Now here's a face that anyone who has spent any time watching classic Brit telly should know; that dour visage belonging to veteran character actor John Welsh. If one would imagine pre-1990s television as a giant house of cards with each series being a single card, and then removed every card which contained John Welsh in any role, then not only would the entire house fall, but the house itself would not exist! Born in 1914 in Wexford Ireland, his name was originally Walsh, but for some mildly inexplicable reason he preferred the 'e', so Welsh it became and stayed. That wizened face graced many an excellent programme, adding spice and character to a diverse array of styles and setting, from comedy to drama, and from modern to Victorian.
He appeared in series such as EDWARD THE KING, THE FALL OF EAGLES, THE MOONSTONE, BRIDESHEAD REVISITED (as the barber that found Sebastian's teddy bear so amusing), THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB (with Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey), THE EDWARDIANS, SOUTH RIDING, and from a Phantom Empires point of view his best telly role, Merriman the waiter in the classic Edwardian drama, THE DUCHESS OF DUKE STREET, alongside the glimmering Gemma Jones. He was also in a long string of films, including the Hammer picture RASPUTIN, THE MAD MONK (with Christopher Lee, speaking of dour), and the Robert Powell version of THE 39 STEPS, also starring David Warner.
He's one of those actors with the kind of quiet charisma that lets me know that I'm in for a good show all around. He was always cast along with the 70's UK elite, and he held his own. Why he's not more well known is a bit of a mystery to me, but then again, sometimes the best stuff from the 70's goes unknown. I find new British shows all the time from that period, and I'm constantly amazed by the performances of guys like him.
He appeared in series such as EDWARD THE KING, THE FALL OF EAGLES, THE MOONSTONE, BRIDESHEAD REVISITED (as the barber that found Sebastian's teddy bear so amusing), THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB (with Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey), THE EDWARDIANS, SOUTH RIDING, and from a Phantom Empires point of view his best telly role, Merriman the waiter in the classic Edwardian drama, THE DUCHESS OF DUKE STREET, alongside the glimmering Gemma Jones. He was also in a long string of films, including the Hammer picture RASPUTIN, THE MAD MONK (with Christopher Lee, speaking of dour), and the Robert Powell version of THE 39 STEPS, also starring David Warner.
He's one of those actors with the kind of quiet charisma that lets me know that I'm in for a good show all around. He was always cast along with the 70's UK elite, and he held his own. Why he's not more well known is a bit of a mystery to me, but then again, sometimes the best stuff from the 70's goes unknown. I find new British shows all the time from that period, and I'm constantly amazed by the performances of guys like him.