Nicky Henson

Nicky Henson
Born Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson
(1945-05-12) 12 May 1945
London, England
Occupation Actor
Years active 1964–present
Spouse(s) Una Stubbs (1969–75)
Marguerite Porter (1986–present)

Nicholas Victor Leslie "Nicky" Henson (born 12 May 1945) is an English actor who has portrayed many roles since 1963. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977.

Early life

Henson was born in London, the son of Harriet Martha (Collins) and comedian Leslie Henson.[1] Henson attended St. Bede's Prep School, Eastbourne and Charterhouse School in Godalming.[2] 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.

Career

Television

Henson has appeared in various television roles, including guest roles in Fawlty Towers, Minder, Boon, A Touch of Frost, Heartbeat, After You've Gone and Doctors. He also played the eponymous hero in Shine On Harvey Moon when the series was revived in 1995.

In February 2006, Henson joined the cast of the BBC1 soap opera EastEnders, playing Jack Edwards. Henson left the production towards the end of the year due to health problems.

Henson has played three different characters the police drama series The Bill, the first in 1991, the second in 1998, and the third in 2007. In 2010, he appeared in an episode of the ITV period drama Downton Abbey and appeared in two further episodes in 2013.[3]

Films

Nicky Henson's film appearances include Witchfinder General (1968), There's a Girl in My Soup (1970), Mosquito Squadron (1970) and Psychomania (1971). 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).

Theatre

On stage, Henson has played many Shakespearian characters and has had leading roles in Look Back in Anger, Man and Superman, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, She Stoops to Conquer, Noises Off and many other plays. 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.

He 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.

Radio

He played Lemuel 'Chipper' Barnet in Space Force series 1 and 2 (1984–1985).

Personal life

Health

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 be dangerous to remove them. Henson was put on a regimen of chemotherapy, and now works regularly to raise funds for cancer charities, especially Marie Curie Cancer Care.[4]

Family

Henson has two sons, Joe and Christian, by his first wife, actress Una Stubbs (who incidentally played his sister-in-law Caroline Bishop in EastEnders). Both those sons are composers. He is currently married to Marguerite Porter, a ballerina, by whom he has a third son, Keaton, who is a musician and illustrator.[5] His nephew is Adam Henson, a farmer and regular presenter on BBC TV's Countryfile.

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Nicky Henson Biography (1945–)". Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "Nicky Henson – Actor". Nicky Henson. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
  3. ↑ "Henson Nicky – Artist Information and Profile". Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "Institute of Sport and Recreation Management website". Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Keaton Henson". Retrieved 27 December 2015.

External links

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