Howard Lang
| Howard Lang | |
|---|---|
 Howard Lang as Captain William Baines (15 August 1975) | |
| Born |
Donald Yarranton 20 March 1911 London, England,  United Kingdom |
| Died |
12 December 1989 (aged 78) London, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1946-1986 |
Howard Lang (20 March 1911 – 12 December 1989) was a British actor best known for playing Captain William Baines in the BBC nautical drama The Onedin Line.
Early life
He was born in London as Donald Yarranton, the son of Edward John Yarranton (1884-1954) and Clara Ann (née Malkin) (1888-1921).[1] His father had left the family's bookbinding business to become a senior commercial traveller for Winsor & Newton, the supplier of artists' materials.
Lang served for seven years in the Royal Navy including during World War II. In January 1941 he was appointed Temporary Sub-Lieutenant,[2] and in January 1942 Temporary Lieutenant,[3] a position he held until the end of the war.[4]
His younger brother from his father's second marriage was Sir Peter Yarranton (1924-2003), chairman of the United Kingdom Sports Council from 1989 to 1994, and a notable figure in the world of rugby union, both as a player and as an administrator, for more than 40 years.
Acting career
For his role as seafaring Captain Baines in The Onedin Line (1971–1980) he gained international attention. In a 1977 interview in Radio Times Lang recalled a personal appearance in Norway:
When the series was first shown in Norway I was asked to make a personal appearance in a small shipbuilding town. As I was brought into Grimstad by sea I caught sight of huge crowds - all of 3,000 townsfolk out on the quay to greet me. I learned afterwards that I had been received as family because almost every home had an ancient photograph of an uncle, cousin or grandfather dressed and sideburned precisely as I appear on The Onedin Line.[5]
Lang's other parts included roles in The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), Z-Cars, Softly, Softly, The Vise, and an appearance as caveman Horg in three of the four episodes of the first Doctor Who story, An Unearthly Child.
He also played the role of Bert Hudd in the first production of Harold Pinter's first play,The Room.
In an early seafaring role, he had a cameo in Ben-Hur as the hortator aboard a Roman galley leading up to the epic battle with an enemy fleet.
Howard Lang died in London in 1989 aged 78.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Great Expectations | Man at Magwitch's Trial | uncredited |
| 1950 | The Mudlark | Footman | uncredited |
| 1951 | Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. | Officer aboard Cassandra | uncredited |
| 1952 | The Floating Dutchman | Gaoler | uncredited |
| 1953 | The Missing Man
Counterspy |
Inspector Haslett
Policeman |
uncredited |
| 1954 | The Blazing Caravan
Devil's Point |
Publican
Inspector Edgar Town crier Marne |
uncredited
uncredited |
| 1955 | The Mysterious Bullet
Stolen Time |
Davy Charlesworth
Scotland Yard detective |
|
| 1956 | Keep it Clean
Destination Death The Hideout |
Police sergeant
Cinema Commissionaire Police sergeant HMS Exeter Gunman Greeko |
uncredited
uncredited uncredited uncredited |
| 1957 | The Crooked Sky | Monitoring Policeman | |
| 1958 | A Night to Remember | Chief Officer Henry Wilde
Chief Inspector |
uncredited |
| 1959 | Behemoth the Sea Monster | Naval Commander
Macey Unknown Hortator Inspector |
uncredited
uncredited uncredited |
| 1960 | Night Train for Inverness | Sergeant
George Court Usher Warder |
|
| 1961 | Gorgo | First Colonel
Irate farmer |
uncredited |
| 1963 | The Haunting
The Runaway |
Hugh Crain
Norring |
uncredited |
| 1964 | Nothing but the Best | Jutson | |
| 1965 | He Who Rides a Tiger | Prison Governor | |
| 1966 | A Woman's Temptation | Unknown | uncredited |
| 1967 | Frankenstein Created Woman | Guard | uncredited |
| 1970 | Perfect Friday | Bank Commissionaire | |
| 1971 | Macbeth | Old Soldier | uncredited |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952
1955 |
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre | Courier Pilot
Party Guest |
Season 3, Episode 29: ''Arrow to the Heart''
Season 6, Episode 44: ''The Makepeace Story #3: Family Business'' |
| 1954 | Fabian of the Yard | Harry | Season 1, Episode 4: ''Bombs in Piccadilly'' |
| 1955 | The Hole in the Wall | 2nd Policeman | TV Movie |
| 1955
1958 1959 1960 |
The Vise | Police Sergeant
Policeman Marshall Warehouseman Mansfield Mr. Peters First Detective P.C. Price Jim |
Season 2, Episode 8: ''The Broken Link''
Season 5: (2 episodes) Season 6: (4 episodes) Season 7: (2 episodes) |
| 1956 | ITV Play of the Week
The Adventures of the Big Man The Crime of the Century |
George Hutton
Balford Mr. Barton |
Season 1, Episode 37: ''Come Read Me a Riddle''
Season 1: (3 episodes) Season 1: (2 episodes) |
| 1956
1957 |
The Adventures of Robin Hood | Landlord
Inn Patron with Password |
Season 2: (2 episodes) |
| 1957 | Sword of Freedom
ITV Television Playhouse Overseas Press Club - Exclusive! White Hunter |
Major Domo
Watchman Polish bosun Burrows |
Season 1, Episode 4: ''Caterina''
Season 2, Episode 44: ''And So to Bed'' Season 1, Episode 11: ''The Unknown Man'' Season 1, Episode 4: ''The No-Account'' |
| 1957
1958 |
O.S.S. | Bruehl
Jean First Farmer |
Season 1: (3 episodes) |
| 1958 | African Patrol | Brad
Collins Schmidt Blacksmith Armour |
Season 1: (2 episodes)
Season 1: (3 episodes) |
| 1959
1960 |
Interpol Calling | Commander Siddons
Dutch Policeman |
Season 1: (2 episodes) |
| 1959
1962 |
Dixon of Dock Green | 1st Carter
Paul Bennet |
Season 5, Episode 22: ''A Case for the Inland Revenue''
Season 9, Episode 13: ''Cash and Carry'' |
| 1960 | Man From Interpol
The Strange World of Gurney Slade Knight Errant Limited |
Sergeant
Unknown Dr. O'Kelly |
Season 1, Episode 7: ''Love by Extortion''
Season 1, Episode 3 Season 3, Episode 10: ''The Conspirators'' |
| 1961 | Rendezvous | Goddard | Season 1, Episode 29: ''The Executioner'' |
| 1961
1962 |
Sir Francis Drake | Richard Grenville | Season 1: (15 episodes) |
| 1962 | The Cheaters | Willie | Season 2, Episode 18: ''The Dashing Major'' |
| 1963 | Richard the Lionheart | First Shepard
Drayman Horg |
Season 1, Episode 28: ''Capture''
Season 1, Episode 1: ''Case of the Reluctant Window'' Season 1: (3 episodes) |
| 1964 | Espionage
HMS Paradise |
Ted Newcombe
Commander Bell Sgt. Fowler |
Season 1, Episode 19: ''Snow on Mount Kama''
Season 1, Episode 3: ''An Officer and a Gentleman'' Season 1, Episode 6: ''The Lady Killer'' |
| 1964
1967 1969 |
Z Cars | Brown
Inspector Jackson Tice |
Season 4, Episode 6: ''Somebody Said...''
Season 6: (3 episodes) |
| 1965 | The Scales of Justice | Abbott
Grimmett |
Season 1, Episode 6: ''Personal and Confidential''
Season 3, Episode 10: '' The World of George Orwell: Coming Up for Air'' |
| 1966 | The Wednesday Play | Dart player
Captain Friar |
Season 1, Episode 54: ''A Walk in the Sea''
Season 1, Episode 12: ''Flash Point'' |
| 1966
1967 1969 |
Softly, Softly | Dobson
Mr. Forbes Captain Donaldson |
Season 1, Episode 19: ''The Short Cut''
Season 3, Episode 9: ''The Hunt'' Season 5, Episode 5: ''Dead Aboard'' |
| 1968 | Freewheelers
Georgia Brown Sings Kurt Weill |
Admiral Nash
Narrator |
Season 1: (3 episodes)
TV movie |
| 1969 | W. Somerset Maugham
Detective |
Clark
Packer |
Season 1, Episode 4: ''The Letter''
Season 3, Episode 7: ''Elimination Round'' |
| 1970 | The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Macbeth |
Sir John Seymour
Siward |
Season 1, Episode 3: ''Jane Seymour''
Season 1, Episode 5 |
| 1971 | The Persuaders! | Coalition Club Member | Season 1, Episode 6: ''The Time and Place'' |
| 1971-
1974 1976– 1980 |
The Onedin Line | Captain Baines | Season 1: (15 episodes)
Season 2: (14 episodes) Season 3: (13 episodes) Season 4: (10 episodes) Season 5: (10 episodes) Season 6: (10 episodes) Season 7: (10 episodes) Season 8: (9 episodes) |
| 1972 | It's Murder But Is It Art | Chief Constable | Season 1 (3 episodes) |
| 1974 | King Thrushbeard and the Proud Princess | King Geoffrey | TV movie |
| 1976 | The Basil Brush Show | Unknown | |
| 1983 | The Winds of War | Winston Churchill | Season 1 (4 episodes) |
| 1984 | The Last Days of Pompeii | Medon
Churchill |
Season 1; (3 episodes)
Season 2, Episode 5 |
| 1985 | The Pickwick Papers | Tony Weller | Season 1 (3 episodes) |
| 1986 | The Pyrates | Captain Yardley | TV movie |
References
- ↑ Donald Yarranton Family Entry on Ancestry.com - pay to view
- ↑ UK Navy Lists, 1888-1970 (1941) for Donald Yarranton - Ancestry.com - pay to view
- ↑ UK Navy Lists, 1888-1970 (1942) for Donald Yarranton - Ancestry.com - pay to view
- ↑ UK Navy Lists, 1888-1970 (1945) for Donald Yarranton - Ancestry.com - pay to view
- ↑ "Life On The Ocean Wave", Radio Times, 25 June – 1 July 1977 as reproduced on the Peter Gilmore-Anne Stallybrass website
External links
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