John Carson (actor)
Born to English parents in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where his father worked on tea and rubber plantations, he was educated in Australia and went to Britain to do national service as an artillery officer in an anti-aircraft regiment between 1944 and 1945.[1] He then studied law at Queen's College, Oxford before leaving for New Zealand, where he worked in amateur theatre before returning to Britain to begin his professional career.His saturnine looks and sinister voice (sometimes compared with James Mason) led to him starring in a number of horror films including The Night Caller (1965), The Plague of the Zombies (1966), The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), and Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1972).[1][4] Beside his appearances in horror films he was also known for his many villainous turns in adventure series of the 1960s, such as The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Avengers, The Saint, Adam Adamant Lives!, The Baron, Man in a Suitcase, The Champions and Department S.[5] His long and varied list of television credits include Emergency - Ward 10, Ivanhoe, William Tell, Armchair Theatre, Maigret, Out of the Unknown, Emma (as Mr. Knightley), Dixon of Dock Green, Crown Court, The New Avengers, Telford's Change, Secret Army, Special Branch, The Professionals, Tales of the Unexpected, Hammer House of Horror, Doctor Who (Snakedance), Shaka Zulu and Poirot.[8] In 1966, she had changed her forename from Pamela to Luanshya, and become a writer for TV shows including Dixon of Dock Green, Thriller and Triangle.