Nicky Henson
Henson inWitchfinder General (1968)
Born	Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson (1945-05-12)12 May 1945 London, England
Died	15 December 2019(2019-12-15) (aged 74)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1964–2019
Spouses	Una Stubbs ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1975)​ Marguerite Porter ​ (m. 1986)​
Children	3, includingChristian andKeaton

Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson (12 May 1945 – 15 December 2019)^[1] was a British actor.

Henson was born in London, the son of Harriet Martha (née Collins) and comedianLeslie Henson,^[2] a few days afterVE Day, hence his middle name, Victor.^[3]Adam Henson, a farmer and regular presenter on BBC TV'sCountryfile, was Henson's nephew; being the son of Nicky's brotherJoe Henson.^[4]

He attendedSt. Bede's Prep School in Eastbourne andCharterhouse in Godalming.^[5] He trained as a stage manager atRADA and first appeared on stage himself as a guitarist. As a member of theYoung Vic Company, he playedPozzo in Samuel Beckett'sWaiting for Godot.

Henson appeared in various television roles, including guest roles inFawlty Towers,Minder,Boon,Inspector Morse,A Touch of Frost,Heartbeat,After You've Gone,Lovejoy andDoctors. In 1990 he played the doctor in the BBC’s adaptation of Kingsley Amis’ Ghost storyThe Green Man. He played the eponymous hero inShine on Harvey Moon when the series was revived in 1995.

In 2005, he played Hugo, an antiques dealer, inBad Girls. In February 2006, Henson joined the cast ofEastEnders, playingJack Edwards. Henson left the production towards the end of the year due to health problems.^[6]

Henson played three different characters in the police drama seriesThe Bill, the first in 1991, the second in 1998, and the third in 2007. In 2010, he appeared as Charles Grigg, a former acquaintance of Carson the butler, in an episode ofDownton Abbey and appeared in two episodes in 2013.^[7]He also played Randolph Mepstead, the older brother ofDavid Jason's character in the pilot episode of the mid-1970s seriesLucky Feller.

Henson played the role of Mr Johnson in theFawlty Towers episode "The Psychiatrist". He stated that despite his 50 years of professional acting, his tombstone will probably read "Here lies Nicky Henson – he was in one episode ofFawlty Towers". He was paid a modest appearance fee and he was told he might earn the same again inrepeats fees.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Henson's film appearances includeWitchfinder General (1968),There's a Girl in My Soup (1970),Mosquito Squadron (1970) andPsychomania (1973). He graduated to lead roles inThe Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones (1976) andNo. 1 of the Secret Service (1977), before returning to supporting roles inVera Drake (2004) andGeorge Clooney'sSyriana (2005).

On stage, Henson played manyShakespearean characters (including a period with theRoyal Shakespeare Company from 1977) and had leading roles inLook Back in Anger,Man and Superman,Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,She Stoops to Conquer,Noises Off and others. He appeared asMordred in the original 1964 London version ofCamelot oppositeLaurence Harvey asKing Arthur. Henson made his Broadway debut in a production ofOscar Wilde'sAn Ideal Husband, oppositeStephanie Beacham. He was nominated for a 1998Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical of 1997 for his role inEnter the Guardsman.

Henson started directing with aRestoration workshop atLAMDA with a production ofThe Provok'd Wife. In 2009, he directed the Jack Shepherd playOnly When I Laugh at theArcola Theatre in London andAlan Ayckbourn'sIntimate Exchanges atSheringham Little Theatre.

Henson played Lemuel "Chipper" Barnet inSpace Force series 1 and 2 (1984–1985). He also played Major inDombey and Son (BBC Radio15 Minute Drama, 2007).

Henson married actressUna Stubbs (who incidentally played his sister-in-lawCaroline Bishop inEastEnders).^[12] The couple had two sons, includingChristian.^[12] The marriage ended after Henson began an affair in 1974 with actressSusan Hampshire, his co-star in several stage productions.^[13]

He then married ballerinaMarguerite Porter, with whom he had a third son,Keaton.^[14]

Henson was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. Surgeons removed tumours from around his spleen, but a routine check-up in 2006 showed that other tumours had grown and it would have been dangerous to remove them. As such, he was put on a regime of chemotherapy and he worked regularly to raise funds for cancer charities, especiallyMarie Curie Cancer Care.^[15] He died on 15 December 2019, aged 74.^[16]

• Nicky Henson atIMDb
• Nicky Henson at theInternet Broadway Database
• Nicky Henson(Aveleyman)

• 1945 births
• 2019 deaths
• 20th-century English male actors
• 21st-century English male actors
• Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
• Deaths from cancer
• English male film actors
• English male radio actors
• English male soap opera actors
• English male stage actors
• English male television actors
• Male actors from London
• People educated at Charterhouse School
• People educated at St. Bede's Prep School
• Royal Shakespeare Company members

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from April 2021
• Articles with hCards
• Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata