Mervyn Johns was a Welsh actor who appeared in 74 films, 32 television shows, and more than 23 plays across six decades on screen and stage. Johns made his theatrical debut while on tour of the British dominions in 1923 and his screen debut with Lady in Danger in 1934. He went on to become an indelible part of British wartime cinema with starring roles in Saloon Bar (1940), The Next of Kin (1942), Went the Day Well? (1942), The Halfway House (1944), Twilight Hour (1945), and Dead of Night (1945). In the postwar era, he worked regularly as a character actor at Ealing Studios, first with starring roles in They Knew Mr. Knight (1946), The Captive Heart (1946), Captain Boycott (1947), Easy Money (1948), and Scrooge (1951), and later guest appearances on televised plays and anthology series.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Director Studio Notes 1934 Lady in Danger Reporter Tom Walls Gaumont-British Film debut 1935 The Tunnel — Maurice Elvey The Guv'nor Bank director Milton Rosmer Foreign Affaires Courtroom interpreter Tom Walls Gainsborough Pictures 1936 Pot Luck Night watchman In the Soup Meakin Henry Edwards Julius Hagen Productions Everything Is Thunder Karl (waiter) Milton Rosmer Gaumont-British Dishonour Bright French postcard seller Tom Walls General Film Distributors 1937 Song of the Forge — Henry Edwards Butcher's Film Service Storm in a Teacup Court bailiff Ian DalrympleVictor Saville London Films Night Ride Trapped miner John Paddy Carstairs British and Dominions Imperial Studios Night Ride 1937 on The A.V. Club The Last Curtain Hemp David MacDonald The Last Curtain 1937 on The A.V. Club1938 Almost a Gentleman Percival Clicker Oswald Mitchell Butcher's Film Service 1939 Jamaica Inn Thomas Alfred Hitchcock Mayflower Pictures 1940 The Midas Touch — David MacDonald Warner Brothers Convoy — Pen Tennyson Ealing Studios The Girl in the News James Fetherwood Carol Reed Twentieth Century Productions Saloon Bar Charlie Wickers Walter Forde Ealing Studios 1942 The Next of Kin Mr Davis (No 23) Thorold Dickinson The Foreman Went to France Passport official Charles Frend Went the Day Well? Charlie Sims Alberto Cavalcanti 1943 The Bells Go Down Sam Basil Dearden My Learned Friend Arthur Grimshaw San Demetrio London John Boyle Charles FrendRobert Hamer 1944 The Halfway House Rhys Basil Dearden 1945 Twilight Hour Major John Roberts Paul L. Stein British National Films Company Dead of Night Walter Craig Alberto CavalcantiCharles CrichtonRobert HamerBasil Dearden Ealing Studios Pink String and Sealing Wax Edward Sutton Robert Hamer Ealing Studios 1946 They Knew Mr. Knight Tom Blake Norman Walker General Film Distributors The Captive Heart Evans Basil Dearden Ealing Studios 1947 Captain Boycott Watty Connell Frank Launder Individual Pictures 1948 Easy Money Herbert Atkins Bernard Knowles Gainsborough Pictures Counterblast Dr. Bruckner (the Beast of Ravensbruck) Paul L. Stein British National Films Company Quartet Samuel Sunbury Ken AnnakinArthur CrabtreeHarold FrenchRalph Smart Gainsborough PicturesJ. Arthur Rank Productions Segment: The Kite 1949 Edward, My Son Harry Sempkin George Cukor MGM-British Studios Helter Skelter Ernest Bennett Ralph Thomas Gainsborough Pictures Diamond City Hart David MacDonald Diamond City on Films of the Fifties1950 Tony Draws a Horse Alfred Parsons John Paddy Carstairs Pinnacle Productions 1951 Scrooge Bob Cratchit Brian Desmond Hurst George Minter Productions The Magic Box Goitz John Boulting British Lion Films 1952 The Tall Headlines Uncle Ted Terence Young Raymond Stross Productions 1953 The Oracle Tom Mitchum C. M. Pennington-Richards Group 3 Films Valley of Song Minister Idris Griffiths Gilbert Gunn Associated British Picture Corporation The Master of Ballantrae MacKellar William Keighley Warner Brothers 1954 Romeo and Juliet Friar Laurence Renato Castellani UniversalcineVerona Produzione 1955 The Blue Peter Captain Snow Wolf Rilla Group 3 FilmsBeaconsfield Productions 1956 1984 Jones Michael Anderson Holiday Film Productions The Intimate Stranger Ernest Chaple Alec C. Snowden Anglo-Guild ProductionsMerton Park Studios Moby Dick Peleg John Huston Moulin Productions Find the Lady Mr. Hurst Charles Saunders Major ProductionsAct Productions 1957 The Counterfeit Plan Louie Bernard Montgomery Tully Amalgamated Productions Doctor at Large Smith Ralph Thomas The Rank Organisation The Vicious Circle Dr. George Kimber Gerald Thomas Beaconsfield Productions The Surgeon's Knife Mr. Waring Gordon Parry Gibraltar Films Danger List Graham Ellis Leslie Arliss Hammer Film Productions Short film 1958 The Gypsy and the Gentleman Brook Joseph Losey The Rank Organisation The Gypsy and the Gentleman on Pinewood Group Limited1959 The Devil's Disciple Rev. Maindeck Parshotter Guy Hamilton Hecht-Hill-Lancaster FilmsBryna Productions 1960 Once More, with Feeling! Mr. Wilbur Jr. Stanley Donen Columbia Pictures Never Let Go Alfie Barnes John Guillermin Independent Artists Never Let Go on ReelStreets The Sundowners Jack Patchogue (Mayor of Cawndilla) Fred Zinnemann Warner Brothers 1961 No Love for Johnnie Charlie Young Ralph Thomas Five Star The Rebel Manager of art gallery Robert Day Associated British Picture Corporation Francis of Assisi Brother Juniper Michael Curtiz Perseus Productions 1963 The Day of the Triffids Mr. Coker Steve SekelyFreddie Francis Security Pictures 55 Days at Peking Clergyman Nicholas Ray Samuel Bronston Productions 80,000 Suspects Buckridge Val Guest Val Guest Productions The Old Dark House Potiphar Femm William Castle William Castle ProductionsHammer Film Productions The Victors Dennis Carl Foreman Open Road FilmsHighroad Productions 1964 A Jolly Bad Fellow Willie Pugh-Smith Don Chaffey Pax Films 1965 The Heroes of Telemark Col. Wilkinson Anthony Mann Benton Film Productions 1966 Who Killed the Cat? Henry Fawcett Montgomery Tully Eternal Films 1973 The National Health Rees Jack Gold Virgin Films 1976 House of Mortal Sin Father Duggan Pete Walker Pete Walker (Heritage) Final film
Television Year Title Role Director Network Notes 1938 Pride and Prejudice Sir Wilfred Lucas — BBC Television Television film on Vienna's Classic Hollywood1950–1957 BBC Sunday Night Theatre Harold SimpsonAlbert EcclesSamuel PepysRoughHis Excellency the Governor — BBC Television 5 episodes Mervyn Johns TV on Listal1955–1961 ITV Television Playhouse Walter TurnbullWickersJan KonigsveldtJack WilsonFrank DavidsonSylvan Humphreys Antony KeareyHerbert WiseCyril ButcherRonald MarriottRosemary HillToby Robertson Associated-Rediffusion 7 episodes 1956 New Ramps for Old J. Philimore Sparkes — BBC Television 6 episodes 1956–1964 ITV Play of the Week Caspar DardeRev. Arthur MottramDoctor EvansEli David BoisseauPhilip SavilleWarren TuteDavid Boisseau Granada Television 4 episodes Mervyn Johns on Aveleyman "Saturday, 18th February 1899 - Sunday, 6th September 1992 Pembroke Wales"1957 A Tale of Two Cities Mr. Jarvis Lorry — BBC Television Television mini series7 episodes 1958 White Hunter Mr. Doak Max VarnelJoseph Sterling Telestar Productions 2 episodes Leave It to Todhunter Lawrence Todhunter Andrew Osborn BBC Television 6 episodes 1959 Knight Errant Limited Harry Smith Stuart Latham Granada Television Episode: He Fell Among Thieves Knight Errant Limited 1961 on MoviePosterDB "Knight Errant Limited 1961 Crime Drama Adam Knight's agency is there to help people in all kinds of ways"1960 Boyd Q.C. John Parsons Michael Currer-Briggs Associated-Rediffusion Episode: The Little Man New Ramps for Old 1960 on The A.V. Club1962 Probation Officer Mr. Todd Geoffrey Stephenson Associated Television Maigret Inspector Fumel Terence Williams BBC Television Episode: The Amateurs The Keep Ben Morton John Dexter BBC Television Television film 1963 The Third Man Geoffrey Ormsby David MacDonald BBC TelevisionPrestige ProductionsNational Telefilm Associates Episode: A King's Ransom 1964 Detective Father Brown Gilchrist Calder BBC Television Episode: The Quick One No Hiding Place Alf Turnball Cyril Coke Associated-Rediffusion Episode: Hanging by a Thread No Hiding Place: Hanging by a Thread on Video Detective "Mervyn JohnsAlf Turnball" Danger Man Armstrong Don Chaffey Incorporated Television Company Episode: No Marks for Servility 1965 The Sullavan Brothers Benjamin Greenfield Philip Dale Associated Television Episode: You Can't Win Mervyn Johns on Kinorium Knock on Any Door Mr. Prubright Graham Evans Associated Television Episode: Close Season The Avengers Brandon Storey Roy Ward Baker ABC Weekend Television Episode: Too Many Christmas Trees 1965–1966 Pardon the Expression Jacob Elijah BurgessJeb Wally ButlerMichael Cox Granada Television 2 episodes 1966 The Saint Doctor Davis Roger Moore BamoreIncorporated Television Company Episode: The House on Dragon's Rock 1972 Kate Mr. Norris Paul Annett Yorkshire Television Episode: People Depend on You The Adventurer Franz Kolmar Val Guest Incorporated Television Company Episode: Deadlock Dixon of Dock Green Mr. Farmer Vere Lorrimer BBC Television Episode: The Fingerman Mervyn John on WelshIcons "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" The Strauss Family Doctor Sarner David Giles Associated Television Television mini seriesEpisode: Josef 1973 The Adventures of Black Beauty Silas Surtees Gerry Poulson The Fremantle CorporationLondon Weekend TelevisionTalbot Television Episode: The Medicine Man Thinking Man As Hero Lord Beale John Glenister BBC Television Television film 1973–1975 Crown Court Arthur Charles ParfittEdward Lumsden June Wyndham DaviesRoger Tucker Granada Television 5 episodes 1974 QB VII Mr. Evans Tom Gries Douglas S. Cramer CompanyScreen Gems Television mini series 1977 Kilvert's Diary James Jones Peter Hammond BBC Television Episode: An Angel Satyr Walks These Hills 1977–1979 The New Avengers Elderly man Ray Austin The Avengers EnterprisesTV ProductionsIDTV Production Episode: Medium Rare 1979 Shoestring Reverend James Appleby Roger Tucker BBC Television Episode: Knock for Knock
Stage appearances