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John Slade Nettleton (5 February 1929 – 12 July 2023) was an English actor best known for playing Sir Arnold Robinson, Cabinet Secretary in Yes Minister (1980–1984) and President of the Campaign for Freedom of Information in the follow-up Yes, Prime Minister (1985–1988). Another political role for Nettleton was as Conservative Party MP Sir Stephen Baxter in the sitcom The New Statesman.

Early life

Nettleton was born in Sydenham, London, and graduated from RADA in 1951.

Career

Nettleton's most high profile role was as Sir Arnold Robinson, Cabinet Secretary in Yes Minister (1980–1984) and President of the Campaign for Freedom of Information in the follow-up Yes, Prime Minister (1985–1988). He also played a Conservative Party Member of Parliament (Sir Stephen Baxter) in the sitcom The New Statesman.

His other television roles included a Ministry of Defence department chief in The Avengers (episode "The See-Through Man", 1967), a police sergeant in Please Sir! (1969), Alfred Booker in The Champions (episode "Full Circle", 1969), Froggett in the office comedy series If It Moves File It (1970), Francis Bacon in Elizabeth R (1971), a Detective Superintendent in Doctor at Large in 1971, George Pattinson in a now lost episode ("The Uninvited") of Out of the Unknown (also in 1971), as Arthur Bellamy, brother to Viscount Bellamy, in Upstairs, Downstairs (1972), The Country Wife (1977), Brideshead Revisited (1981), The Flame Trees of Thika (1981), The Citadel (1983), Martin Luther, Heretic (1983), Brass (1983), East of Ipswich (1987), Major Membury in A Perfect Spy (1987), Reverend Ernest Matthews in the Doctor Who serial Ghost Light (1989), Longitude (2000), Midsomer Murders (2005) and Kingdom (2008). In the 1960s and 1970s, Nettleton was the reader of various illustrated stories on children's television programme Blue Peter. Often these were about historical figures, such as Florence Nightingale.

On stage, Nettleton appeared in the Lyttelton Theatre at the Royal National Theatre in the 2006 productions of Harley Granville-Barker's The Voysey Inheritance, directed by Peter Gill. He also appeared at the Olivier Theatre in the 1990 production of Alan Bennett's Wind in the Willows, directed by Nicholas Hytner. He also voiced Grandpa in the PC video game The Scruffs.

Personal life and death

Nettleton married actress Deirdre Doone in 1954. They had three daughters. Nettleton and Doone were members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He died on 12 July 2023, at the age of 94.

Filmography

References

1. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Yes Minister (1980-84)". screenonline.org.uk.
2. ^ "BBC Two – Yes, Prime Minister, Series 1, One of Us". BBC.
3. ^ "BFI Screenonline: New Statesman, The (1987-92) Credits". screenonline.org.uk.
4. ^ Morrison, John. "The Importance of Being Earnest review at Greenwich Theatre – Review – Theatre".
5. "John Nettleton". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017.
6. "John Nettleton". aveleyman.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
7. "John Nettleton – Movies and Filmography". AllMovie.
8. "John was the god of children's TV". Swindon Advertiser. 3 April 2008.
9. Billington, Michael (26 April 2006). "The Voysey Inheritance, National, London". The Guardian.
10. "John Nettleton obituary". The Guardian. 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
11. Clarke, Naomi (14 July 2023). "Former Yes Minister star John Nettleton dies aged 94". The Scotsman. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
12. "John Nettleton, RSC stalwart and character actor who played Sir Arnold in Yes Minister – obituary". The Telegraph. 14 July 2023. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 14 July 2023.

External links

• John Nettleton at IMDb
• John Nettleton at the Internet Broadway Database
• John Nettleton(Aveleyman)(Wayback Machine)
• John Nettleton discography at Discogs

• 1929 births
• 2023 deaths
• 20th-century English male actors
• English male film actors
• English male stage actors
• English male television actors
• Male actors from London
• 21st-century English male actors
• Actors from the London Borough of Lewisham
• People from Sydenham, London