Nicky Henson

 ( 1945 Births ) 

Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson (12 May 1945 – 15 December 2019) was a British actor.

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Early life Henson was born in London, the son of Harriet Martha (née Collins) and comedian Leslie Henson, a few days after VE Day, hence his middle name, Victor. Adam Henson, a farmer and regular presenter on BBC TV's Countryfile, was Henson's nephew; being the son of Nicky's brother Joe Henson.

He attended St. Bede's Prep School in Eastbourne and Charterhouse in Godalming. He trained as a stage manager at RADA and first appeared on stage himself as a guitarist. As a member of the Young Vic Company, he played Pozzo in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.

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Career

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Television Henson appeared in various television roles, including guest roles in Fawlty Towers, Minder, Boon, Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost, Heartbeat, After You've Gone, Lovejoy and Doctors. In 1990 he played the doctor in the BBC’s adaptation of Kingsley Amis’ Ghost story The Green Man. He played the eponymous hero in Shine on Harvey Moon when the series was revived in 1995.

In 2005, he played Hugo, an antiques dealer, in Bad Girls. In February 2006, Henson joined the cast of EastEnders, playing Jack Edwards. Henson left the production towards the end of the year due to health problems.

Henson played three different characters in the police drama series The Bill, the first in 1991, the second in 1998, and the third in 2007. In 2010, he appeared as Charles Grigg, a former acquaintance of Carson the butler, in an episode of Downton Abbey and appeared in two episodes in 2013. He also played Randolph Mepstead, the older brother of David Jason's character in the pilot episode of the mid-1970s series Lucky Feller.

Henson played the role of Mr Johnson in the Fawlty Towers episode "The Psychiatrist". He stated that despite his 50 years of professional acting, his tombstone will probably read "Here lies Nicky Henson – he was in one episode of Fawlty Towers". He was paid a modest appearance fee and he was told he might earn the same again in repeats fees.

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Films Henson's film appearances include Witchfinder General (1968), There's a Girl in My Soup (1970), Mosquito Squadron (1970) and Psychomania (1973). He graduated to lead roles in The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones (1976) and No. 1 of the Secret Service (1977), before returning to supporting roles in Vera Drake (2004) and George Clooney's Syriana (2005).

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Theatre On stage, Henson played many characters (including a period with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1977) and had leading roles in Look Back in Anger, Man and Superman, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, She Stoops to Conquer, Noises Off and others. He appeared as Mordred in the original 1964 London version of Camelot opposite Laurence Harvey as King Arthur. Henson made his Broadway debut in a production of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband, opposite Stephanie Beacham. He was nominated for a 1998 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical of 1997 for his role in Enter the Guardsman.

Henson started directing with a Restoration workshop at LAMDA with a production of The Provok'd Wife. In 2009, he directed the Jack Shepherd play Only When I Laugh at the Arcola Theatre in London and Alan Ayckbourn's Intimate Exchanges at Sheringham Little Theatre.

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Radio Henson played Lemuel "Chipper" Barnet in Space Force series 1 and 2 (1984–1985). He also played Major in Dombey and Son (BBC Radio 15 Minute Drama, 2007).

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Personal life, illness and death Henson married actress Una Stubbs (who incidentally played his sister-in-law Caroline Bishop in EastEnders). The couple had two sons, including Christian Henson. The marriage ended after Henson began an affair in 1974 with actress Susan Hampshire, his co-star in several stage productions.

He then married ballerina Marguerite Porter, with whom he had a third son, Keaton Henson.

Henson was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. Surgeons removed tumours from around his spleen, but a routine check-up in 2006 showed that other tumours had grown and it would have been dangerous to remove them. As such, he was put on a regime of chemotherapy and he worked regularly to raise funds for cancer charities, especially Marie Curie Cancer Care. He died on 15 December 2019, aged 74.

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Filmography

+Film
1964	Father Came Too!	Motorcyclist
1965	Every Day's a Holiday	Tailor's Shop Customer	Uncredited
1966	Doctor in Clover	Boutique Assistant
1967	The Jokers	Man at Party with Hunting Horn
1967	I'll Never Forget What's'isname	Young Man at Disco	Uncredited
1968	Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush	Craig Foster
1968	30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia	Paul
1968	Witchfinder General	Trooper Swallow
1969	Crooks and Coronets	Lord Freddie Fitzmore
1969	Mosquito Squadron	Flight Sergeant Wiley Bunce
1969	The Coward Revue		Television film
1970	There's a Girl in My Soup	Jimmy
1972	All Coppers Are...	Barry
1973	Psychomania	Tom Latham
1973	The Love Ban	Baker
1973	Penny Gold	Rogers
1974	Vampira	Marc Williams
1975	Bedtime with Rosie	Fantasy Man	Uncredited
1976	The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones	Tom Jones
1977	No. 1 of the Secret Service	No. 1 / Charles Bind
1980	The Double Dealer	Brisk	Television film
1981	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Demetrius	Television film
1982	Anyone for Denis?	Vouvrey	Television film
1985	Tropical Moon Over Dorking	Rex	Television film
1985	Absurd Person Singular	Sidney Hopcroft	Television film
1986	Season's Greetings	Neville	Television film
1988	Star Trap	Adam Blunt	Television film
1993	Micky Love	Martin Bowen	Television film
1994	The Healer	Dr Ralph Raebryte	Television film
1996	Death at Broadcasting House	Detective Sergeant Ring	Direct-to-video
1997	From the Bottom of a Well		Direct-to-video
1998	Anorak of Fire	Jim O'Rourke	Television film
1999	Parting Shots	Askew
2001	Me Without You	Ray
2001	Death, Deceit and Destiny Aboard the Orient Express	Tom Finlay
2001	Love or Money	Guy	Television film
2002	Flyfishing	Howard
2004	Vera Drake	Private Doctor
2004	The Fete	Ray	Short
2005	A Waste of Shame	John Shakespeare	Television film
2005	Syriana	Sydney Hewitt
2006	A Quiet Drink	Peter	Short
2008	Dr. No: The Radio Play	Chief of Staff
2011	Blitz	Superintendent Brown
2012	Truth or Dare	Mr Hautbois	Uncredited
2012	Run for Your Wife	Hospital Patient
2014	We Still Kill the Old Way (2014 film)	Jack Houghton
2015	Narcopolis	Chief Ballard
2015	Draw on Sweet Night	Sir Thomas Kytson
2015	Brackish Water	Richard Holmwood	Short
2016	Tommy's Honour	Charles Kinloch
2016	Gozo	Tony
2016	We Still Steal the Old Way	Jack Houghton
2017	The Holly Kane Experiment	Marvin Greenslade
2018	Tango One	Latham	Final film role

+Television
1961	The Avengers	Crowd member	Series 1, episode 20
1964	Paris 1900	Dardillon	Series 1, episode 5
1964	The Human Jungle	(Uncredited)	Series 2, episode 8
1966	The Frost Report	Various roles	Series 1 (13 episodes)
1967	Vacant Lot	Rock	Series 1, episodes 1 & 3
1968	ITV Playhouse	Amos Wild	Series 1, episode 21
1971	Shirley's World	Beanie	Series 1, episode 7
1971	Comedy Playhouse	Nicky	Series 11, episode 5
1972	BBC Show of the Week		1 episode
1972	Arthur of the Britons	Garet	Series 1, episode 3
1974	Comedy Playhouse	Nick Ransley	Series 14, episode 9
1975	Prometheus: The Life of Balzac	Honore de Balzac	Miniseries (6 episodes)
1975	Lucky Feller	Randolph 'Randy' Mepstead	Pilot episode
1977	The Foundation	Douggie Taylor	Series 1 (4 episodes)
1977	Cottage to Let	Steve	Series 1, episode 4
1978	That's the Way the Money Goes	Paul	Series 1 (8 episodes)
1979	Fawlty Towers	Mr Johnson	Series 2, episode 2
1979	Minder	George Wilson	Series 1, episode 2
1980	Seagull Island	Martin Foster	Miniseries (5 episodes)
1981	Whoops Apocalypse	Engelbert (uncredited)	Series 1, episode 4
1982	BBC2 Playhouse	Tosh	Series 8, episode 29
1983	The Happy Apple	Charles Murray	Series 1 (7 episodes)
1984	Driving Ambition	Allan Hearshner	Series 1, episodes 5 & 8
1987	Sunday Premiere	Alistair	1 episode 1986 "" Season's Greetings" by Alan Aykbourne BBC play
1987	Home to Roost	Edward Willows	Series 3, episode 2
1988	Singles	Gerry	Series 1, episode 5
1988	Thin Air	Richard Heller	Miniseries (5 episodes)
1989	Inspector Morse	Vince Cranston	Series 3, episode 3
1989	Boon	Terry Patterson	Series 4, episode 13
1990	After Henry	Ian	Series 3, episode 10
1990–1991	The Upper Hand	Michael Wheatley	Series 1–2 (4 episodes)
1990	The Green Man	Jack	Miniseries (3 episodes)
1991	The Bill	Colin Mathews	Series 7, episodes 75 & 76
1992	Between the Lines	Ch. Supt. Charlie McGregor	Series 1, episode 10
1993	Wales Playhouse	Gruff	Series 2, episode 3
1993	Sitting Pretty	Philip	Series 2, episode 1
1994	Health and Efficiency	Anthony Bolt	Series 1, episode 4
1994	Class Act	Sammy Buchanan	Series 1, episode 2
1995	Shine on Harvey Moon	Harvey Moon	Series 5 (main role, 12 episodes)
1995–1997	All Quiet on the Preston Front	Greg Scarry	Series 2–3 (5 episodes)
1995		Henri de Vence	Direct-to-video
1996	Pie in the Sky	Harrington Smithfield	Series 4, episode 3
1997	Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's...	CID Officer	Series 2, episode 2
1998	The Bill	John Defoe	Series 14, episode 67
1999–2000	A Touch of Frost	DS Larry Finlay	Series 7, episodes 1 & 2
2001	Midsomer Murders	Simon Reason	Series 4, episode 5
2002	Heartbeat	Alan Jones	Series 11, episode 16
2002		Vincent Fairey	Series 1, episode 3 & 5
2003	Swiss Toni	Mike Black	Series 1, episode 3
2003	Blue Dove	Gerry Weston	Miniseries
2005	Bad Girls	Hugo	Series 7, episode 3
2006	EastEnders	Jack	37 episodes
2007	Midsomer Murders	Terence Charteris	Series 10, episode 7
2007	After You've Gone	David	Series 2, episode 4
2007	The Bill	Vince Murray	Series 23, episodes 73 & 74
2008	Doctors	Carl Knight	Series 9, episode 205
2010	Casualty	A Dawson (uncredited)	Series 24, episode 20
2010, 2013	Downton Abbey	Charles Grigg	Series 1 & 4 (3 episodes)
2014	No Point	Charity Shop Customer
2016	Grantchester	Frank Archer	Series 2, episode 2
2017	Doctors	Eddie Canbray	Series 19, episode 57

+Audio plays
2001, 2008		Anton Lichfuss Dick Turpin / Grel	Series 2, episode 5 Series 9, episode 9
2010		Gregson Grenville Ice Warriors	Series 4, episode 5 Series 4, episode 6

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Notes

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External links

• Nicky Henson(Aveleyman)

Categories: 1945 Births, 2019 Deaths, 20th-century English Male Actors, 21st-century English Male Actors, Alumni Of The Royal Academy Of Dramatic Art, Deaths From Cancer, English Male Film Actors, English Male Radio Actors, English Male Soap Opera Actors, English Male Stage Actors, English Male Television Actors, Male Actors From London, People Educated At Charterhouse School, People Educated At St. Bede's Prep School, Royal Shakespeare Company Members

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