John Robert Milton (born 13 May 1938), known professionally as Milton Johns, is an English retired character actor worked almost continuously throughout his career. A versatile talent, he specialises in sinister or obsequious roles and featured regularly in many British popular television series for both adults and children. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Milton Johns
Born
John Robert Milton

(1938-05-13) 13 May 1938 (age 86)
OccupationActor
Years active1960s–2007

Biography

edit

Johns was born on 13 May 1938 in Bristol. He is known for being in Happy Families (1989) as Mr Alphonso, the café manager of Mrs Wobble,[1] Coronation Street as Brendan Scott (1991–93), the shopkeeper who died of a heart attack while pedalling along the eponymous cobbled street.[2] Other roles have included parts in Poldark, Born and Bred, Ever Decreasing Circles, Home to Roost, Dempsey and Makepeace, Murder Most English, Shoestring, Yes Minister, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Softly, Softly, Going Straight, The Good Life, Don't Wait Up, Butterflies, Minder, Campion and Z-Cars.[3] He played the landlord in The Basil Brush Show (2002–07).[4] He also played jobsworth Mr Cassidy in Murphy's Mob, an ITV children's television drama series (1982–85).[5] His character helped to manage the building used by the junior supporters of the football club, Dunmore United. Johns has appeared in Doctor Who on several occasions: as Theodore Benik in The Enemy of the World; Guy Crayford in The Android Invasion; and Castellan Kelner in The Invasion of Time.[6]

He also appeared in the TV mini-series Moll Flanders in 1996. He played a pawnshop owner.

In 1972 he starred in the children's Sunday evening series The Intruder and in 1977, appeared in another children's series, Midnight Is A Place.[7][8] In the 1980s, he also appeared in the Grange Hill spin-off Tucker's Luck.[9] Johns also appeared as an Imperial Officer (Captain Bewil) in the 1980 film, The Empire Strikes Back.[10] He played Perker in the 1985 adaptation of The Pickwick Papers.[7] In the 1988 television mini-series War and Remembrance, he took the role of Nazi SS officer Adolf Eichmann.[11]

Filmography

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1967-68 Doctor Who Theodore Benik Serial The Enemy of the World
1973 Baffled! Dr. Reed
1975 Doctor Who Guy Crayford Serial The Android Invasion
1978 Doctor Who Castellan Kelner Serial The Invasion of Time
1980 The Empire Strikes Back Captain Bewil (Imperial Officer)
1994 Stanley's Dragon Mr. Batley
1996 Moll Flanders Mr Mickeljohn
1998 The X-Files British Valet
2002 Making a Killing L.T. Harvey

References

edit
  1. ^ "Mrs Wobble the Waitress: Part 1". 6 November 1989 – via IMDb.
  2. ^ "BBC One - Doctor Who, Season 13, the Android Invasion - the Fourth Dimension".
  3. ^ "Milton Johns". www.aveleyman.com.
  4. ^ Lysaght, Cornelius (25 June 2004). "Hairline decision brings brush with fame". The Times. Retrieved 1 January 2011.[dead link]
  5. ^ "Murphy's Mob (1985)". BFI. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - The Invasion of Time - Details". BBC. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Milton Johns". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Midnight Is a Place | Nostalgia Central". 18 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Tucker's Luck[21/04/83] (1983)". BFI. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back (1980)". BFI. Archived from the original on 10 February 2016.
  11. ^ O'Connor, John J. (13 November 1988). "TV VIEW; 'War and Remembrance': Rewarding Relic". The New York Times.
edit