John Standing
Born
August 16, 1934 (90 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
London, England, UK
Sir John Ronald Leon, 4th Baronet (born 16 August 1934) is an English actor and baronet who is known as John Standing. He is the stepson of John Clements. Standing was born in London, the son of Kay Hammond (née Dorothy Katherine Standing), an actress, and Sir Ronald George Leon, 3rd Baronet, a stockbroker descended from Sir Herbert Leon, the builder of Bletchley Park. He succeeded his father as the 4th baronet in 1964, but does not use the title. The Leon family were, until 1937, owners of Bletchley Park, the country house in Buckinghamshire used in the Second World War as a code-breaking centre. He was educated at Eton College and Millfield School, Somerset. He served in the King's Royal Rifle Corps as a second lieutenant, before going on to study at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London
Standing began his career in Peter Brook's 1955 production of Titus Andronicus starring Laurence Olivier and wife Vivien Leigh and later played leading parts in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Christopher Fry's Ring Round the Moon, A Sense of Detachment by John Osborne, and Noël Coward's Private Lives, with Maggie Smith. He was nominated for an Olivier award (1979) for Close of Play at the National Theatre. He made his film debut in The Wild and the Willing (1962), going on to appear in King Rat (1965), Walk, Don't Run (1966), The Psychopath (1966), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), The Elephant Man (1980), Nightflyers (1987), Mrs Dalloway (1997) and A Good Woman (2004).
One of his first major television roles was as Sidney Godolphin in the BBC twelve-part serial, The First Churchills (1969). Other television appearances include Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979); the ITV sitcom The Other 'Arf (1980–84), with Lorraine Chase; The Choir (1995) and King Solomon's Mines (2004). In the United States, he made guest appearances in numerous weekly programmes including L.A. Law, Civil Wars and Murder, She Wrote, and co-starred briefly with Robert Wagner and Samantha Smith in the action series Lime Street (1985). In 1976, he also appeared opposite Peter O'Toole in the little-seen BBC thriller film, Rogue Male, directed by Clive Donner. He appeared in the horror film Nightflyers (1987) adapted from a short story by George R. R. Martin. In 2002, he had a speaking credit on Lost Horizons, the second studio album from the British electronic duo Lemon Jelly. On track 1, "Elements", he lists the basic “elements" that make up the world: ash, metal, water, wood, fire and sky. On track 3, "Ramblin' Man", Standing reads a long list of various locations around the world, ranging from small Sussex villages to major world capitals. In July 2010, it was confirmed that he would be appearing as Jon Arryn in the HBO series Game of Thrones, based on Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels.
Can You Hear Me?
Ben
2024
The Great Escaper
Arthur
2023
May… I Have This Dance?
Narrator
2020
A Family Affair
Bernard
2019
Churchill and the Movie Mogul
Additional Voices
2019
King Lear
Butler
2018
Patrick Melrose
George Watford · (2 episodes)
2018
The Happy Prince
Dr. Tucker
2018
The Hippopotamus
Podmore
2017
The Crown
Imbert-Terry · (1 episode)
2016
Churchill's Secret
Lord Camrose
2016
The Last Resort
Mr. Carpenter (voice)
2014
Queen & Country
Grandfather George
2014
Rosamunde Pilcher: The Other Wife
Lord George Meriot · (2 episodes)
2012
Borgia
(1 episode)
2011
Game of Thrones
Jon Arryn · (1 episode)
2011
The Shadow in the North
Webster Garland
2007
Consenting Adults
Lord Goddard
2007
The Contractor
Sir Anthony
2007
I Want Candy
Michael de Vere
2007
Fallen Angel
Voice of Francis Youlgreave · (3 episodes)
2007
Rabbit Fever
Ally's dad
2006
Scoop
Garden Party Guest
2006
The Line of Beauty
Lord Kessler · (2 episodes)
2006
V for Vendetta
Lilliman
2006
Lassie
French
2005
Animal
Dean Frydman
2005
A Good Woman
Dumby
2004
King Solomon's Mines
Dr. Sam Maitland · (2 episodes)
2004
Shoreditch
Jenson Thackery
2003
Keen Eddie
(1 episode)
2003
The Real Jane Austen
Mr. Austen
2002
The Gathering Storm
Lord Moyne
2002
The Falklands Play
Rt Hon William Whitelaw CH MC MP (Home Secretary)
2002
Witness to a Kill
Foreign Secretary
2001
Pandaemonium
Rev Holland
2001
Queen's Messenger
Foreign Secretary
2001
In Deep
Ritchie · (2 episodes)
2001
Love in a Cold Climate
Lord Montdore · (2 episodes)
2001
The Calling
Jack Plummer
2000
Longitude
Capt. Proctor
2000
Longitude
Captain Proctor · (2 episodes)
2000
Mad Cows
Politician
1999
Rogue Trader
Peter Baring
1999
8 ½ Women
Philip Emmenthal
1999
Joan of Arc
Archbishop · (2 episodes)
1999
The Vice
(1 episode)
1999
The Man Who Knew Too Little
Embleton
1997
A Dance to the Music of Time
Nicholas Jenkins (older) · (4 episodes)
1997
Mrs. Dalloway
Richard Dalloway
1997
Lexx
Count Dracul · (1 episode)
1997
Midsomer Murders
Charles Rust · (1 episode)
1997
Midsomer Murders
Will Tunstall · (1 episode)
1997
The Woman In White
Mr. Gilmore
1997
Gulliver's Travels
Admiral Bolgolam · (2 episodes)
1996
The Choir
Bishop Robert Young · (5 episodes)
1995
Riders
Malise Gordon
1993
Chaplin
Butler
1992
Old Boy Network
(7 episodes)
1992
The Count of Solar
Coudray
1992
Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel
Whitfield
1992
Eerie, Indiana
Professor Nigel Zirchon · (1 episode)
1991
Night of the Fox
Alan Stacey
1990
Chameleons
Henry
1989
Paddington Bear
Mr. Brown · (13 episodes)
1989
The Endless Game
Belfrage
1989
Dark Holiday
Charnaud
1989
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Colonnel Toby Luttrell · (1 episode)
1989
Murphy's Law
(1 episode)
1988
Flapjack Floozie
Dr. Kipper
1988
Nightflyers
D'Branin
1987
Visitors
Jack
1987
L.A. Law
Nigel Morris · (1 episode)
1986
Lime Street
Edward Wingate · (8 episodes)
1985
The Biko Inquest
Van Rensburg
1984
Murder, She Wrote
Arthur Constable · (1 episode)
1984
Murder, She Wrote
Chief Daniel Trent · (1 episode)
1984
Hunter
George Franklin · (2 episodes)
1984
To Catch a King
The Duke of Windsor
1984
Pygmalion
Colonel Pickering
1983
Privates on Parade
Captain Sholto Savory
1983
Invitation to the Wedding
1983
Hotel
(1 episode)
1982
The Elephant Man
Fox
1980
The Sea Wolves
Finley
1980
The Other 'Arf
(27 episodes)
1980
Shillingbury Tales
(1 episode)
1980
Hart to Hart
(1 episode)
1979
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
(1 episode)
1979
The Class Of Miss MacMichael
Charles Fairbrother
1979
The Legacy
Jason Mountolive
1978
Beryl Reid
(1 episode)
1977
The Sinking of the HMS Victoria
Captain Winsloe
1977
BBC2 Play of the Week
Captain Winsloe · (1 episode)
1977
The Eagle Has Landed
Father Verecker
1976
Rogue Male
Major Quive-Smith
1976
Space: 1999
Pasc · (1 episode)
1975
Van der Valk
Ehrlich · (1 episode)
1972
The Frighteners
Tony Wardle · (1 episode)
1972
Au Pair Girls
Buster
1972
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
Lord Amberley · (1 episode)
1971
Zee and Co.
Gordon
1971
All the Right Noises
Bernie
1970
Wine of India
Russ
1970
Charley's Aunt
Jack Chesney
1969
The First Churchills
Sidney Godolphin · (12 episodes)
1969
A Touch of Love
Roger
1969
The Main Chance
Lord Radchester · (1 episode)
1969
Torture Garden
Leo Winston (segment 3 "Mr. Steinway")
1967
Walk Don't Run
Julius D. Haversack
1966
The Psychopath
Mark Von Sturm
1966
King Rat
Daven
1965
BBC Play of the Month
Jack Chesney · (1 episode)
1965
BBC Play of the Month
Cléante · (1 episode)
1965
Sharp at Four
Sutcliffe
1964
Hot Enough for June
Men's Room Attendant
1964
The Iron Maiden
Humphrey Gore-Brown
1963
The Wild and the Willing
Arthur
1962
The Saint
Gendarme · (1 episode)
1962
A Pair of Briefs
Hubert Shannon
1962
The Avengers
(1 episode)
1961
Armchair Theatre
Sutcliffe · (1 episode)
1956