John Junkin 151616 225913025 2008-07-16T00:00:45Z Rixon45 2587069 /* External links */ link to AHDN {{Infobox Person | name = John Junkin | image = | birth_name = John Francis Junkin | birth_date = {{birth date|1930|01|29}} | birth_place = [[Ealing]], [[Middlesex]], [[England]] | death_date = {{death date and age|2006|03|07|1930|01|29}} | death_place = [[Stoke Mandeville Hospital|Florence Nightingale House]], [[Aylesbury]], [[Buckinghamshire]], [[England]] | death_cause = [[lung cancer]], [[emphysema]] and [[asthma]] | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | residence = | nationality = British | other_names = | known_for = | education = | employer = | occupation = Radio and television performer, Writer | title = | salary = | networth = | height = | weight = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | party = | boards = | religion = | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''John Francis Junkin''' ([[January 29]], [[1930]], [[Ealing]], [[London]] - [[March 7]], [[2006]], [[Aylesbury]]) was an [[England|English]] radio, television and film performer and scriptwriter. In 1960 Junkin joined [[Joan Littlewood]]'s Stratford East [[Theatre Workshop]], and played the lead in the original production of ''[[Sparrows Can't Sing]]''. A few years later he joined the [[Royal Court Theatre]] company and was the foil to [[Tony Hancock]] in some of Hancock's last work for British television. He played a diverse range of roles on the small screen; however he is best remembered for his comedy roles, and his appearances as a television quiz master. American movie goers will remember him best for playing "Shake", the assistant to [[Norman Rossington]], in the [[Beatles]] movie ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]''. In comedy roles, Junkin was rarely short of work, on account of his outstanding ability to play the stoney-faced symbol of low level, petty-minded and unquestioning authority, whether the army sergeant, police constable or site foreman. One of his rare leading roles, the BBC series "The Smooth and the Rough". is viewed as having largely missed its target. It featured him in a curious post-modernist concept; not only was he one of the writers of the series, he also played a comedy writer in it, as well revealing some of the more bizarre aspects of his profession. He has an entry in the [[Guinness Book of Records]] as the voice of "[[Mr Shifter]]", one of the chimps in the [[PG Tips]] tea advertisement, the longest-running series of commercials on television. Junkin died from [[lung cancer]], [[emphysema]] and [[asthma]] on [[March 7]] [[2006]] in the [[Stoke Mandeville Hospital|Florence Nightingale House]], [[Aylesbury]]. His life and work was honored at the [[BAFTA Television Awards|British Academy Television Awards]] in 2006. ==Credits== * Cinema: ** ''[[The Wrong Arm of the Law]]'' (1963) ** ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'' (1964) ... as Shake ** ''[[Confessions from a Holiday Camp]]'' (1977) ** ''[[A Handful of Dust]]'' (1988) ** ''[[Chicago Joe and the Showgirl]]'' (1990) ** ''[[The Football Factory (film)|The Football Factory]]'' (2004) * Radio: ** ''[[Radio Caroline]]'' first voice of the test transmissions in March 1964 ** ''[[Hello, Cheeky!]]'' with [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]] and [[Barry Cryer]] ** ''[[Just a Minute]]'' as an occasional guest * Television: ** ''[[The Plane Makers/The Power Game|The Plane Makers]]'', drama series set in an aircraft factory, 1962-5 ** ''[[Marty (TV series)|Marty]]'', a comedy television series with [[Marty Feldman]], [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]] and [[Roland MacLeod]]. ** ''[[The Blackpool Show]]'' a 1966 series with [[Tony Hancock]]. ** ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]'' ** ''[[The_Professionals_(TV_series) | The Professionals (Series 5 Episode 8 as Mr Hollis) ]] ** ''[[Out (miniseries)]]'' ** ''[[Inspector Morse]]'' ** ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' ** ''[[Crosswits]]'' (quiz panelist) ** ''[[Mr Bean]]'' ** ''[[Ask No Questions]]'' ** ''[[Picking Up The Pieces]]'' ** ''[[The Thing About Vince]]'' ** ''[[Coronation Street]]'' (as a short-lived boyfriend of [[Elsie Tanner]]) ** ''[[EastEnders]]'' (2001-2002) as [[Ernie Johnson (EastEnders)|Ernie Johnson]] == External links == * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4781654.stm BBC] * {{imdb|id=0432729|name=John Junkin}} * {{Find A Grave|id=13567598}} * [http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorsJ/P00009018.HTML Actor's Compendium] * [http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/johnjunkin.html John Junkin: reminiscences of making A Hard Days' Night] {{England-actor-stub}} <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> {{Persondata |NAME=Junkin, John |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Junkin, John Francis |SHORT DESCRIPTION=English TV and Radio performer, writer |DATE OF BIRTH=[[1930-01-29]] |PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Ealing]], [[Middlesex]], [[England]] |DATE OF DEATH=[[2006-03-06]] |PLACE OF DEATH=[[Stoke Mandeville Hospital|Florence Nightingale House, Stoke Mandeville]], [[Buckinghamshire]], [[England]] }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Junkin, John}} [[Category:1930 births]] [[Category:2006 deaths]] [[Category:English comedians]] [[Category:English film actors]] [[Category:English television actors]] [[Category:English radio actors]] [[Category:English television writers]] [[Category:People from Ealing]] [[Category:Lung cancer deaths]] [[de:John Junkin]] [[sv:John Junkin]]