Duggan

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