John Justin

John Justin (24 November 1917 – 29 November 2002) was an English stage and film actor.

Early life John Justinian de Ledesma was born in the Knightsbridge district of London, the son of a well-off Argentine rancher. Though he grew up on his father's estancia, he was educated at Bryanston School in Bryanston. He developed an interest in flying and became a qualified pilot at the age of 12, though he was not allowed to fly solo at the time because of his age.

Acting career Justin became interested in acting at a young age. By the age of 16, he had joined the Plymouth Repertory. In 1937, he briefly trained with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, but did not like it and soon joined the repertory company of John Gielgud. He was injured in a crash.

Later career On stage he was in Lulu (1971), toured South Africa in Who Killed Santa Claus? (1971), and appeared in Old Fruit (1974), and A Man And His Wife (1974).

His later films include Ken Russell's Savage Messiah (1972), Lisztomania (1975) and Valentino (1977).

In 1979, he played the ghoulish lover in A BBC Ghost Story for Christmas, Schalcken the Painter, based on Sheridan Le Fanu's 1839 tale Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter.

His love was for the stage. He called his film career "a mistake".

Personal life Justin was married three times, first to dancer and choreographer Pola Nirenska. His second marriage, to actress Barbara Murray, lasted from 1952 to 1964; they had three daughters. From 1970 to his death in 2002, he was married to Alison McMurdo.

Complete filmography

The Thief of Bagdad (1940) - Ahmad The Gentle Sex (1943) - Flying Officer David Sheridan Journey Together (1945) - Flying Instructor, Flying Grading School No Alibi (1947, Short) - Pilot Ridgeway's Late Joys (1947, TV) Call of the Blood (1949) - David Erskine Antigone (1949, live TV drama) - Haemon The Angel with the Trumpet (1950) - Paul Alt The World of Light (1950, live TV drama) - Bill Hamblin Rush Job (1951, live TV drama) - Tom Stevenson The Sound Barrier (1952) - Philip Peel Hot Ice (1952) - Jim Henderson The Village (1953) - Alan Manning Melba (1953) - Eric Walton King of the Khyber Rifles (1953) - Lt. Geoffrey Heath Sacrifice to the Wind (1954, live TV drama) - Ulysses Seagulls Over Sorrento (1954) - Lt. Roger Wharton The Teckman Mystery (1954) - Philip Chance The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955) - Mark St. Neots, Lord Binfield Untamed (1955) - Shawn Kildare Guilty? (1956) - Nap Rumbold Safari (1956) - Brian Sinden Island in the Sun (1957) - Denis Archer The Widow of Bath (1959, TV series) - Hugh Everton The Spider's Web (1960) - Henry Hailsham-Brown Les hommes veulent vivre (Man Wants to Live) (1961) - Carter Candidate for Murder (1962) - Robert Vaughan La Salamandre d'or (1962) - Vandoeuvre Savage Messiah (1972) - Lionel Shaw La redada (Barcelona Kill) (1973) - Comisario Mendoza Lisztomania (1975) - Count d'Agoult Valentino (1977) - Sidney Olcott The Big Sleep (1978) - Arthur Geiger Schalcken the Painter (1979, TV Movie) - Vanderhausen Very Like a Whale (1980, TV Movie) - Party Guest Timon of Athens (1981, TV Movie) - Second Senator Lady Killers (1981) - Thomas Edward Scrutton Trenchcoat (1983) - Marquis De Pena Good at Art (1983, TV Movie) - Mr. Jones (final film role) Sabu: The Elephant Boy (1993, documentary) - Himself