Born: 9^th May 1917, Petrograd, Russia.  Died: 21^st December 1999, Surrey.

John Arnatt was one of those character actors whose face was probably known more than his name. He made a number of film and TV appearances before his first appearance in ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’, as Sir Roger Fitzwilliam in a season three episode. He joined the regular cast as the Deputy Sheriff in the season four episode ‘The Devil You Don’t Know’, replacing the departing Sheriff of Nottingham. Unlike his predecessor, the character had no romantic interest in Maid Marian. In fact, he was continually suspicious of her being in league with Robin Hood. After the series, John continued to make regular TV, film and theatre appearances. In the 1967 film ‘A Challenge for Robin Hood’ he gained promotion from Deputy Sheriff, as he played the Sheriff of Nottingham. On TV he was a series regular in not only the comedy series ‘Fire Crackers’, but also the drama series ‘The Main Chance’. John also appeared in a number of TV commercials. Divorced from actress/soprano Betty Huntley-Wright, he later married TV & radio presenter Sheila Tracy. John Arnatt died in 1999 from prostate cancer, at the age of 82.

Film Roles: -

Dick Barton at Bay (1950) ... Jackson

Cricket (1951) ... Narrator

Cry, the Beloved Country (aka African Fury) (1951) ... Prison Warden

Circumstantial Evidence (aka Evidence for Hire) (1952) ... Steve Harrison

The Troubled Air (1953) (TV) ... Emmet O'Neill

House of Blackmail (1953) ... Pete Carter

Forbidden Cargo (1954) ... Customs Officer

Richard of Bordeaux (1955) (TV) ... Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby

My Friend Charles (1956) (TV Series) ... Detective Inspector Dane - 6 episodes

The End Begins (1956) (TV) ... Hugh Pakenham

The Indifferent Shepherd (1957) ... Hugh Wigmore

A Passionate Stranger (aka A Novel Affair) (1957) ... Maurice Lamport/Martin

Circumstancial Evidence (1957) (TV) ... Steve Harrison

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1957-60) (TV Series) ... 15 episodes, 14 as the Deputy Sheriff

The Last Chronicle of Barset (1959) (TV Series) ... Mr. Robarts - 4 episodes

The Impersonator (1960) ... Detective Superintendent Fletcher

The Bulldog Breed (1960) ... Briggs

Whistle Down the Wind (1961) ... Superintendent Teesdale

The Test (1961) (TV) .... Superintendent Harding

Only Two Can Play (1962) ... Bill

Out of the Fog (aka Fog for a Killer) (1962) ... Superintendent Chadwick

Dr. Crippen (1962) ... Chief Inspector Dew

Shadow of Fear (1963) ... Sharp

Emergency-Ward 10 (1963) (TV Series) ... Dr. Fitzgerald

Clash by Night (aka Escape by Night) (1964) ... Inspector Croft

Fire Crackers (1964) (TV Series) ... Station Officer Blazer

Joey Boy (1965) ... Brigadier Charles Chapman

Hysteria (1965) ... Mr. James

Winter Building (1965)

Licensed to Kill (aka The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World) (1965) ... Rockwell

Where the Bullets Fly (1966) ... Rockwell

Our Mother’s House (1967) ... Man Client

A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967) ... The Sheriff of Nottingham

St. Kilda: The Lonely Islands (1968) ... Commentator

The Main Chance (1969-70) (TV Series) ... Sidney Bulmer

Crucible of Terror (aka Unholy Terror) (1971) ... Bill

Paganini Strikes Again (1973) ... Inspector Mainwaring

Licensed to Love and Kill (aka The Man from S.E.X.) (1979) ... Merlin

House of Cards (1990) (TV) ... Sir Jasper Grainger

A Royal Scandal (1996) (TV) ... Archbishop

Birds of Prey (1997) ... Gentleman

TV Guest Appearances: -

Panorama - episode (1954) ... Performer in Excerpt from Play

Colonel March of Scotland Yard - ‘The Case of the Misguided Missal’ (1954) ... Professor Wesley

The Granville Melodramas - ‘The Silver King’ (1955) ... Captain Skinner

Television Playhouse - ‘I Passed by Your Window’ (1955) ... Detective Inspector Howard

London Playhouse - ‘Fighting Chance’ (1955) ... Finch

Adventures of the Big Man - ‘Rich Girl’ (1956) ... Owen Carrigan

Sunday Night Theatre - ‘The Lark’ (1956)

The Other Man - episode 5 (1956) ... Harry Vincent

Sword of Freedom - ‘The Woman in the Picture’ (1957) ... Count Ugo

Dixon of Dock Green - ‘Silver Jubilee’ (30 March 1957) ... Inspector Dix

Escape - ‘The Wire Cutters’ (1957) ... Tom

Television Playhouse - ‘Mr. Browne Comes Home’ (1959) ... Geoffrey Cooksley

Armchair Theatre - ‘House of His Own’ (1959)

H.G. Wells’ Invisible Man - ‘The Big Plot’ (1959) ... Lord Larry Peversham

Kraft Mystery Theatre - ‘The Third Alibi’ (1961) ... Superintendent Ross

Television Playhouse - ‘Ben Spray’ (1961) ... Daniel Hamilton

Play of the Week - ‘Doctor Everyman’s Hour’ (1961) ... Alec

Sir Francis Drake - ‘Visit to Spain’ (1962) ... The Duke of Cordova

Sir Francis Drake - ‘Court Intrigue’ (1962) ... Spanish Ambassador

Armchair Theatre - ‘Night Conspirators’ (1962) ... General von Schiltz

The Saint - ‘The Arrow of God’ (1962) ... Major Fanshire

Tales of Edgar Wallace - ‘The Set Up’ (1963) ... Superintendent Ross

The Human Jungle - ‘Time Check’ (1963) ... Recorder

The Plane Makers - ‘Too Much to Lose’ (1963) ... Peter Humphreys

Z Cars - ‘A Matter of Give and Take’ (1965) ... Briggs

The Third Man - ‘Man at the Top’ (1965) ... Count Hagar

Dixon of Dock Green - ‘The Fourth Finger’ (1966) ... John Chiltern

Z Cars - ‘Blame It on Father Christmas’ (1968) ... Frank Bowers

Callan - ‘Blackmailers Should Be Discouraged’ (1969) ... High Commissioner

Strange Report - ‘Report 2493: Kidnap - Whose Pretty Girl Are You?’ (1969) ... Inspector Hughes

Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) - ‘Could You Recognise That Man Again’ (1970) ... Uniformed Inspector

Steptoe and Son - ‘The Three Feathers’ (1970) ... Copeland

Doctor in Charge - ‘Doctors’ Lib’ (1972) ... Dr. Lanchberry

Man at the Top - ‘Don’t Rock the Boat’ (1972) ... Ogilvie

Thirty-Minute Theatre - ‘The Seventh Juror’ (1972)

Softly Softly - ‘On the Third Day’ (1972) ... Chief Constable Daniels

The Pathfinders - ‘Sitting Ducks’ (1972) ... Wing Commander Alexander

Wide World Mystery - ‘Shadow of Fear’ (1973)

Barlow at Large - ‘Publicity’ (1973) ... Chief Constable Daniels

The Dick Emery Show - episode (1973) ... On-screen Participant

Special Branch - ‘The Other Man’ (1973) ... Denning

Thirty Minutes Worth - episode (1973) ... On-screen Participant

Marked Personal - 2 episodes (1974) ... James Lawrence

Thriller - ‘Sign It Death’ (1974) ... Mr. Robinson

Doctor on the Go - ‘Keep Your Nose Clean’ (1975) ... Chairman

Crown Court - ‘Obsession: Parts 1, 2 & 3’ (1975) ... Harold Gilman - 3 episodes

Doctor on the Go - ‘Clunk Click’ (1975) ... Mr. Edwards

Harry - episode (1976) ... On-screen Participant

Doctor Who - ‘The Invasion of Time: Parts 1, 2, 3, 5 & 6’ (1978) ... Borusa - 5 episodes

Network - ‘John Bunyan of Bedford’ (1979) ... Cobb

Turning Year Tales - ‘Clubs’ (1979) ... The President

Thundercloud - ‘Bats in the Belfry’ (1979) ... Vicar

The Onedin Line - ‘Storm Clouds’ (1979)

The Professionals - ‘Black Out’ (1980) ... Humber

Rings on Their Fingers - ‘Ladies Man’ (1980) ... Mr. Taylor

Shelley - ‘Signing On’ (1981) ... Thomas Humphries

Kelly Monteith - episode (1981) ... On-screen Participant

Love Story - ‘Wilfred and Eileen’ (1981)

Playhouse - ‘Ivan the Ninny’ (1982) ... King

Kelly Monteith - episode (1982) ... On-screen Participant

The Cleopatras - ‘Part 5: 80 BC’ (1983) ... Sophron

The Kenny Everett Television Show - episode (1983) ... On-screen Participant

Don’t Wait Up - season 1, episode 4 (1983) ... Man at Cricket Match

Miss Marple - ‘The Moving Finger’ (1985) ... Reverend Guy Calthrop

Bluebell - ‘Parts 3 & 4’ (1986) ... Pierre - 2 episodes

Covington Cross - ‘The Persecution’ (1992) ... 1^st Doctor

Lovejoy - ‘Lovejoy Loses It’ (1993) ... Stanley Barton

The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries - ‘The Nursing Home Murder’ (1993) ... Nash

Keeping Up Appearances - ‘Looking at Properties’ (1993) ... Sir Edward

Dangerfield - 3 episodes (1995) ... Harry Campbell - 3 episodes

Dad - ‘Securidad’ (1999) ... Mr. Jarrold