John Levene | |
---|---|
Born | John Anthony Woods 24 December 1941 |
Other names | John Anthony Blake |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1965–present |
Organization | Genesis Communications |
Television | Doctor Who |
Spouses |
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Children | 2 |
John Anthony Woods (born 24 December 1941), known professionally as John Levene, is an English actor, producer, entertainer and singer. Although he has appeared in a large number of films and television series, Levene's best-known role is that of Sergeant Benton, of UNIT in the science-fiction television series Doctor Who , a role he played from 1968 to 1975.
Levene was born John Anthony Woods in Salisbury, Wiltshire, on Christmas Eve 1941, the eldest child of Austin and Vera Woods (née Blake); he has a younger brother called Michael. Levene was born breeched, jaundiced and was dead for the first couple of minutes of his life after he suffocated from a piece of afterbirth being stuck in his airways and his heart stopped beating for two minutes until the doctor removed the blockage. [1] [ page needed ] Levene's father was a sergeant in the army and was on board the SS Empire Baffin; upon his return he was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal by King George VI. [1] [ page needed ] Shortly after being temporarily blinded in one eye from falling onto a pen knife, Levene was left bed-ridden for two years after contracting a severe blood infection; he had to have a blood transfusion although the blood he was given was contaminated which made his condition worse giving him severe hallucinations. [1] [ page needed ] Levene attended St. Thomas's school in Salisbury although missing two years of school due to his illness, being dyslexic and being bullied resulted in him failing his eleven-plus exams. [1] [ page needed ]
After leaving school, Levene's first job was being a car mechanic at a garage during the day and then being a nurse at the local hospital in the evenings. Other jobs that Levene had later on included being a tallyman, a window cleaner and a cement mixer at a building site at Boscombe Down. [1] [ page needed ] Wanting to leave Wiltshire due to having no work prospects and a bad relationship with his father, Levene moved to Jersey and became a menswear salesman in the biggest shop on the island, Noel and Porter. After Leven's girlfriend became pregnant with their daughter Samantha, the two married and relocated to London where they had a son, Jason. The family lived next door to Anthony Hopkins before he became famous. Levene would often help the actor learn his lines. [1] [ page needed ]
Levene began working in Hope Brothers, a men's clothing store on Regent Street in London when Telly Savalas came to the store and encouraged him to sign up as an actor for The Dirty Dozen (1967). Although he failed to secure a part in the film, since he was not a union member, he became interested in acting. Upon joining Equity, he adopted the professional name John Levene to avoid confusion with another John Woods who was already registered with the union.
Levene's first acting role was in the television series Adam Adamant Lives! in 1967 and shortly after secured a regular role as the desk sergeant in Z Cars . Levene formed a good working relationship with the director Douglas Camfield who made roles for Levene in his other television series. Other TV roles included episodes of The Newcomers (1966), UFO (1970), Callan (1972), The Adventurer (1972) and Carry On Laughing (1975). Levene also featured in the opening titles of the television series Paul Temple as the man running down the corridor; there is a moment when the man turns around that he can be easily identified as Levene. [1] [ page needed ]
Levene's first film part was due to be in The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970) with Roger Moore, a film about two versions appearing of the same man, played by Moore. Levene was to play the double when Moore's character is in shot with Levene's back to the camera. After winning the part and getting on well with Moore, the producers told Levene shortly after that he would no longer star in the film as Moore was concerned that Levene was smarter than he was. [1] [ page needed ] Despite this, Levene went on to appear in the films When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970), Zeppelin (1971), Go for a Take (1972), Psychomania (1973), The Blockhouse (1973), Dark Places (1974) and Permission to Kill (1975).
Levene made his first appearances in Doctor Who as an uncredited Cyberman due to his tall stature in the 1967 serial The Moonbase and as a Yeti in The Web of Fear , [2] before appearing in The Invasion (1968), again as a Cyberman, in the iconic scene where the Cybermen march down the steps in front of St. Paul's Cathedral. [1] [ page needed ] Levene also made his first appearance as then-Corporal Benton of UNIT in the same episode after the original actor was sacked for being late; Levene was hired instead at the insistence of Douglas Camfield. [1] [ page needed ] UNIT were featured heavily in early-1970s Doctor Who, and the promoted Sergeant Benton also became a regular, appearing in a total of 67 episodes. Levene struck up a rapport with his co-stars Jon Pertwee (The Doctor), Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier), Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Richard Franklin (Captain Mike Yates) and Roger Delgado (the Master). Fans of Doctor Who often refer to these characters as the UNIT family, and as this era as a 'golden age' of the show. Levene's last regular appearance was in the Fourth Doctor serial The Android Invasion in 1975. [3]
In 1977, following his final appearance on Doctor Who, Levene gave up acting as a career to set up his own audio-visual company, Genesis Communications. He has since directed more than 45 audio-visuals and live events for various clients including the Ford Motor Company, British Airways, KFC, Amway and Revlon.
In 1983 Levene turned down the opportunity to reprise the role of Benton for the 20th-anniversary Doctor Who special "The Five Doctors". [4] Five years later he did return to the role for the 1988 Reeltime Pictures video production Wartime .
Levene has worked as an entertainer on cruise liners and has also lived in the United States, [5] where he returned to acting under the name John Anthony Blake. ("Blake" was the maiden name of Levene's mother, and as he informed the writers Steve Lyons and Christopher Howarth, he had had a much better relationship with her than with his father.) [6] He has also performed voice-over work for Disney and The Queen Mary Hotel, among other companies.
Levene's most recent acting work was in an independent film titled Satan Hates You . He has also appeared in an episode of Big Bad Beetleborgs and industrial videos. In 2008, Levene co-starred with Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred in Twice Upon a Timelord, a video production in which the Seventh Doctor and Ace attend Benton's wedding.
Levene's music album The Ballads of Sergeant Benton was released in September 2012. The same year, he returned to the UK to promote himself and his album at a number of Doctor Who events. In 2015 he recorded vocals for an audio adaptation of the Doctor Who charity novel Time's Champion . [7]
In September 2017, he joined other Doctor Who stars, including showrunner Steven Moffat, in recording audio contributions for the YouTube anniversary video of mutimedia artist Stuart Humphryes. [8] Levene has also reprised the character of Sergeant Benton for the Big Finish Doctor Who audio series in Council of War (2013), UNIT: Assembled (2017) The Scream of Ghosts (2019) and Poison of the Daleks (2020).
In 2019, Levene published his autobiography, entitled Run the Shadows, Walk the Sun. [1] In 2021, Levene took part in a special documentary in which he and Doctor Who co-star Katy Manning revisit the village of Aldbourne where they filmed an episode of Doctor Who fifty years previously.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1970 | When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth | Minor Role | |
1971 | Zeppelin | British Soldier | |
1972 | Go for a Take | Assistant Director | |
1973 | Psychomania | Constable | |
The Blockhouse | Soldier | ||
1974 | Dark Places | Doctor | |
1975 | Permission to Kill | Adams | |
1988 | Wartime | John Benton | Direct to video film |
2002 | CanniBallistic! | Bernie Shanks | |
2005 | Planetfall | Videophone Alien | |
2006 | Automatons | Communications Captain | |
2010 | Satan Hates You | Reverend Bernie Shanks | |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1965 | Undermind | Man in Club | Episode: "Waves of Sound" |
1966 | The Newcomers | Man | Episode: #1.125 |
1967 | Doctor Who | Cyberman | Serial: "The Moonbase" |
1967 | Adam Adamant Lives! | S.S. Guard | Episode: "A Sinister Sort of Service" |
1967 | Z Cars | Constable | 13 episodes |
1967 | Les Misérables | Prisoner | Episode: "Release" |
1967 | The First Freedom | Soviet Guard | TV film |
1968 | Doctor Who | Yeti | Serial: "The Web of Fear" |
1968 | Detective | Detective | Episode: "Crime of Passion" |
1968, 1970–1975 | Doctor Who | Corporal/Sergeant John Benton | 66 episodes |
1969 | Softly, Softly | Youth | Episode: "A Quantity of Gelignite" |
1969 | The Expert | Prison Officer | Episode: "A Question of Guilt" |
1969 | ITV Playhouse | Taraxan | Episode: "The Friendly Persuaders" |
1969 | A Handful of Thieves | Police Constable | Episode: "The Fireworks Party" |
1969 | Special Branch | Special Branch Man | Episode: "A New Face" |
1969 | Coronation Street | Drinker in Rover's Return | Episode: #1.939 |
1970 | Germinal | Miner | Episode: "Mob Rule" |
1970 | ITV Sunday Night Theatre | Ernie | Episode: "Lay Down Your Arms" |
1970 | Paul Temple | Paul Temple | Opening titles; 13 episodes |
1970 | The Troubleshooters | Man | Episode: "The Order of the Good Time" |
1970 | The Doctors | Det. Insp. Coates | Episode: #1.82 |
1970 | UFO | Interceptor Pilot | Episode: "Close Up" |
1971 | The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | Constable | Episode: "The Affair of the Tortoise" |
1972 | The Regiment | Corporal Challoner | Episode: "The Fortunes of Peace" |
1972 | Callan | Harold | Episode: "I Never Wanted the Job" |
1972 | The Pathfinders | RAF Sergeant | Episode: "Our Daffodils Are Better Than Your Daffodils" |
1973 | The Adventurer | Tony | Episode: "I'll Get There Sometime" |
1973 | Whoops Baghdad | Cassan | Episode: "Genie of the Bottle" |
1973 | The Jensen Code | Military Policeman | 2 episodes |
1975 | Carry On Laughing | Soldier | Episode: "The Baron Outlook" |
1975 | The Growing Pains of P.C. Penrose | Motorist | Episode: "The Peeper" |
1997 | Big Bad Beetleborgs | Lord T. N. Crumpets | Episode: "The Curse of Mums' Tomb" |
The Master, or "Missy " in their female incarnation, is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its associated spin-off works. They are a renegade alien Time Lord and the childhood friend and later enemy of the title character, the Doctor.
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings into more Cybermen in order to populate their ranks while also removing their emotions and personalities. They were conceived by writer Kit Pedler and story editor Gerry Davis, and first appeared in the 1966 Doctor Who serial The Tenth Planet.
Dimensions in Time is a charity special crossover between the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and the soap opera EastEnders. The special was broadcast in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993 and was filmed on location at Greenwich and the EastEnders Albert Square set.
Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, fully Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, created by writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln and played by Nicholas Courtney. He is one of the founders of UNIT, an international organisation that defends Earth from alien threats, and serves as commander of the British contingent. Presented at first as reluctant to accept the continuing aid of the Doctor, over time the Brigadier became one of the Doctor's greatest friends and his principal ally in defending Earth.
UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Operating under the auspices of the United Nations and initially led by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, its purpose is to investigate and combat paranormal and extraterrestrial threats to Earth. Several UNIT personnel played a major role in the original Doctor Who series, and it was a regular feature from The Invasion (1968) until The Seeds of Doom (1976).
Inferno is the fourth and final serial of the seventh season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts on BBC1 from 9 May to 20 June 1970. The serial remains the last time a Doctor Who story was transmitted in seven episodes. This serial was also the last regular appearance of Caroline John in the role of Liz Shaw.
The Dæmons is the fifth and final serial of the eighth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in five weekly parts on BBC1 from 22 May to 19 June 1971.
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.
"The Five Doctors" is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced in celebration of the programme's 20th anniversary. It had its world premiere in the United States, on the Chicago PBS station WTTW and various other PBS member stations on 23 November 1983, the anniversary date. It was transmitted on BBC1 in the United Kingdom two days later.
William Nicholas Stone Courtney was an Egyptian-born British actor. He was best known for his long-running role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.
Sergeant John Benton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by John Levene. He was the senior NCO of the British contingent of UNIT, a fictional international organisation that defends Earth from alien threats, and is eventually promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1, holding the post of regimental sergeant major. He appeared semi-regularly on the programme from 1968 to 1975.
Captain Mike Yates is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Richard Franklin. He was adjutant of the British contingent of UNIT, an international organization that defends Earth from alien threats.
Robot is the first serial of the 12th season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 28 December 1974 to 18 January 1975. It was the first full serial to feature Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, as well as Ian Marter as new companion Harry Sullivan. The serial brought a full end to the Pertwee era, as it was the final story with the production team of Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks. It was also the final regular appearance of UNIT, who had become regulars starting with the first Jon Pertwee serial Spearhead From Space.
The Crusade is the sixth serial of the second season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by David Whitaker and directed by Douglas Camfield, the serial was broadcast on BBC1 in four weekly parts from 27 March to 17 April 1965. In this serial, the First Doctor and his travelling companions Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright, and Vicki arrive in 12th century Palestine during the Third Crusade, and find themselves entangled in the conflict between King Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. They also meet King Richard's sister Lady Joanna and Saladin's brother Saphadin.
The Moonbase is the half-missing sixth serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 11 February to 4 March 1967.
The Invasion is the partly missing third serial of the sixth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in eight weekly parts from 2 November to 21 December 1968.
The Ambassadors of Death is the third serial of the seventh season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts on BBC1 from 21 March to 2 May 1970. The serial's script was credited to David Whitaker but completed primarily by Malcolm Hulke and Trevor Ray. It was directed by Michael Ferguson.
Wartime is a 1988 direct-to-video science fiction film produced by Reeltime Pictures. It is the first professionally produced, authorized independent spin-off of the British television series Doctor Who, and the only such production to be made while the original run of the show was still on the air.
Barnaby Edwards is a British actor, writer, director and artist. He is known as a performer for the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, in the role of a Dalek operator. He has also written, directed, produced or performed in over 80 Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories. Alongside frequent radio and voice over work, Edwards has narrated over 40 unabridged audiobooks for Audible.com and others.
The Third Doctor Adventures is a sci-fi audio series produced by Big Finish Productions based on the TV show Doctor Who. It sees the return of Katy Manning as Jo Grant, Richard Franklin as Mike Yates, and John Levene as Sergeant Benton while the voice of the Third Doctor is performed by Tim Treloar replacing the original actor, Jon Pertwee, who died in 1996.