John Nettles is a British film and television actor who became famous for his role as Inspector Tom Barnaby in the television series Purely English Killings, as well as the role of Ray Penvenen in the drama series Poldark.
Biography
The future actor John Nettles was born in the British city of St. Austell (Cornwall) in 1943. His mother was a nurse of Irish descent who moved to Britain during World War II. Right after John was born, carpenter Eric Nettles and his wife, Elsie, adopted.
After graduating from high school, John entered the University of Southampton, where he studied history and philosophy. In his student years, he tried himself as an actor in amateur theater productions. After graduating, Nettles worked for several years at the Royal Court Theater in London. His most famous work at that time was his role in the 1969 play Hamlet, in which Nettles played with then-popular actor Thomas Courtney.
First roles
John Nettles' film debut took place in 1970. In the comedy "Once Again" by Jerry Lewis, he played a cameo role. This was followed by the role of Ian Mackenzie in the drama series Family at War.
Over the next few years, John Nettles starred in many episodes. The most famous projects with his participation are the series "Robin from Sherwood", "Enemy Behind the Door", "Heartbeat".
In 1980, the actor played a supporting role in the television film "The Merchant of Venice", based on the play of the same name by Shakespeare.
In 1982, Nettles played a small role in the detective series Agatha Christie's Hour. The project was closed due to low ratings after the completion of the first season.
In 1981, John Nettles got the lead role in the criminal series Bergerac, which immediately made him one of the most popular actors in England. Work on the television series lasted almost ten years. A total of 87 episodes were shot. After finishing work on Bergerac, the actor again worked in the theater for some time. In 1993, Nettles returned to television, playing a small role in the crime comedy Detectives.
"Pure English killings"
This ball is the main work in the life of an actor. In 1997, filming began on the Midsomer Murders television series, also known as Purely English Kills, based on a series of books by Caroline Graham. The novels of the writer were successful both in England and abroad. Her first short story about Tom Barnaby, "Murder in the Bedgers Drift, " is still considered one of the best detectives of all time.
The role of the protagonist Inspector Barnaby in the new film adaptation was John Nettles. The filmography of the actor replenished with a second long-playing detective series. The role of Inspector Tom Barnaby Nettles regularly performed until 2011, then his character was sent by the scriptwriters to retire. Thanks to this television series Nettles gained worldwide fame. The series was very popular in Western Europe and the USA. In just 16 years of filming (from 1997 to 2013), 19 seasons and 114 episodes were filmed. A photo of John Nettles as Inspector Barnaby is presented below:
Other television work
From 1997 to 2005, John Nettles worked on the documentary series Airport, acting as a narrator.
In 2002, television director David Attwood took on the screen version of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles. John got the role of Dr. Mortimer. The film received mostly mixed reviews from viewers.
In 2015, John Nettles was selected for the role of Ray Penvenen in the drama television series Poldark, based on the novel by Winston Graham. At the moment this is the last television work of the actor.
Books
John Nettles also tried himself as a writer. In 1988, he wrote the book "Bergerac's Jersey", which indicated the location of the shooting of the series "Bergerac", while creating a kind of tourist guide to the most beautiful locations.
In 1991, Nettles wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, "Naked in Public: A Confession of Mini Celebrities."
John Nettles' latest literary work is the historical book Jewels and Jackboots, which describes the German occupation of the British Isles during World War II.
