Jonathan Linsley

Last updated

Jonathan Linsley
Born (1956-01-17) 17 January 1956 (age 68)
Alma mater Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Years active1980–present
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)

Jonathan Linsley is a British actor, best known for his role as Crusher in the popular TV series Last of the Summer Wine . Born on January 17, 1956, in Bradford, West Yorkshire, Linsley started his acting career in the 1980s and gained popularity for his comedic roles. Besides Last of the Summer Wine, he has appeared in various films and TV shows, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and At World's End. Known for his tall stature and charming personality, Jonathan Linsley remains a beloved figure in British television. [1]

Contents

Early life

Linsley's father was from Ramsgate, Kent and his mother from Cockfield, County Durham; they met during the Second World War when his father was stationed with the tank regiment at Barnard Castle. Linsley was born at Bradford, and raised at Halesowen, near Birmingham, from the age of three, when his father's work dictated relocation, then at Tamworth, Staffordshire. When his father retired from industry, he bought a shop in the town of Skipton, North Yorkshire. Here Linsley attended Ermysted's Grammar School, during which time he joined the National Youth Theatre, then, despite an interest in working as an actor (encouraged by Only Fools and Horses actor Kenneth MacDonald, who directed Linsley in a play), he was persuaded by his parents to attend university; he initially read English and American Studies at the University of Warwick, but changed courses after the first year, to Theatre Studies. He was then awarded one of two available bursaries, enabling him to undertake a one-year post-graduate course at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. After completing his studies he entered repertory theatre at Ipswich, before getting his first television work in advertisements. He won the role of "Crusher" Milburn in the 1985 Last of the Summer Wine stage play, which went on a short commercial tour including the Beck Theatre at Hayes, Hillingdon, Cardiff, and Eastbourne. [2]

Personal Life

Jonathan Linsley is a British actor best known for his role as "Crusher" in the popular sitcom Last of the Summer Wine . He was born on January 17, 1956, in Yorkshire, England. Not much is publicly known about his personal life, as he tends to keep it private. He studied at the University of Hull and later pursued a career in acting. Outside of acting, Linsley enjoys traveling and has worked in theatre productions across the UK. Despite his fame on television, he leads a relatively low-key personal life away from the spotlight. [3]

Television

In 1984, played a chef in a sitcom called The Hello Good-bye Man on BBC with Ian Lavender. The show lasted for only one series. Shortly after this, Linsley took the role of large and strong, but dim-witted, "Crusher" Milburn in Last of the Summer Wine . He appeared in this role until 1987 when he elected to go on a diet. In 1989, Linsley starred as Chunky Livesey in the second and final series of the spin-off prequel First of the Summer Wine , to replace Anthony Keetch who starred as the character in the first series in 1988.

Linsley also appeared as a leading character in the TV shows Emmerdale (Albert Mistlethwaite), Casualty (DC Newby), The Bill (Dennis Weaver) and The Governor (Bert Threlfall) and as a leading guest actor in many other TV shows and made-for-TV films. He has also made over 50 TV commercials.

Theatre

His West End career includes the comedy Up'n'Under, Roald Dahl's Matilda, Its Ralph and A Midsummer Night's Dream . He appeared in rep in many cities around Britain, and wrote for and appeared in pantomimes with various other actors.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1988Diamond's EdgeBouncer
1989 The Phantom of the Opera Workman
1999Dead Bolt DeadThe Hit Man
2002 The Great Dome Robbery James Hurley
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Ogilvey (Dutchman)
2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
2007 National Treasure: Book of Secrets Buckingham Palace GuardUncredited
2011Patient 17Gilbert
2016The National Union of Space PeopleAntique Dealer

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1984The Hello Goobye ManThe Chef!1 episode
1984–1987 Last of the Summer Wine Crusher Milburn20 episodes
1989 First of the Summer Wine Chunky LiveseyEpisode: "Ain't Love Dangerous"
2005 Dalziel and Pascoe Clive JacobsEpisode: "The Dig" (2 parts)

Related Research Articles

<i>Last of the Summer Wine</i> British TV sitcom (1973–2010)

Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom set in Yorkshire created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. Alan J. W. Bell produced and directed all episodes of the show from late 1981 to 2010. The BBC confirmed on 2 June 2010 that Last of the Summer Wine would no longer be produced and the 31st series would be its last. Subsequently, the final episode was broadcast on 29 August 2010. Since its original release, all 295 episodes, comprising thirty-one series—including the pilot and all films and specials—have been released on DVD. Repeats of the show are broadcast in the UK on BBC One, Gold, Yesterday, and Drama. It is also seen in more than 25 countries, including various PBS stations in the United States and on VisionTV in Canada. With the exception of programmes relaunched after long hiatuses, Last of the Summer Wine is the longest-running TV comedy programme in Britain and the longest-running TV sitcom in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Davison</span> English actor (born 1951)

Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett, known professionally as Peter Davison, is an English actor. He made his television acting debut in 1975 and became famous in 1978 as Tristan Farnon in the BBC's television adaptation of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small stories. He subsequently played the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who from 1981 to 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Glover</span> British character actor, writer and professional wrestler (1934–1997)

Brian Glover was an English actor and writer. He worked as a teacher and professional wrestler before commencing an acting career which included films, many roles on British television and work on the stage. His film appearances include Kes (1969), An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Alien 3 (1992).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Sallis</span> English actor (1921–2017)

Peter John Sallis was an English actor. He was known for his work on British television. He was the voice of Wallace in the Academy Award-winning Wallace & Gromit films and played Norman "Cleggy" Clegg in Last of the Summer Wine from its 1973 inception until the final episode in 2010, making him the only actor to appear in all 295 episodes. Additionally, he portrayed Norman Clegg's father in the prequel series First of the Summer Wine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Maynard</span> English comedian and actor (1928–2018)

Walter Frederick George Williams, better known by his stage name Bill Maynard, was an English comedian and actor. He began working in television in the 1950s, notably starring alongside Terry Scott in Great Scott – It's Maynard! (1955–56). In the 1970s and 1980s, he starred in the successful British sitcoms Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt and The Gaffer and appeared in five films in the Carry On series. After a hiatus from television work in the late 1980s, Maynard starred as Claude Jeremiah Greengrass in the long-running television series Heartbeat from 1992 to 2000, reprising the character in the spin-off The Royal in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorden Kaye</span> British actor (1941–2017)

Gordon Irving Kaye, known professionally as Gorden Kaye, was an English actor, best known for playing womanising café owner René Artois in the television comedy series 'Allo 'Allo!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Gladwin</span> English actor (1906–1987)

Joseph Gladwin was an English actor, best known for his roles as Fred Jackson in Coronation Street, Stan Hardman in Nearest and Dearest, and Wally Batty in the world's longest-running sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine (1975–1987).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josephine Tewson</span> British actress (1931–2022)

Josephine Ann Tewson was an English actress, known for her roles in British television sitcoms and comedies. She portrayed Edna Hawkins on Shelley (1979–1982), Jane Travers in Clarence (1988), and Miss Lucinda Davenport in Last of the Summer Wine (2003–2010). She portrayed the frequently put-upon neighbour Elizabeth "Liz" Warden in Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1995). Tewson's professional career lasted more than 65 years, from 1952 until her retirement in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Lewis (actor)</span> English actor and writer (1926–2015)

Stephen Lewis, credited early in his career as Stephen Cato, was an English actor, comedian, director, screenwriter and playwright. He is best known for his roles as Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake in On the Buses, Clem "Smiler" Hemmingway in Last of the Summer Wine and Harry Lambert in Oh, Doctor Beeching!, although he also appeared in numerous stage and film roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Aldridge</span> English actor (1920–1994)

Michael William ffolliott Aldridge was an English actor. He was known for playing Seymour Utterthwaite in the television series Last of the Summer Wine from 1986 to 1990 and he had a long career as a character actor on stage and screen dating back to the 1930s.

George Layton is an English actor, director, screenwriter and author best known for three television roles – junior doctor Paul Collier in the comedy series Doctor in the House and its sequels Doctor at Large, Doctor in Chargeand Doctor at the Top, that of Bombardier 'Solly' Solomons in the first two series of It Ain't Half Hot Mum, and as Des the mechanic in early episodes of Minder. He also appeared in two episodes of The Sweeney and played Norman Simmonds in EastEnders as well as a few early appearances as himself on the light entertainment BBC1 consumer show That's Life!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glynn Turman</span> American actor, writer, director (born 1947)

Glynn Turman is an American actor, director, writer, and producer. First coming to attention as a child actor in the original 1959 Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun, Turman is known for his roles as Lew Miles on the prime-time soap opera Peyton Place (1968–1969), high school student Leroy "Preach" Jackson in the 1975 coming-of-age film Cooley High, math professor and retired Army colonel Bradford Taylor on the NBC sitcom A Different World (1988–1993), and Baltimore mayor Clarence Royce on the HBO drama series The Wire. He received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role on the HBO drama series In Treatment.

Brian Trevor John Murphy is an English actor and comedian. He is best known as the henpecked husband George Roper in the popular sitcom Man About the House and its spin-off series George and Mildred. He also played Alvin Smedley in Last of the Summer Wine. Other notable roles include Stan the shopkeeper in the 1990s children's series Wizadora, and Maurice in the comedy drama series The Booze Cruise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Barron</span> English actor (1934–2017)

Keith Barron was an English actor and television presenter who appeared in films and on television from 1961 until 2017. His television roles included the police drama The Odd Man, the sitcom Duty Free, and Gregory Wilmot in Upstairs, Downstairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Barraclough</span> British actor

Roy Senior Barraclough was an English comic actor. He was best known for his role as Alec Gilroy, the devious, mournful landlord of the Rovers Return in the long-running British TV soap Coronation Street, and for the double-act Cissie and Ada with comedian Les Dawson.

Christopher Winton Beeny was an English actor and dancer. He had a career as a child actor, but was best known for his work as the footman Edward Barnes on the 1970s television series Upstairs, Downstairs, as Billy Henshaw in the sitcom In Loving Memory, and as the incompetent debt collector and golfer Morton Beamish in Last of the Summer Wine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enzo Cilenti</span> British actor (born 1974)

Vincenzo Leonardo "Enzo" Cilenti is a British actor, known for his roles in works such as The Theory of Everything, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and Game of Thrones.

Tony McHale is a British actor, writer, director and producer, who is known for starring in Coronation Street and also known as a "stooge" to Jeremy Beadle on Game For A Laugh and later Beadle's About. He trained at the Rose Bruford College. He also enjoyed a long stint as a writer/story consultant/director on the top rated BBC1 soap opera EastEnders from its conception to the mid 1990s. He co-created BBC medical drama Holby City, and served as its executive producer and showrunner from 2007 to 2010. McHale also served as a core writer on numerous other TV dramas.

Kenneth Kitson is a British actor who has been active on British television since the early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Melody</span> English actor (1922–2008)

Anthony John Melody was an English television character actor who appeared in a number of long running comedies and soap operas. with more than 100 television roles.

References

  1. "Jonathan Linsley: A Journey Through Acting and Life in 2024". Fix Your Weight. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  2. "'Summer Winos' Interview with Jonathan Linsley". Summer Winos. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  3. "Jonathan Linsley: A Journey Through Acting and Life in 2024". 11 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.