John Shrapnel
Known for Acting · 126 credits
- Born
- 1942-04-27
- Died
- 2020-02-14
- Place of birth
- Birmingham, England, UK
- Also known as
- John Morley Shrapnel
Biography
Shrapnel was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Mary Lillian Myfanwy (née Edwards) and journalist/author Norman Shrapnel.[1] As a stage actor, he was a member of Laurence Olivier's Royal National Theatre company and the Royal Shakespeare Company and most recently appeared as Sir Oliver Surface in The School for Scandal (directed by Deborah Warner) at the Barbican Centre in 2011. He has also appeared extensively in film and on television in roles in Elizabeth R, Z-Cars, Edward and Mrs. Simpson, 101 Dalmatians, Space: 1999, Inspector Morse, Coogan's Run, Notting Hill and Foyle's War. He presented an episode of the 1983 BBC television travel series Great Little Railways. He gave performances in three entries in the BBC Television Shakespeare plays and as Creon in the BBC's 1984 productions of the Three Theban plays of Sophocles. In America, he has starred in supporting roles as Senator Gaius in Gladiator, Nestor in Troy and Pompey in the second episode of Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. He also played the Jail Warden in the 10th Kingdom, an epic fantasy miniseries. He has the rare achievement of appearing in two episodes of Midsomer Murders as two different characters, in Death in Chorus and Written in Blood. Shrapnel appeared in an episode of Jonathan Creek as Professor Lance Graumann in the episode The Omega Man. He appears in Chemical Wedding alongside Simon Callow, telling the tale of the resurrection of occultist Aleister Crowley. Shrapnel also has experience in the field of BBC radio drama through such characters as Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse and William Gibson's Neuromancer. He is the son-in-law of Deborah Kerr through his 1975 marriage to her younger daughter Francesca Ann Bartley. They have three sons, the actors Lex Shrapnel (b.1979), Tom Shrapnel (b.1981) and the writer Joe Shrapnel (b.1976). They live in Highbury, north London.
Known For
TV Shows (46)
Midsomer Murders
1997
as Max Jennings / Leo Clarke
Merlin
2008
as The Sarrum
Foyle's War
2002
as Raymond Brooks
Natural World
1983
as Narrator
BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Duke of Cornwall / Viktor Myshlaevsky
Wycliffe
1994
as Dr. Sam Malvern
Omnibus
1967
as Zborowski
Waking the Dead
2001
as John Christie
New Tricks
2004
as DAC John Felsham
Screen Two
1985
as Rev. Charles Tucker Eland / Heiger
ITV Playhouse
1967
as Schoner
Space: 1999
1975
as Jack Tanner
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
2002
as Sergent Mike McCaffrey
Jonathan Creek
1997
as Prof. Lance Graumann
BBC2 Play of the Week
1977
as McKendrick / Robert
The Chief
1990
as Dan Cheyney
Justice
1971
as Roger Anderson
Kavanagh Q.C.
1995
as Mr. Justice Griffin
Between the Lines
1992
as Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dunning / D.C.C. Dunning
The 10th Kingdom
2000
as Governor of Prison
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
1992
as Claudius / The Ghost (voice)
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire
2006
as Pompey
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers
1988
as Thomas Mann
Elizabeth R
1971
as Earl of Sussex
Coogan's Run
1995
as Douglas Crown
Armchair Thriller
1978
as Vincent Craig
Mr. Palfrey of Westminster
1984
as Adrian Vyner
G.B.H.
1991
as Dr Jacobs
I Am Not an Animal
2004
as Narrator (voice)
Edward and Mrs Simpson
1978
as Major Alexander Hardinge
Invasion: Earth
1998
as Air Marshal Bentley
Apparitions
2008
as Cardinal Bukovak
About Face
1989
For the Greater Good
1991
as Norman May-Boys MP
Predators Killing for a Living
1997
Blackeyes
1989
as Detective Blake
Private Schulz
1981
as German Newsreel Commentator (voice, uncredited)
Selling Hitler
1991
as Gerd Schülte-Hillen
Vanity Fair
1987
as Lord Steyne
Plays for Britain
1976
as Voice of Leonard Brazil
Bodyguards
1997
as Commander Alan MacIntyre
Centrepoint
1990
as Claud Wareing
The Woman in White
1982
as Sir Percival Glyde
The Lions Rule
2017
as Narrator (voice)
Good Girl
1974
as Christopher Wimple
True Tilda
1997
as Reverand Glasson
Movies (80)
Troy
2004
as Nestor
Gladiator
2000
as Gaius
Notting Hill
1999
as PR Chief
101 Dalmatians
1996
as Skinner
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
2007
as Lord Howard
Mirrors
2008
as Lorenzo Sapelli
The Duchess
2008
as General Grey
K-19: The Widowmaker
2002
as Admiral Bratyeev
Nicholas and Alexandra
1971
as Petya
The Awakening
2011
as Reverend Hugh Purslow
The Body
2001
as Moshe Cohen
Pope Joan
1972
as Father James
Personal Services
1987
as Lionel
Fatherland
1994
as General Globus
Hennessy
1975
as Tipaldi
Alien Autopsy
2006
as Michael Kuhn
Mary, Mother of Jesus
1999
as Simon
Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters
1999
as General Charette
How to Get Ahead in Advertising
1989
as Psychiatrist
King Charles III
2017
as Archbishop of Canterbury
Troilus & Cressida
1981
as Hector
Chemical Wedding
2008
as Crowley
King Lear
1982
as Earl of Kent
The Three Hostages
1977
as Gaudian
Shadow of the Sword
2005
as Archbishop
The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka
1999
as Iwaszkiewicz
Alone
2002
as Hannah
Two Deaths
1996
as Cinca
The Tragedy of Flight 103: The Inside Story
1990
as BKA Police Chief
Selling Hitler
1993
as Gerd Schulte-Hillen
Poppyland
1985
as George Sims
National Theatre Live: Macbeth
2013
as Duncan/Seyton/Old Man
Flayed
1978
as Robert
Testimony
1988
as Andre Zhdanov
Timon of Athens
1981
as Alcibiades
Claim
2002
as Lex Vandenberg
Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale
2015
as Camilo
National Theatre Live: Phèdre
2009
as Théramène
Partition
1987
as General Flood
Theban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus
1986
as Creon
England, My England
1995
as Samuel Pepys
King Lear
1975
as Duke of Cornwall
Hamlet
2015
as Claudius/Ghost
Professional Foul
1977
as McKendrick
The Gentleman Thief
2001
as Monty Sinclair
Edward & Mrs. Simpson
1978
as Maj. Alexander Hardinge
The Tom Machine
1980
Theban Plays: Antigone
1986
as Creon
Hamlet Within
2022
Theban Plays: Oedipus the King
1986
as Creon
Gossip from the Forest
1979
as Matthias Erzberger
Hamlet
1992
as Claudius
An Organization of Dreams
2009
as Father
OXI, an Act of Resistance
2014
as Creon
Animals of the Ocean Desert
2001
as Narrator
St. Stephen's: The Living Cathedral
1997
as Narrator (English voice)
Run.
2013
as St. Peter
The Burston Rebellion
1985
as Rev. Charles Tucker Eland
Hindenburg: Titanic of the Skies
2007
as Himself (Narrator)
Whistle
2002
as Paul
Hitting Town
1976
as Leonard Brazil (voice)
Schönbrunn - Well of Beauty
2002
as Narrator (English Version)
Once Upon a Time on the Westway
2007
as Billy Palmer
SS-3: The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich
1992
as Narrator
Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome
2004
as Narrator
Wachau - Valley of Golden Magic
2005
as Narrator (English Version)
The Victim
1980
as Vincent Craig
The Ha-Ha
1969
as Jamie
Mountain Men: The Ghosts of K2
2001
as Narrator
The Race for Everest
2003
as Narrator
Lion Queen
1998
as Narrator (voice)
King Arthur: His Life and Legends
1995
Seven Wonders of Ancient Greece
2004
as Narrator
It's Called the Sugar Plum
1969
as Wally Zuckerman
Building Burma's Death Railway: Moving Half the Mountain
2014
as Narrator
Britain's Nuclear Bomb - The Inside Story
2017
as Narrator (Voice)
Seven Wonders of Ancient Egypt
2004
as Narrator
Horizon: Supermassive Black Holes
2000
as Narrator
Wild Women of Viramba
2003
as Narrator
The Return of the Flying Scotsman
2016
as Narrator - (Voice)
About John Shrapnel
Shrapnel was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Mary Lillian Myfanwy (née Edwards) and journalist/author Norman Shrapnel.[1] As a stage actor, he was a member of Laurence Olivier's Royal National Theatre company and the Royal Shakespeare Company and most recently appeared as Sir Oliver Surface in The School for Scandal (directed by Deborah Warner) at the Barbican Centre in 2011. He has also appeared extensively in film and on television in roles in Elizabeth R, Z-Cars, Edward and Mrs. Simpson, 101 Dalmatians, Space: 1999, Inspector M… With 126 credits spanning from 1965 to 2022, John Shrapnel has appeared in 80 films and 46 TV shows.
Fans searching for John Shrapnel movies, John Shrapnel filmography, or the latest projects starring John Shrapnel can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular John Shrapnel Movies
- Troy (2004) — as Nestor
- Gladiator (2000) — as Gaius
- Notting Hill (1999) — as PR Chief
- 101 Dalmatians (1996) — as Skinner
- Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) — as Lord Howard
Where to Watch John Shrapnel Films
Most John Shrapnel movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring John Shrapnel, check our movies catalogue and browse page.