- Born
- Died
- Birth nameAlan Edgar Stratford Johns
- Height5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
- South African-born Stratford Johns was forever associated with the role
of tough, abrasive Superintendant Charlie Barlow on TV's
Z Cars (1962) and its sequels
Softly Softly: Task Force (1969)
and Barlow at Large (1971).
In between, he also played Barlow in the miniseries
Jack the Ripper (1973)
(which, in turn, led to a 'cold case' investigation series called
Second Verdict (1976)). He
even spoofed his famous screen detective on
The Two Ronnies (1971). His
perennial sidekick was the actor
Frank Windsor (in the role of Sergeant
Watt), who once jokingly referred to their on-screen partnership as
being "the Morecambe & Wise of
serious television".
Johns was educated in Pietermaritzburg in Natal Province. He began
working life as a deckhand with the South African Navy during World War
II. He then had a brief spell as an accountant, before finding his
vocation in the dramatic arts. After some work in local repertory
companies, he went to England on a one-way ticket in 1948, acting for
four and a half years on stage in Southend-on-Sea, followed by a comedy
act in the variety halls. Since this amounted to little more than a
meager income, Johns was forced to make ends meet by doing handyman
jobs, building fences, painting and gardening. His big break came in
1962, when he was presented with the choice of whether to accept a
small part in the epic blockbuster
Cleopatra (1963), or, alternatively,
screen test for a new BBC police series (initially called "Crime
Cars"). Though tempted by the gentler Roman climate, he wisely chose
the latter.
For better or worse, Johns became identified with Barlow to such an
extent over the years, that he was even sought-after by police for
recruitment drives on television. Conversely, though he occasionally
attempted to break away from typecasting, especially on stage, he was
rarely deemed to have succeeded.- IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis
- SpouseNanette Ryder(1955 - January 29, 2002) (his death, 4 children)
- He was offered for the role of Ratcliffe (played by George Sewell)
in Doctor Who Remembrance Of The Daleks. - His wife was the daughter of Morris Parsons and Mona Ewins.
- By the early 1970s, the actor began to tire of playing the Barlow character.
- Elwyn Jones dedicated the 1975 novel 'The Barlow Casebook' "to Stratford Johns who continues to deepen and develop his own 'creation' of Barlow.".
- His children includes a son called Alan.
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