John Justin | |
|---|---|
 Justin in 1940 | |
| Born | John Justinian de Ledesma (1917-11-24)24 November 1917 Knightsbridge,London, England |
| Died | 29 November 2002(2002-11-29) (aged 85) Petersfield,Hampshire, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1937–1983 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
John Justin (24 November 1917 – 29 November 2002) was a British stage and film actor.[1]
John Justinian de Ledesma was born inKnightsbridge, London, England, the son of a well-offArgentine rancher.[2] Though he grew up on his father'sestancia, he was educated atBryanston School inBryanston,Dorset.[3] 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.
Justin became interested in acting at a young age. By the age of 16, he had joined thePlymouth Repertory. In 1937, he briefly trained with theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art, but did not like it and soon joined the repertory company ofJohn Gielgud.[3] Among the plays he appeared in wasDear Octopus.[2]
In 1938, he auditioned for and was cast in the role for which he is perhaps best remembered, Ahmad in the 1940 version ofThe Thief of Bagdad, oppositeSabu. To do so, he had to sign a seven-year contract withAlexander Korda.
TheSecond World War broke out during the film's production. After completing the picture, Justin joined theRoyal Air Force, serving as a test pilot and flying instructor.[3][4] He was injured in a crash.[2]
He was given leave to work on two films,The Gentle Sex (1943) withLeslie Howard, andJourney Together (1944), an RAF feature film with a cast led byRichard Attenborough,Jack Watling,David Tomlinson, andEdward G. Robinson.Bessie Love, whose career began in the silent era, also appeared in the cast.
With the war's end, Justin returned to acting. In 1948, he did a stint at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre,Stratford-on-Avon, appearing inKing John,The Merchant of Venice,The Winter's Tale,Othello,Hamlet, andTroilus and Cressida. He also made the filmCall of the Blood (1948).
In 1949, he appeared on stage inPeter Pan and was inAntigone on theBBC. Justin was inReturn to Tyassi (1950) on the West End and appeared inThe Angel with the Trumpet (1950).
Justin appeared in the filmThe Sound Barrier (1952) and played the lead inHot Ice (1952). After appearing inUncle Vanya (1952) on stage, he focused on film work.
He was inThe Village (1953), aSwiss film;Melba (1953), a biopic;King of the Khyber Rifles (1954), a Hollywood film withTyrone Power for20th Century Fox;Seagulls Over Sorrento (1954) withGene Kelly. He then had two leading roles, inThe Teckman Mystery (1954) withMargaret Leighton andThe Man Who Loved Redheads (1955) withMoira Shearer.
Fox called him back forUntamed (1955) andWarwick Films used him inSafari (1956) withVictor Mature. Justin had a good role in Fox'sIsland in the Sun (1957), romancingDorothy Dandridge.
In 1957, he appeared on stage inDinner with the Family. In 1959 he joined the Old Vic, where his plays includedThe Double Dealer,As You Like It, andThe Importance of Being Earnest.
He made his Broadway debut in 1960 in the playLittle Moon of Alban and was inThe Spider's Web (1960). He was later in stage productions ofMuch Ado About Nothing (1963),Death of a Salesman (1965), andAs You Like It (1965).
Between 1963 and 1970 he made no film appearances. In 1968 he playedThorin Oakenshield in theBBC Radio adaptation ofThe Hobbit.[5]
On stage he was inLulu (1971), touredSouth Africa inWho Killed Santa Claus? (1971), and appeared inOld Fruit (1974), andA Man And His Wife (1974).
His later films includeKen Russell'sSavage Messiah (1972),Lisztomania (1975) andValentino (1977).
In 1979, he played the ghoulish lover in the BBC'sChristmas ghost storySchalcken the Painter, based on the 1839 storyStrange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter bySheridan Le Fanu.
His love was for the stage.[2] He called his film career "a mistake".[3]
Justin was married three times, first to dancer and choreographerPola Nirenska. His second marriage, to actressBarbara Murray, lasted from 1952 to 1964; they had three daughters. From 1970 to his death in 2002, he was married to Alison McMurdo.[2]
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