John Standing

Sir 'John Standing' (qv) is one of England's most respected stage, film and television actors. From a distinguished acting dynasty which includes his great-grandfather 'Herbert Standing' (qv) (1846-1923), grandfather Sir 'Guy Standing' (qv) (1873-1937) and mother, the actress 'Kay Hammond' (qv), John Robert Leon Standing, born in London on August, 16, 1934, succeeded his father Sir Ronald Leon, as the 4th baronet in 1964.A one-time art student and avid painter, Sir John attended both Millfield Preparatory School and Eton College and made his debut on stage in minor roles in the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company's production of "Titus Andronicus." In London from 1959, he worked productively on the London stage (Bristol Old Vic, Chicester, Haymarket, Royal Court) for two decades with a resume that included "The Darling Buds," "The Irregular Verb to Love," "See How They Run," "The Clandestine Marriage," "The Cherry Orchard," "The Fighting Cock," The Beaux' Stratgem," "The Importance of Being Earnest" (as Algernon), "Ring Around the Moon," "The Alchemist," "Arms and the Man, "A Sense of Detachment" by 'John Osborne' (qv), "Saint Joan," "Dead-Eyed Dicks," "Plunder," "The Philanderer" and, most notably, as Elyot Chase in 'Noël Coward' (qv)'s "Private Lives," co-starring 'Maggie Smith' (qv) and directed by 'John Gielgud' (qv), which was taken to Broadway in 1975.Lesser known for his work on the big screen, a few BBC-TV guest parts came to Sir John's way before he entered films in 1962 with featured roles in the light comedy _A Pair of Briefs (1962)_ (qv) and romantic drama _Young and Willing (1962)_ (qv). Standing followed these with performances in such films as _King Rat (1965)_ (qv), _The Psychopath (1966)_ (qv), _Walk Don't Run (1966)_ (qv), _A Touch of Love (1969)_ (qv), _All the Right Noises (1970)_ (qv), _X, Y and Zee (1972)_ (qv), _Au Pair Girls (1972)_ (qv), _The Eagle Has Landed (1976)_ (qv), _The Legacy (1978)_ (qv), _The Sea Wolves (1980)_ (qv), _The Elephant Man (1980)_ (qv), _Privates on Parade (1983)_ (qv), _Nightflyers (1987)_ (qv), _Chaplin (1992)_ (qv), _Mrs Dalloway (1997)_ (qv), and a starring role as a businessman who opens a brothel with his playboy son after the death of his wife in the dramedy _8 ½ Women (1999)_ (qv).Sir John had more prestigious work come to him on TV. He lightened up at times as he died as a aristocratic politician who falls for a working class model in the British comedy series _The Other 'Arf (1980)_ (qv) and a spy partnered with 'Tom Conti' (qv) in _Old Boy Network (1992)_ (qv), but found more rewarding work in the classic mini-series _The First Churchills (1969)_ (qv), _Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979)_ (qv), _Windmills of the Gods (1988)_ (qv), _The Choir (1995)_ (qv), _Club V.R. (1996)_ (qv) and _Drovers' Gold (1997)_ (qv).In the U.S., he has graced numerous weekly programs including _L.A. Law (1986)_ (qv), _Civil Wars (1991)_ (qv), and _Murder, She Wrote (1984)_ (qv) and co-starred briefly with 'Robert Wagner' (qv) and the late 'Samantha Smith' (qv) in the action series _Lime Street (1985)_ (qv), which ended abruptly with the young girl's death in a plane crash. The 13-year-old Smith became an instant celebrity after writing a touching and concerned letter to the then Soviet President 'Yuri Andropov' (qv) about the relations between the two dominant powers and being invited to Russia.Into the millennium, the elderly Standing has remained extremely busy playing a number of distinguished lords and higher-ups, especially with British TV appearances ("The Vice," "In Deep," "Keen Eddie," "MidSommer Murders," "Game of Thrones," "The Crown") and in above-par TV movies and miniseries including _Longitude (2000)_ (qv), _Love in a Cold Climate (2001)_ (qv), _The Falklands Play (2002)_ (qv), _The Gathering Storm (2002)_ (qv), _King Solomon's Mines (2004)_ (qv), _The Line of Beauty (2006)_ (qv), _Fallen Angel (2007)_ (qv), _The Other Wife (2012)_ (qv), _Patrick Melrose (2018)_ (qv) and _King Lear (2018)_ (qv).Divorced from actress 'Jill Melford' (qv), Sir John's second wife, actress 'Sarah Forbes' (qv), is the daughter of director 'Bryan Forbes' (qv) and actress 'Nanette Newman' (qv).::Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]