Jump to content

John Sessions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by WikiCleanerBot (talk | contribs) at 23:59, 12 June 2020 (v2.02b - Special:LintError/missing-end-tag - WP:WCW project (Missing end bold/italic)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

John Sessions
Born
John Gibb Marshall

(1953-01-11) 11 January 1953 (age 71)
Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland, UK
Alma materUniversity College of North Wales (BA, MA)
McMaster University (PhD, did not complete)
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (GrDip)
Occupation(s)Actor, comedian
Years active1982–present
TelevisionWhose Line Is It Anyway? (UK)
Stella Street

John Gibb Marshall (born 11 January 1953),[1] better known by the stage name John Sessions, is a British actor and comedian. He is known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?, as a panellist on QI, and as a character actor in numerous films, both in the UK and in Hollywood.[2]

Early life

John Sessions was born John Gibb Marshall on 11 January 1953 in Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland, but moved to Bedford, England with his family when he was three years old. His father was a gas engineer. He has a twin sister, Maggie, and an older brother.[3]

Education

Sessions was educated at Bedford Modern School, an independent school for boys (now co-educational), and Verulam School, St Albans, followed by the University College of North Wales in Bangor, from which he graduated with an MA in English literature.[2] At university, he had begun to appear to audiences with his comedy in shows such as "Look back in Bangor" and "Marshall Arts". He later studied for a PhD on John Cowper Powys at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, although he did not complete the doctorate.[3]

This period in his life was unhappy.[4] In a 'Worst of Times' column for The Independent from around 1990, he talked of how the freezing Canadian weather had depressed him, he was smoking "far too many cigarettes" and "had a couple of disastrous flings", and described his PhD dissertation as "200 pages of rubbish".[4]

Career

Sessions attended RADA in the late 1970s, studying alongside Kenneth Branagh; the two would work together on many occasions later in their careers.[5] His name change occurred when he became a performer, owing to the presence of a John Marshall on the Equity register already.[6] In the early 1980s he worked on the small venue comedy circuit with largely improvised freewheeling fantasy monologues. He topped a double bill with French and Saunders during this period.[7] He had a number of small parts in films including The Sender in 1982, The Bounty in 1984 and Castaway in 1986.[8]

Sessions played to his strengths in improvisation and comedy with his one-man stage show Napoleon, which ran in London's West End for some time in the mid-1980s.[9] Sessions and Stephen Fry were the only two regular panellists on the original radio broadcast of Whose Line Is It Anyway? in the late 1980s. When the show, still hosted by Clive Anderson, made the transition to television, Fry departed from regular appearances, but Sessions remained the featured panellist for the first season, a frequent player in the second, but he did not appear again after his two appearances in the third series.[10]

A gifted impressionist (he also voiced characters for Spitting Image), he drew heavily on his extensive literary education and developed a reputation for being "a bit of a swot", being able to quote extensive passages of text and make endless cultural and historical references.[11] His ready ability to switch between accents and personae meanwhile allowed his career in improvisation to flourish. In 1987 he played Lionel Zipser in Channel 4's mini-series Porterhouse Blue.[12]

In 1989, Sessions starred in his own one-man TV show, John Sessions.[7] Filmed at the Donmar Warehouse in London, the show involved Sessions performing before a live audience who were invited to nominate a person, a location and two objects from a selection, around which Sessions would improvise a surreal performance for the next half-hour.[4] This series prompted two further one-man TV shows: John Sessions' Tall Tales (1991) and John Sessions' Likely Stories (1994).[13] Although billed as 'improvisation, these were increasingly pre-planned.[13] In an interview headlined 'Who The Hell Does John Sessions Think He Is?' in Q magazine in the early 1990s, he admitted that some of his improv wasn't entirely spontaneous, but that if it were advertised as scripted 'it had to be funnier'.[14] 1991 also saw Sessions in the BBC drama Jute City, a three-part thriller based around a sinister Masonic bunch of villains, co-starring with vocalist Fish (Derek W. Dick, singer in the first incarnation of rock band Marillion).[15]

In 1996 he was commissioned by the Royal Academy of Arts to write "Paint, said Fred", the life of Frederic, Lord Leighton, the pre-eminent Victorian artist, in a one-man show that used his comic writing abilities and his gift for impersonation.[16]

Sessions also starred in Stella Street, a surreal "soap opera" comedy about a fantasy suburban British street inhabited by celebrities such as Michael Caine and Al Pacino, which he conceived with fellow impressionist Phil Cornwell, the two of them playing several parts in each episode.[17]

Sessions later returned to formal acting, with parts ranging from James Boswell (to Robbie Coltrane's Samuel Johnson) in the UK TV comedy drama Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Isles (1993) to Doctor Prunesquallor in the BBC adaptation of Gormenghast (2000) and in 1998 as Hercules Fortesque, a BBC HR manager in the BBC mini-series In The Red adapted from the book and the BBC radio series by Mark Taverner.[18] He provided the voice of the Professor in The Adventures of Pinocchio in 1996.[19] He also appeared in several Shakespeare films, playing Macmorris in Kenneth Branagh's Henry V (1989), Philostrate in the 1999 film of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Salerio in the 2004 movie The Merchant of Venice, with Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons.[20] He also contributed "Sonnet 62" to the 2002 compilation album When Love Speaks (EMI Classics), which consists of famous actors and musicians interpreting Shakespearean sonnets and play excerpts.[21]

In between appearing in regular film and TV roles, Sessions has made appearances on Have I Got News for You and, more recently, as a semi-regular panellist on QI.[22][5] Sessions was one of four panellists, including the permanent Alan Davies, on the inaugural episode of QI, in which he demonstrated his effortless memory of the birth and death dates of various historical figures (while simultaneously and apologetically deeming the knowledge of such facts "a sickness").[5]

On radio, Sessions guested in December 1997 on the regular BBC Radio 3 show Private Passions, presented by Michael Berkeley, not as himself but as a 112-year-old Viennese percussionist called Manfred Sturmer, who told anecdotes (about Brahms, Clara Schumann, Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg and others) so realistically that some listeners did not realise that the whole thing was a hoax.[23] Other Sessions creations appeared on Berkeley's show in subsequent years. Sessions has taken the role of narrating the popular Asterix stories for audiobook, since the death of Willie Rushton.[24]

Sessions made a guest appearance in a special webcast version of Doctor Who, in a story called Death Comes to Time, in which he played General Tannis. He occasionally appeared in the BBC series Judge John Deed as barrister Brian Cantwell QC. In 2007, he guest-starred in the Doctor Who audio adventure 100.[25][26]

In 2006, Sessions presented some of the BBC's coverage of The Proms and featured in one of the two Jackanory specials, voicing the characters and playing the storyteller in the audiobook version of Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell's children's book Muddle Earth.[27] In 2007 he appeared in the final episode of the second series of Hotel Babylon, playing hotel owner Donovan Credo, and as Geoffrey Howe in 2009's Margaret.[28] In 2010 he played Kenny Prince in Sherlock.[29]

Sessions appeared in the teen drama TV show Skins in 2011 as one of two adopted fathers of Franky Fitzgerald.[4] He also appeared as a Brummie vicar in an episode of Outnumbered on BBC1.[30]

Sessions has also played two British prime ministers in films, Harold Wilson in Made in Dagenham and Edward Heath in The Iron Lady.[31] In 2013 he appeared in the premiere production of the new play Longing.[32]

In 2014, Sessions made a short appearance in Outlander as Arthur Duncan.[33] In October 2014, Sessions was heard as Gus, the mysterious, psychopathic computer that controlled the eponymous train/spaceship in the Doctor Who episode "Mummy on the Orient Express".[34] Sessions also appeared as Mycroft Holmes in the 2015 film Mr. Holmes.[35]

Sessions played the role of Arthur Lowe in the 2015 drama We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story.[36] He played Dr Hermann in the 2016 film Florence Foster Jenkins.[37]

Personal life

Sessions is openly gay.[38]

A Eurosceptic, Sessions voiced his support for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in 2014.[39][40] He stated, "I get so bored with people going, 'UKIP are a bunch of racists.' They're nothing of the kind. Nigel Farage talks more sense than the rest of the politicians put together. The United States of Europe is madness."[3]

Sessions is also critical of Scottish nationalism, and has argued for the abolition of the Scottish, Welsh and European parliaments.[3] In August 2014, he was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue.[41]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1982 The Sender Patient
1984 The Bounty Steward John Smith
1986 Whoops Apocalypse Mr Sweetzer
1986 Sky Bandits Flight
1986 Castaway Man in Pub
1989 Henry V Macmorris
1990 Sweet Revenge John Michaels
1991 The Pope Must Die Dino
1992 Freddie as F.R.O.7 Scotty / Additional characters (voice)
1994 Princess Caraboo Prince Regent
1995 In the Bleak Midwinter Terry Du Bois (Queen Gertrude)
1996 The Adventures of Pinocchio The Professor
1997 My Night with Reg Daniel
1998 The Scarlet Tunic Humphrey Gould
1998 Cousin Bette Musical Director
1999 A Midsummer Night's Dream Philostrate
1999 Faeries Chudley (voice)
2000 One of the Hollywood Ten Paul Jarrico
2001 The Kingdom of Bones William Rutherford
2001 High Heels and Low Lifes Director
2002 Gangs of New York Harry Watkins / Lincoln
2004 Hawking Dennis Sciama
2004 Stella Street: The Movie Various characters
2004 Lighthouse Hill Mr. Reynard
2004 The Merchant of Venice Salerio
2004 Five Children and It Peasemarsh
2005 Rag Tale Felix Miles Sty
2006 The Good Shepherd Valentin Mironov No. 1 / Yuri Modin
2007 Intervenetion Joe
2008 Inconceivable Finbar "Finn" Darrow
2009 The Last Station Dr. Dušan Makovický
2009 Nativity Mr Lore
2010 Made in Dagenham Prime Minister Harold Wilson
2010 The Making of Plus One Derek
2011 The Iron Lady Edward Heath
2012 The Domino Effect Talk Show Host
2013 Filth Bob Toal
2014 Pudsey: The Movie Thorne
2014 The Silent Storm Mr. Smith
2015 Mr. Holmes Mycroft Holmes
2015 Legend Lord Boothby
2016 Florence Foster Jenkins Dr Hermann
2016 Denial Richard J. Evans
2017 Finding Your Feet Mike
2017 Loving Vincent Pere Tanguy (voice)

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1984 Danger: Marmalade at Work Announcer / Scorpion 2 episodes
1984 Laugh??? I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee Various characters Also writer
1985 Happy Families Dean Episode: "Cassie"
1985 Tender Is the Night Young Scot Episode: "Episode Six"
1986 Boon Barney Spitz Episode: "Box 13"
1986 Spitting Image Various characters (voice) 13 episodes
1986 Girls on Top Rodney Episode: "Who's Ya Uncle Shelley?"
1986 The Madness Museum Dr. Arthur Foulis Uwins Television film
1987 Porterhouse Blue Zipser 3 episodes
1988 Menace Unseen Larry Knight 3 episodes
1989 Agatha Christie's Poirot Radio Voice Overs (voice) Episode: "Four and Twenty Blackbirds"
1989 A Day in Summer Croser Television film
1990 One Foot in the Grave (voice) Episode: "Dramatic Fever"
1990 Die Fledermaus Frosch Television film
1991 The New Statesman Lord Penistone Episode: "Let Them Sniff Cake"
1991 John Sessions' Tall Tales Various characters 6 episodes: also writer
1991 Jute City McMurdo 3 episodes
1992 Life with Eliza Eliza’s husband 12 episodes
1993 Screenplay James Boswell Episode: "Boswell & Johnson's Tour of the Western Isles"
1994 Citizen Locke John Locke Television film
1994 John Sessions' Likely Stories Various characters 6 episodes; also writer
1994 Nice Day at the Office Tippit 6 episodes
1997 The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling Henry Fielding 5 episodes
1997–2000 Stella Street Various characters Also writer and creator
1998 In the Red Hercules Fortescue 3 episodes
1998 Queen's Park Story The Owl Television film
2000 Gormenghast Dr Alfred Prunesquallor 4 episodes
2001 Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes Prof. Rutherford Episode: "The Kingdom of Bones"
2001 Randall and Hopkirk Combe Fishacre Episode: "O Happy Isle"
2001–2002 Death Comes to Time General Tannis (voice) 5 episodes
2002 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries John Corntel Episode: "Well Schooled in Murder"
2002 George Eliot: A Scandalous Life George Henry Lewes Television film
2002 Dalziel and Pascoe Charlie Penn 2 episodes
2002–2005 Judge John Deed Brian Cantwell, Q.C. 3 episodes
2003 Midsomer Murders Barrett Filby Episode: "Painted in Blood"
2003 That'll Teach 'Em Series 1 Narrator 5 episodes
2003 The Lost Prince Mr. Hansell Television film
2003–2012 QI Himself 10 episodes
2004 The Legend of the Tamworth Two Rival Editor Television film
2005 Absolute Power John Kennedy Episode: "Spinning America"
2005 The English Harem Ridley Television film
2006 Low Winter Sun Professor Barry Lennox Miniseries
2006 Agatha Christie's Marple Cardew Pye Episode: "The Moving Finger"
2006 Jackanory Storyteller Episode: "Muddle Earth"
2007 Reichenbach Falls Professor Bell Television film
2007 New Tricks Dr Finlay McKenzie Episode: "Casualty"
2007 Hotel Babylon Donovan Credo Episode: "Episode 8"
2007 Ronni Ancona & Co Special Guest 2 episodes
2007 Oliver Twist Mr Sowerberry 2 episodes
2009 Margaret Geoffrey Howe Television film
2009 Braking the Mould Edward Mellanby Television film
2010 Lewis Professor Rufus Strickfaden Episode: "Falling Darkness"
2010 Sherlock Kenny Prince Episode: "The Great Game"
2010 Just William Mr. Wellbecker Episode: "William Holds the Stage"
2011 Outnumbered Vicar Episode: "The Funeral"
2011 Rab C. Nesbitt Chief Inspector Haggerty Episode: "Broke"
2011 The Comic Strip Presents... Tebbit Episode: "The Hunt for Tony Blair"
2011 Little Crackers Dr. Edward Cole Episode: "Alan Davies' Little Cracker: The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Daytime"
2011–2012 Skins Geoff Fitzgerald 2 episodes
2012 Dead Boss Sir Humphreys Episode: "Episode six"
2012 Shameless Father McGinn Episode: "All Fall Down"
2013 Mr Selfridge Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Episode: "Episode 7"
2014 Blandings Lord Didcot Episode: "Necessary Rhino"
2014 Doctor Who Gus (voice) Episode: "Mummy on the Orient Express"
2014–2015 Outlander Arthur Duncan 2 episodes
2015 Moone Boy Dr. Stephen Gnot Episode: "Unidentified Feckin' Objects"
2015 Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell John Murray 2 episodes
2015 We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story Arthur Lowe Television film
2016 Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge The Partridge Playhouse Players (voice) Episode: "Episode 1"
2016 Upstart Crow Lord Inquisitor Episode: "Love Is Not Love"
2016 The Rack Pack Ted Lowe Television film
2016 Friday Night Dinner Mr. Murray Episode: "The Carpet Cleaner"
2017 Father Brown Reverend Adam Gillespie Episode: "The Eve of St John"
2017 The Loch ITV drama series

References

  1. ^ "Life and style: John Sessions". The Times. News UK. 10 January 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
  2. ^ a b "BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, John Sessions". BBC. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Mesure, Susie (24 February 2013). "John Sessions: 'I do tend to sound like a bit of a creep'". The Independent. London: Independent Print Ltd. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d "John Sessions on playing Scots legend Harry Lauder". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Moss, Stephen (14 July 2014). "John Sessions, comedy pioneer: 'I lost my way'". Retrieved 1 April 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
  6. ^ Barker, Rhodri (10 July 2012). "Actor John Sessions and lawyer Malcolm Evans among Bangor University's honorary fellowships". northwales. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  7. ^ a b "John Sessions: 'I do tend to sound like a bit of a creep'". The Independent. 24 February 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  8. ^ "John Sessions". www.aveleyman.com. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  9. ^ "Lord, it's hard to be humble". 31 July 1998. Retrieved 1 April 2019 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  10. ^ Anderson, Clive (13 December 2018). "Clive Anderson on Whose Line Is It Anyway? We were making it up as we went along". Retrieved 1 April 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
  11. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Six Degrees of John Sessions, Series 1, Episode 3". BBC. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  12. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Porterhouse Blue - C4 Comedy Drama". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  13. ^ a b Guide, British Comedy. "John Sessions's Likely Stories - BBC2 Comedy". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  14. ^ "Series 6, Episode 11 - QI Transcripts dot com". www.qitranscripts.com. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  15. ^ VHiStory (5 August 2014). "Jute City – tape 1290". Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Sessions, John 1953- - Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  17. ^ Bass, George (1 October 2015). "Stella Street box set review: just popping down the shop to see Mick and Keef". Retrieved 1 April 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
  18. ^ "BBC Two - ScreenPlay, Series 8, Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Isles". BBC. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  19. ^ "Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi and John Sessions - Listen Online". Retrieved 1 April 2019 – via www.scribd.com.
  20. ^ "John Sessions". IMDb. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  21. ^ "Various - When Love Speaks". Discogs. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  22. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "John Sessions". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  23. ^ paul (20 July 2015). "John Sessions". Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  24. ^ "Pick of the Day: Radio". The Independent. 26 December 1998. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  25. ^ "BBC - Press Office - Judge John Deed series two". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  26. ^ "Doctor Who Guide: John Sessions". Doctor Who Guide. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  27. ^ Gibson, Owen; correspondent, media (20 October 2006). "Jackanory gets revamp for specials with CGI characters". Retrieved 1 April 2019 – via www.theguardian.com. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  28. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Hotel Babylon Series 2, Episode 8". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  29. ^ Elliott, Matthew J. (23 October 2013). "The Immortals: An Unauthorized guide to Sherlock and Elementary". Andrews UK Limited. Retrieved 1 April 2019 – via Google Books.
  30. ^ "BBC One - Outnumbered, Series 4, Episode 1". BBC. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  31. ^ Walker, Tim (25 August 2012). "John Sessions reviews a trio of Margaret Thatchers". Retrieved 1 April 2019 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  32. ^ "CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT: Iain Glen to star opposite Tamsin Greig and John Sessions in Longing". Hampstead Theatre. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  33. ^ Byrne-Cristiano, Laura (21 August 2014). "First Look: 'Outlander' images feature Jaime and Geillis". hypable.com. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  34. ^ "BBC One - Doctor Who, Series 8, Mummy on the Orient Express". BBC. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  35. ^ "Film of the week: Mr. Holmes - Sight & Sound". British Film Institute. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  36. ^ "John Sessions went bald for the 'terrific' challenge of playing Dad's Army icon Arthur Lowe (VIDEO) – TV News – What's on TV". What's on TV. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  37. ^ "BBC One - Florence Foster Jenkins". BBC. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  38. ^ Hoggard, Liz (1 July 2007). "How we met: Alan McWalter & John Sessions". The Independent. London: Independent Print Ltd. Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
  39. ^ Dessau, Bruce (15 July 2014). "Opinion: Comedians & UKIP". Beyond The Joke. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  40. ^ Moss, Stephen (14 July 2014). "John Sessions, comedy pioneer: 'I lost my way' | Film". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  41. ^ "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories". The Guardian. London. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Sessions&oldid=962252592"