Biography.guide
Home › People › Actor › John Harvey
Portrait of John Harvey

John Harvey

1911 – 1982

English actor

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About John Harvey

Lived 1911 – 1982 (aged 70). John Harvey was a British actor, film actor, stage actor and television actor.

John Harvey (27 September 1911 – 19 July 1982) was an English actor. He appeared in 52 films, two television films and made 70 television guest appearances between 1948 and 1979.

Career Born in London, England, he began his acting career on the stage in the 1930s as one of the Harry Hanson's Court Players at the Peterborough Repertory. While there, he met the actress Diana King.

Harvey and King were married, remaining together for more than forty years, until his death.

During the Second World War, he was commissioned in the Royal Air Force. Post-war, he performed at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, London, for some four years, during the West End runs of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific and The King and I.

Harvey's film debut was in the role as Eddie in the British crime drama A Gunman Has Escaped (1948), in which he was the leading star. Harvey then moved to character roles and five films later played Inspector Loomis in Hitchcock's Stage Fright (1950) starring Jane Wyman and Richard Todd. His next role was as Bland in the drama Chance of a Lifetime (1950).

Harvey's television debut was as Angelo Verona in the BBC film On the Spot (1948). He played Buster Cox in the United Artists film noir crime/thriller The Man with My Face (1951) starring Barry Nelson.

Among his guest appearances on series television he appeared in the first episode of The Diary of Samuel Pepys (1958). He was cast as Sir William Duffy in Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1962) and two Doctor Who appearances – Professor Brett in The War Machines (1966), and Officia in The Macra Terror (1967), all for the BBC.

John Harvey died at age 70 in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

Selected filmography

Moscow Nights (1935) – Minor role (uncredited) Noose (1948) – Mack (uncredited) A Gunman Has Escaped (1948) – Eddie Steele Dick Barton Strikes Back (1949) – Major Henderson Private Angelo (1949) – Cpl. McCunn Stage Fright (1950) – Inspector Loomis (uncredited) Chance of a Lifetime (1950) – Bland Cairo Road (1950) – Maj. Maggourys Files from Scotland Yard (1951) – Jim Hardy Smart Alec (1951) The Dark Light (1951) – Roger The Man with My Face (1951) – Buster Cox Four Days (1951) – Hammond Stubbs Black Widow (1951) – Dr. Wallace Lady Godiva Rides Again (1951) – Buller High Treason (1951) – Scotland Yard Man Angels One Five (1952) – Station Warrant Officer Castle in the Air (1952) – Andrews The Lost Hours (1952) – Kenneth Peters Private's Progress (1956) – RAF Officer at Headquarters (uncredited) X the Unknown (1956) – Maj. Cartwright True as a Turtle (1957) – First Officer The Long Haul (1957) – Supt. Macrea (uncredited) Night of the Demon (1957) – Hobart's Brother (uncredited) The Man Who Wouldn't Talk (1958) – (uncredited) Edge of Fury (1958) The 39 Steps (1959) – Detective at Theatre (uncredited) Horrors of the Black Museum (1959) – Man in Bookshop The Ugly Duckling (1959) – Sergeant Barnes The Devil's Disciple (1959) – British officer (uncredited) The Stranglers of Bombay (1960) – Burns (uncredited) Two-Way Stretch (1960) – Governor Rockhampton Prison Hell Is a City (1960) – Fingerprint Officer (uncredited) Tunes of Glory (1960) – Sergeant (Bridge Hotel) Sea Hunt (1960) – Season 3, Episode 21 Double Bunk (1961) – Johnnie The Phantom of the Opera (1962) – Sgt. Vickers The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963) – Police Station Sergeant (uncredited) Heavens Above! (1963) – Wilson, Prison Officer (uncredited) Kiss of the Vampire (1963) – Police Sergeant The Crimson Blade (1963) – Sgt. Grey The Old Dark House (1963) – Club Receptionist Doomsday at Eleven (1963) – Asst. Commissioner Joey Boy (1965) – Signals Officer (uncredited) The Psychopath (1966) – Reinhardt Klermer The Deadly Bees (1966) – Thompson They Came from Beyond Space (1967) – Bill Trethowan A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967) – Wallace Sacco & Vanzetti (1971) – A. Mitchell Palmer The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) – Commissionaire The Black Windmill (1974) – Heppenstel (uncredited) Legend of the Werewolf (1975) – Prefect Rollerball (1975) – Directorate Executive (uncredited) Rachel and the Beelzebub Bombardiers (1977) Le Pétomane (1979)

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Family & relationships

Spouse
Diana King (actress)

People in John Harvey's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped John Harvey's

Frequently asked questions

Who was John Harvey?

English actor (1911-1982)

When was John Harvey born?

John Harvey was born on 27 September 1911 in London.

When did John Harvey die?

John Harvey died on 19 July 1982 in Oxfordshire.

What was John Harvey's occupation?

John Harvey was an actor, film actor, stage actor and television actor.

What nationality was John Harvey?

John Harvey was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: John Harvey

· Wikidata: Q6238133

· DBpedia: John Harvey (actor)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Harvey. https://biography.guide/john-harvey-actor-1911/

MLA: "John Harvey." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-harvey-actor-1911/.

Chicago: "John Harvey." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-harvey-actor-1911/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:10 UTC