Nicholas Ball

John Nicholas Ball (11 April 1946 – 4 June 2024) was an English actor. He was best known for playing the title role of private detective James Hazell in the television series Hazell between 1978 and 1979.

Ball portrayed the vicious gang lord Terry Bates in EastEnders between 2007 and 2009. He played Garry Ryan in series five of Footballers' Wives and both series of its spin-off programme Footballers' Wives: Extra Time.

He had played a number of supporting roles in various television series including Z-Cars, Mr. Rose, The Gold Robbers, Softly Softly: Task Force, The Crezz, The Young Ones, Bergerac, Spooky, Tales of the Unexpected, Boon, Colin's Sandwich, Red Dwarf, The Governor, The Bill, Pie in the Sky, Heartbeat, Jonathan Creek, Cold Feet, New Tricks, The Commander, Casualty, Hustle, Holby City and Doctors.

The voice of Nicholas Ball can be heard as well on various audio books offered via the internet; he has narrated books from such authors as Christopher Hitchens and James Maybrick. In 2019, he appeared in an advert for Premier Inn, playing the part of Lenny Henry's manager.

Personal life Ball was born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, and raised in Hastings, Sussex. He trained to be an actor at Bristol Old Vic.

Ball was married to actress and psychologist, Pamela Stephenson from 1978 until 1984, when she left him for the comedian Billy Connolly. He later married his long-term partner, actress Ayda Kay, in 2019.

Ball died on 4 June 2024, at the age of 78.

Filmography Film

Television